By Spiro Zavos
October 30th 2007 @ 3:58am
It won’t be Alan Jones
After a hammering with my predictions in the 2007 RWC tournament, it’s time to get back on the horse again with another fearless prediction. And here it is: Alan Jones won’t be the next Wallabies coach or manager.
There are the practical matters like how could the admittedly workaholic Jones (who sleeps apparently about four hours only a night, gasp!) fit in the intensely busy work schedule he currently has with a full-time coaching job? He did it with Souths, it might be argued, but then that particular coaching stint was not successful.
It should be remembered too that in 1987 the RWC favourites Australia went out in the semi-final under a Jones coaching regime that was undermined by his need to concentrate on his new radio commitments and devote only the afternoons and evenings to the Wallabies.
Then there is the fact that the game has moved on since Jones was last the Wallabies coach in the 1980s.
It may be that the shrewd John O’Neill may want to give Jones some sort of honorary role in Australian rugby (chief motivator perhaps? gasp!) on the Lyndon Johnson grounds that it’s better for critics to be inside the tent pissing out, than outside the tent pissing in. But I doubt this will happen.
The thing about the push for Jones to take over control of the Wallabies is that it is grounded in some bitter rugby politics. Before Rod Macqueen was appointed to the job of Wallaby coach in late 1997, when Greg Smith was clearly not up to the job, I and all the other rugby writers were subjected to a strong campaign to get Jones back in. I even scored a lunch at Machiavelli’s with Ross Turnbull pushing the Jones case.
Turnbull’s attempted intervention gives a clue as to the motives of the Jones push. It was all about wrenching control of Australian rugby from the officials (the good guys in my opinion) who had beaten off the Turnbull-Packer rugby circus takeover bid. The mark of the defeat of the Turnbull-Packer gang was the appointment of John O’Neill in 1996 to run Australian rugby as an independent organisation not beholden to any media group.
Alan Jones was extremely critical of the O’Neill appointment. O’Neill successfully sued Jones. In the lead-up to O’Neill’s second coming, he was backed this time by Jones. But whether this is enough for Jones to be rewarded with some honorary position remains to be seen.
Who then is likely to get the Wallaby coaching job?
If the NZRU is stupid enough not to appoint Robbie Deans as the All Blacks coach, it is clear that John O’Neill will push hard for him. There are timing problems related to this. The NZRU appointment is due to take place after the ARU says it will make its decision. You’d presume that the former All Black Deans would see the NZ job as first prize.
If not Deans, then David Nucifora would seem to be the obvious next choice. He is the only Australian coach available who has won a Super 14 title. He was booted out by the ACT Brumbies because he wanted to regenerate the squad. O’Neill wanted the Wallabies to do the same thing but was stymied by Eddie Jones. Nucifora’s stint with the Auckland Blues has not been overly successful.
There are other candidates, including Scott Johnson. But there is a feeling, expressed quite strongly by Mark Ella in recent arguments, that as Johnson was responsible for coaching the Wallabies (he ran the field sessions, anyway) that the disastrous 2007 RWC tournament campaign should be held against him.
Jake White? I think not. There is his connection with Jones minor, Eddie Jones, which will not go down well with the board of the ARU. There seems to be a change of attitude too in South Africa regarding quotas with the president Thabo Mbeki now talking about greater ‘facilities’ for black players rather than quotas as the way to bring them forward. My guess though is that a black or coloured Springboks coach will be appointed, as a sign that ‘transformation’ is taking place.
It seems to me, too, that there is a push to get White (the right name for an England coach, after all) as England’s coach. Brian Ashton has been savagely attacked by Laurence Dallalgio, and criticised severely by Mike Catt and Sir Clive Woodward. Ashton looked like a shoo-in a couple of weeks ago to retain his coaching job. But not now.
So, gulp, here’s the fearless prediction on the coming coaching appointments: look for David Nucifora for Australia, Robbie Deans for NZ, and Jake White for England.
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Stu said | October 30th 2007 @ 4:42am | Report comment
As long as no Jones is coaching the Wallabies, then all is good – Dean is the obvious replacement for NZ & as for SA and ENG whio knows? Not including White & Connolly, considering the results of the RWC there should be a plethora of international coaches on the circuit on the market- Sullivan, Jenkins, Henry.
