Aussie Chris adds spice to RFU
Australian Chris Spice was today appointed the Rugby Football Union's first £200,000-a-year performance director and will have control of a £50 million budget over the next seven years.
Spice, 40, is leaving his five-year contract with the English Hockey Association to take up the new job.
He was the unanimous choice of a selection panel made up of RFU chief executive Francis Baron, Fran Cotton, Bill Beaumont and Andy Sutch of Sport England.
Spice, who came to England in December 1997, was formerly assistant coach to the all-conquering Australian women's hockey team, helping them land gold at the 1994 World Cup and gold in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
While at the EHA, Spice has established regional academies and made fundamental alterations to the National League. His rugby brief will be to set up 12 regional centres of excellence, oversee the development and running of all national teams and establish an elite coaching system.
Meanwhile, cable operators ntl were today confirmed as sponsors of the Lions tour to Australia in a deal worth £1m.
