Perfect time to retire - Wagner

The new era of players, coaches and overall strategy at Western Province and the Stormers ensured the “timing is perfect for me to step back now”, says retiring chief executive Rob Wagner.

The new era of players, coaches and overall strategy at Western Province and the Stormers ensured the “timing is perfect for me to step back now”, says retiring chief executive Rob Wagner.

The former Western Province B flank and Villager club captain, who served WP as an administrator for 25 years, announced earlier this week that he was stepping aside, as he was taking long leave.

And while WP Rugby Union president Thelo Wakefield said at a press conference at the team’s Bellville training headquarters on Thursday that Wagner had built up a whopping 240 days of leave “as he never took leave, apart from a few sick days”, Wagner said that was only part of the reason for calling it a day.

“Some months ago, the president embarked on a strategic way forward, which we have called ‘Towards 2020’. Secondly, the president has also produced and we have just completed a climate survey (staff views) of Western Province Rugby,” Wagner said.

“Added to that, Robbie Fleck mentioned to you that the class of 1996, which I was involved with, there are similarities between that class and the class of 2015 that have now graduated to 2016, and there is a new era coming up.

“So if I look at Towards 2020, the climate survey and the group of young players under a new coach, the timing is perfect for me to step back now, because Province does come first, and to ask someone else to take this wonderful brand into a new era.

“Twenty-five years is a long time. You need a new captain of the ship that can drive it and take the brand to new heights.”

Current WP general manager for marketing and events, Gavin Lewis, will step in as the interim chief executive until a permanent appointment is made.

Lewis told Independent Media that the process of identifying the new chief executive was well under way but still ongoing, and there was no definite timeline as yet.

WP advertised the chief executive position in September last year, with a commencement date of July 1 in 2016.

Wagner – who described himself as a “back-room administrator” who didn’t like the title of CEO – said the standout moment of his 25 years at WP was meeting Nelson Mandela. “The biggest highlight ever – and you can’t take it away because of the individual – was the 1995 Rugby World Cup opening ceremony, which I was intricately involved in,” he said.

“I had the pleasure and opportunity to meet the late President Mandela. That has to be the highlight. You cannot imagine how humbled you feel in that man’s presence. That particular time was the most special time for me at Newlands, was meeting that fantastic man. And every victory was fantastic for me, you guys know how I am.

“I’ve had an incredible journey. I’ve never ever taken it for granted, and I have always accepted the fact that it was a ‘gift’ that was bestowed upon me. And hopefully I have never abused that gift.

“Whatever I’ve done – and I have made mistakes, and I have sometimes hit heads with media – but I’ve always done it in the interests of Western Province Rugby and nothing else. It’s been an absolute joy, and the journey has been marvellous.”

Wakefield said the issue of granting Wagner long leave for his retirement was granted “unanimously” by the board and executive of WP Rugby. “I think we have a ‘very unfair’ leave system where only 40 days are paid out when you retire. I thought that being the loser of 200 days is not good enough – not after you served for 25 years,” he said.

“I considered his leave application, and also what has been done over the past two to three years in terms of getting structures, systems, procedures and methods into place. I thought that it was the opportune time to send him on leave.

“I spoke to Gavin and I said to him ‘You know the organisation very well’, and you know the staff very well on the rugby side, as well as on the administrative side. You know Western Province inside-out, and will you act for the period as the interim CEO for the organisation, and he agreed.”

Wagner said that while he had wanted to leave a few weeks earlier, he wanted to wait until after last week’s Bulls game at Newlands. “I just had a good feeling about the Bulls! I just thought if I could stop then, with a good, solid victory over the Bulls, what better present can you have,” he said.

“It was a resounding victory, and I had one of the best sleeps on Saturday. It was just a fantastic way to say cheers – 40 000 people in the stadium, a good victory against the old foe from the north, so you just can’t ask for anything better. I am blessed to have been the CEO of the greatest brand in world rugby.”

A former biology teacher, Wagner told Independent Media that he will be taking a break for a while, but wants to get involved with school and club rugby again in future.

ashfak.mohamed@inl.co.za

@IndyCapeSport