Rugby board rooms around Australia have been an uncomfortable place for the better part of the past decade.
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Financial struggles, constantly-changing competition structures, Wallabies woes, Super Rugby's demise and dwindling crowds have all contributed to the game they play in heaven descending into hell.
An email in the early hours of August 23 gave the first indication of tension.
Rugby Australia declared a "historic strategic reset" was the way to save the game, trumpeting an agreement with all stakeholders while at the same time avoiding the dreaded c word - centralisation.
Almost three months later, the tension has developed into all-out war. Six member unions - Queensland, the ACT, Western Australia, South Australia, Tasmania and the Northern Territory - loaded the cannon and fired at Rugby Australia chairman Hamish McLennan.
They gave McLennan an ultimatum - resign by Saturday or we'll vote to oust you. The game is at breaking point, and it's unclear how rugby can overcome its biggest challenge since turning professional in 1996.
HOW DID IT GET TO THIS?
Rugby Australia attempted to paint a united picture when it flagged its centralisation intentions in August. Behind the scenes, state unions were sceptical.
"It's a hostile takeover, not a strategic reset," one official said.
The ACT Brumbies and the Queensland Reds were the most frustrated. They said there was no collaboration and no plan, other than to say Rugby Australia would take control of every aspect of their businesses.
Rugby Australia chief executive Phil Waugh had met with Brumbies board members in Canberra in the weeks preceding the announcement. It was the first sign of a war brewing.
The board questioned Waugh, who bristled at the resistance and hesitation, but the Brumbies were refusing to hand over their intellectual property and commercial operations.
So the Brumbies board met again, this time without Waugh, and resolved to "fight for Canberra". They were happy to agree to high-performance alignment, but would refuse to hand over any other part of the business.
WHAT HAPPENED NEXT?
The Brumbies bit their tongue publicly until chairman Matt Nobbs broke his silence on September 24.
"We will not give up total control," Nobbs said.
"The information we've received on centralisation lacks detail and it would be irresponsible for the board to sign an agreement that lacks detail and has had no collaboration."
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Nobbs had once been one of McLennan's closest allies, the men working together to get Australian teams an increase in broadcast revenue from New Zealand and regularly attending meetings over the past 18 months.
But it all broke down over a $1.7 million hole in the Brumbies' finances after a cut to the broadcast deal.
Rugby Australia stepped in and offered help, reassuring the Brumbies the debt would be wiped when a private equity deal was secured.
When private equity fell over, the Brumbies were told they would need to repay the $1.7 figure. If they were forced to do so, they would have been insolvent.
So McLennan and Nobbs went from allies to enemies, and any trust or goodwill was destroyed.
The Brumbies board met with the Rugby Australia board via teleconference during the World Cup. McLennan dialled in from France, and the meeting ended with the parties at loggerheads.
WHAT IS CENTRALISATION?
Australian rugby has been moving towards a centralised high-performance model for several years.
Super Rugby teams have agreed to rest players at the request of Wallabies coaches, teams shared secrets and information with the Test set up and Rugby Australia has a central-contracting system in place.
Fewer than 20 of the 30-odd centrally-contracted players were picked in the Wallabies' World Cup team.
That aside, all franchises agreed there needed to be better collaboration.
But Rugby Australia wanted more, and sought to take control of intellectual property and commercial operations.
One idea being floated was that Rugby Australia would control the franchises, but operations would continue in their existing locations with existing staff.
The problem was the detail, or lack thereof. Franchises were given a one-page term sheet and told to sign away their futures. It fed into fears and speculation bubbling below the surface, and frustration festered in the absence of clarity.
Queensland the ACT voiced their displeasure and refused to fall into line. It's unclear if the Western Force or Melbourne Rebels are on the verge of agreeing to centralisation.
The NSW Waratahs have handed over their keys. But as the team in the most influential market in Australia, they had the least to lose and the most to gain given they were facing significant financial pressure.
THE LEGAL THREATS
Concerned about the Brumbies' finances, Rugby Australia sent a team of auditors to Canberra to look at the club's records.
They went searching for evidence of insolvency - either in the past or looming in the near future. In a letter seen by The Canberra Times, Rugby Australia threatened to revoke the Brumbies' Super Rugby licence if records indicated insolvency - either in the past or currently.
The audit found the Brumbies were solvent. But the Brumbies still returned serve and sent a legal letter to Rugby Australia warning the governing body of the club's intention to go to court if the licence was revoked. There was no turning back.
"It was an aggressive approach that [Rugby Australia] has taken. There was obviously an intent to come here and find something and that they reserved the right to terminate the participation deed retrospectively with immediate effect," said Brumbies chief executive Phil Thomson.
"It was pretty clear cut what they were coming here for. There hasn't been any collaboration, there's been no transparency. There's been no cost analysis to show how this takeover proposal of theirs will work.
"The lack of detail has been appalling. Our board has asked for details and have received nothing whatsoever other than loose details and nothing in writing."
THE WORLD CUP DISASTER
The Wallabies bombed out of the World Cup before the quarter-finals and the Sydney Morning Herald reported coach Eddie Jones being interviewed for a job in Japan despite being eight months into a five-year contract.
McLennan made a "captain's call" to sack Dave Rennie - whose winning percentage was woeful - to recruit Jones at the start of this year.
Jones and Rugby Australia agreed to split after the World Cup, putting McLennan in a vulnerable position, given he had advocated for Jones to be the saviour.
McLennan defended himself in the wake of the World Cup disaster, but the drums were beating and states were working to overthrow him.
THE EXTRAORDINARY LETTER
With centralisation bubbling away and Rugby Australia making headway with the Waratahs, and even moving to thaw Brumbies relations, the states were lining up for a different fight.
The ACT, Queensland, Tasmania, South Australia, Western Australia and the Northern Territory had been speaking about using their board-room vote to oust McLennan.
The discussion started in September, but ramped up when McLennan refused to accept blame for the Wallabies' woes, instead turning the heat on historical mismanagement and the lack of a centralised plan.
The state bodies told McLennan to resign by 5pm on Saturday. If he refused, they would call an extraordinary general meeting and vote to have him replaced.
"The member unions had originally given Mr McLennan until 5pm Saturday, November 18 to consider his position," they said.
"His immediate public statements to the media are a clear indication of his intent. Therefore the member unions believe it is in the best interests of transparency to fully articulate the reasons for their stance."
In the letter, they said: "We do not believe Mr McLennan has been acting in the best interests of our game. We no longer have any trust or faith in his leadership, or the direction in which he is taking rugby in Australia.
"...After deliberation and discussion, we decided we must take action in order to protect the reputation and future of our game."
Whatever happens now, it's already clear there are no winners.
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