Waratahs say no to Hayne
According to foxsports.com.au, Hayne, who is a former Rugby League and NFL star, approached Australian Rugby Union boss Bill Pulver about a possible future in Super Rugby after he was left out of Fiji's Olympic Sevens squad.
However, the Waratahs decided that he does not fit with the franchise's current direction.
"We're not going to pursue Jarryd at this present point in time, and I think it's a bit of a watershed moment for the organisation," Waratahs Chief Executive Andrew Hore told foxsports.com.au.
"We feel with the fact that we've combined both New South Wales and Waratahs rugby that our first priority has got to be making NSW a great rugby state again and that's got to be our primary focus.
"Now, is a quick fix going to do that?
"We don't think it is.
"We think the issues in our game are that broad and deep that we want to focus on resolving those, and when you’ve already got 10-plus Wallabies — plus Israel Folau in our team — we feel that there's enough star-power there at this stage.
"Maybe it's about utilising their skillset more, while at the same time increasing investment into the things that are going to make us a great rugby state once again."
Hore said the Waratahs would rather look at talent within in their own region and structures.
"We believe we've got to focus more on those others areas of the game: youth development, infrastructure and building the game of rugby union for all shapes and sizes," Hore said.
"Now, there's no doubt that if there was unlimited resources, that a player like Jarryd Hayne may have been of real benefit.
"But right now we have a new and exciting young group of players, (and) combined with the needs of our game to put it back on an even keel, talking to Jarryd probably at the moment isn't the right thing for us as a sport.
"First and foremost we've got to continue to look at how we grow our own.
"We've got a new and exciting leadership group in our team, and a lot of new players coming in next year, so it's really important that we ensure that we grow and invest in an environment which helps them excel, and sometimes if you redirect that financial resource it means you can’t do that."
Source: foxsports.com.au
