The Chairman of the NSW Rugby Union Roger Davis has today announced he will not stand for re-election and will resign from the Board of Directors at the Annual General Meeting on May 31.
Davis says that after twelve years on the Board of the NSW Rugby Union and the NSW Waratahs, nine of them as Chairman, now was the right time to retire.
“A new CEO is in place, the search is underway for a new head coach, we have a young and talented team showing all the signs of a great future ahead of them and our Centre of Excellence is about to begin construction,” Davis said.
“As Chairman I’ve been able to oversee all of this and other major milestones at NSW Rugby, including the Waratahs making two semi-finals and winning the Super Rugby Championship in 2014, negotiating the merger of the NSW and Waratah boards and securing the financial future of the organisation.
“While rugby has faced some serious headwinds over the last few years, I think at club and state level, NSW is at the beginning of a new and sustained period of success.”
As a player, the former Sydney University and NSW lock represented the Waratahs on 10 occasions between 1973 and 1978 and earned three Test caps for the Wallabies, all against the All Blacks in 1974.
He joined the NSW Rugby Board in 2012 and was elected Chairman in 2015.
The Chief Executive of the NSW Rugby Union Paul Doorn, says Davis should be recognised and thanked for his lifelong contribution to rugby.
“Roger has achieved so much as a player, in business and as a Chairman and NSW Rugby has benefitted from his dedication to the game over the last four decades,” Doorn said.
“He is passionate about rugby and has made a considerable contribution to the game and we, as a Board and an organisation, thank him and wish him well for the future.”
The Board has selected Tony Crawford to succeed Davis and will formally vote to confirm his appointment on 1 June, following the AGM.
Crawford has been a director of the NSWRU since 2018 and has longstanding connections in both the rugby and business communities.
After a 30 year career as a lawyer, he has served as an independent non-executive director for over a decade and is currently chairman of HBF Health Limited, Heart Research Australia and Energy & Water Ombudsman NSW. Previously he was chairman of Grant Thornton Australia and CEO at DLA Phillips Fox.
Crawford has a strong association with Sydney club rugby, serving since 2010 as a director then as President of Northern Suburbs Rugby Club for seven years. He played rugby for 20 years and also coached junior rugby.
“It is an honour to be elected as Chairman at a time when we are going through so many changes at the Waratahs and I see improving the alignment of rugby in NSW, from the grassroots to the professional level as one of our highest priorities,” he said.
Outgoing Chairman Roger Davis welcomed Crawford’s appointment.
“Tony has enormous experience in business and rugby and has just the right skill set to lead NSW Rugby in the coming years. His experience will be invaluable as we negotiate the pathway to success,” he said.