Considering the players Nucifora has had at the Blues i wonder if he is really up to coaching the Wallabies.
Stu said | October 30th 2007 @ 4:43am | Report comment
BTW – I’m not suggesting we go for Sullivan or Jenkins, but Henry could be good.
I seriously do like Mitchell.
stillmissit said | October 30th 2007 @ 4:58am | Report comment
Stu I agree I think of the coaches in Australia at the moment then Mitchell is the best. He has stated that he is not interested in the job and it appears that is where it ends. Pity, but understandable after the personal attacks he took following the 2003 WC. Henry in hindsight has done no better job with the AB’s than Mitchell who also had a fabulous record prior to the WC with players who didnt have the skills of the current AB’s.
David Nucifora would be a fine appointment and, in the absence of Deans, should be given the job of rebuilding Australia over the next 2 years with a RWC 2011 coach being brought in to take the team through the cup.
Scott Johnson could have had the job in the absence of Deans if the backs had performed well but I dont think they have improved over the last 2 years and that was his job.
I don’t believe there is anyone else.
sheek said | October 30th 2007 @ 5:00am | Report comment
Spiro,
I think you’re on the money – David Nuficora for Australia; Robbie Deans for NZ; Jake White for England. But then, my last prediction before the WC kicked off was that France would prevail over NZ in the final.
The good thing about Alan Jones, is that he would have involved two of the absolutely necessay men into coaching capacities. Jones already had flagged Mark Ella as an assistant coach. Jones is also close to Topo Rodriguez, who I think is ideal to head up any national scrum academy.
In your tribute to Steve Larkham, you spoke of coach MacQueen picking his best attacking player (I think they were roughly your words, or at least the sentiment) as flyhalf. Whoever is the next national coach, ought to involve the best “brains” in Australian rugby into coaching positions, irrespective of politics.
But I guess that is too much to ask for. Frankly, I think John O’Neill should offer the combined salaries of Tuqiri, Sailor & Rogers to snare Deans – he’s that good!
onside said | October 30th 2007 @ 5:26am | Report comment
The position should be called MANAGER, not COACH , in the same manner as international football.
MANAGER more realisticly describes the overall job specification. COACH suggests too narrow a brief.
onside said | October 30th 2007 @ 5:33am | Report comment
Sheek, Spiro (as l sporting tipsters)
You are in elite company, along with weather forcasters and economists.
It matters not how many times they are wrong ,people continually tune in
for the next prediction because deep down they never expect them to be
right. To that end ,you have lived up to expectation
stillmissit said | October 30th 2007 @ 6:18am | Report comment
This is the least obvious call of all the appointment of Wallaby coach I have seen over the years. Although McQueen was left field and I knew nothing of him prior to his appointment, as soon as I heard about his approach to the Wallabies he had my thumbs up.
In the current environment assuming Deans will not be it, and I believe NZ would be crazy to reappoint Henry, then I think O’Neil won’t appoint Nucifora although he would do a good job in rebuilding with our youth. O’Neil will want the very best in the world and I bet the discussions going on in North Sydney would be very interesting at the moment.
The Argentina coach? if he can speak english. Good forwards approach and as an ex back understands that side of the game as well as most. Maybe Henry? to rebuild the forwards and put some mongrel in the team then someone else for the World Cup. Who knows where you go when the main person for the job is unavailable and there is an obvious shortage of talent.
I expect that if Deans doesn’t accept the Wallaby job then O’Neil will put a lot of money and ego pressure on John Mitchell. It is what I would do.
O’Neal and McQueen was the winning combination for Austrlia and O’Neil will want someone at least as competent and creative as McQueen. That cuts out nearly all of the current applicants.
Pfitzy said | October 30th 2007 @ 10:51am | Report comment
Loffreda speaks English well enough – he’s easier to listen to than Eddie Jones at least.
I’d applaud the appointment of Nucifora as coach. He’s not afraid to tread on a few toes to get the job done, which is a double-edged sword of course in the overly political environment of Australian Rugby. But I think despite a lack of titles he’s done well with a Blues team that relies too much on flash rather than substance, especially with utter pillocks like Ali Williams disrupting things in the squad.
