Rugby Australia "has taken the first tentative step" toward repairing relations with the game's grassroots by nominating a Shute Shield president to fill one of three vacant board seats, according to Georgina Robinson of the SYDNEY MORNING HERALD. The nominations committee put forward Gordon Rugby President Hayden Rorke and Australian Rugby Foundation Chair John Wilson. RA CEO Raelene Castle will take the third seat, replacing her predecessor, Bill Pulver. RA members will vote on the nominations at the next AGM on April 9. Rorke's nomination is a "clear attempt to bring club rugby in Brisbane and Sydney back into the fold after a damaging period under Pulver." It is also "tangible evidence" that RA intends to honor a commitment made last year when it announced Australia would lose a Super Rugby team. RA Chair Cameron Clyne said at the time that propping up five teams "was preventing RA from adequately funding grassroots rugby." He said that the governing body would use the roughly A$6M ($4.6M) a year saved from funding one less team to "plough into" the grassroots and coach and player development (SMH, 3/19).