Gregan joins ARU board

Sydney - Five years after retiring as Australia's most-capped test player, George Gregan will join the Australian Rugby Union board of directors as a nominee of the players association.

The former scrumhalf and captain, who played 139 tests for the Wallabies which included four World Cup tournaments, will replace Mark Connors. Connors was elected to the board in 2007, the same year that Gregan retired.

On Friday, the ARU also announced following its annual general meeting that retired military General Peter Cosgrove and former federal sports minister Mark Arbib would lead a review into the ARU's corporate governance. It also said ARU chairman Peter McGrath had stood down and that former Wallaby Michael Hawker had been elected to that position.

The ARU's recorded a loss of $7.5 million in 2011, caused chiefly by a revenue downfall which results from a World Cup year, as the Wallabies did not host any tours from European teams in June, while the Tri-Nations tournament was also shortened.

"The problems caused by the scheduling of Rugby World Cup in 2011 cannot be repeated in 2015," McGrath said of the next tournament.

"It's simply a matter that the IRB must fix and remains one of the most pressing issues for the major national unions. Reducing a union's income by such a dramatic amount impacts the game at all levels ..."