I would not have John Mitchell as head coach. He showed with the All Blacks and with the Force that developing a forwards game is not his forte, despite his playing years for Waikato. How else do you explain Nathan Sharpe seagulling at both provincial and national level?
The best thing going forward is the clean slate as far as selections go. Gregan and Larkham were kept on past their prime for fear of losing, where we should have taken the hard knocks and developed some talent. Short-term pain, long-term gain. Hopefully the new batch of youngsters are around long enough to make it interesting, unlike the procession of halves who headed overseas because the incumbents were immovable, despite form or injury.
stillmissit said | October 30th 2007 @ 11:01am | Report comment
Pfitzy
Having named nearly every coach in world rugby during this thread all that’s left for me to do to take issue with you over Nathan Sharpe. I have always believed that Sharpe is about as over rated as you can get as a second row. He found his job was a lot easier by sea gulling, under Eddie Jones, on the fringes or preferably in the centers and then driving the ball up mainly into backs and leaving the hard work for other forwards to do.
Basically he has always been an imposter at the Wallaby level in my book and what a waste of so much muscle particularly above the eyes.
I don’t believe Mitchell created this marshmellow it has always been there.
Greenie said | October 30th 2007 @ 11:08am | Report comment
Go Spiro! Wow, you’ve really gone out on a limb! In the spirit of the exercise, I’ve got a couple of fearless predictions myself. The next Wallaby coach will not be Santa Claus, nor the Easter Bunny. There, I’ve said it.
el capitan said | October 30th 2007 @ 11:28am | Report comment
Who ever is the national coach or manager, we need someone with new and fresh ideas. Perhaps plucking a coach from the club scene? Its worked for players, so it could very well work for coaches.
Australian rugby has suffered in the past with poor coach selections, however a coach can’t win the game at the end of the day, as it comes down to players. The Wallabies need a complete overhaul. Why is it that our U19 and U21 teams are up as the world best, but not the current national squad? The answer is that players are now paid and set into contracts. If a contract was year by year, exciting new talent could be injected into the team when required. Players feel like they are safe from being dropped, because they believe that the ARU won’t drop them and still allow them to earn the big bucks.
We need to get Rodriguez to fix our scrum. Those “so called tight 5″ bar the exception of Vickerman, need to be dropped. Scrumming is an art form, and we don’t need pretty boys up front. Look at the top level club scene. The blokes that have faces only a mother could love, they prop week in week out. There is no agro in the forward pack, the coach needs to instill the basics, like diving on a loose ball to secure it.
Well thats my 2c worth.
sheek said | October 30th 2007 @ 11:35am | Report comment
Onside,
I believe it’s better to make a decision & be wrong, rather than make no decision at all & vegetate.
Barry said | October 30th 2007 @ 11:45am | Report comment
Down Cronulla way there’s a bloke running around coaching a certain NRL team of perenial under achievers! This fella would make a brilliant wallaby coach.
Played in a great schoolboy side and has all the skills as both player and coach. Would surely set an example to the players.
Just wait until he is off contract and bang! Of course there is always pre-emptive strike, but that would take initiative, and guile so spose that rules ARU out.
Time to think outside the box, 4 years is not so long? is it Stu?
Best
Baz
Darryl said | October 30th 2007 @ 11:47am | Report comment
Very funny Greenie, I like it.
I think the NZRU is confirming their arrogance once again by not sacking Henry and offering the job to Deans straight away. They know the ARU wants to appoint someone by the end of November, but they think the AB job is so special that Deans will forget the Aussies and wait til the AB job is offered to him. And this may be so. But I think the AB job would be the worst job in the world for Deans. Why would you want to take a job where the public and the NZRU give you no other option other than victory? Atleast with the wallabies he gets a clean canvass of talented youth to mould where success will be more gauged on the development of the right culture.
I hope Robbie tells the arrogant NZRU to bugger off then move to Bondi.
rob mccourt said | October 30th 2007 @ 11:49am | Report comment
spiro
i agree with you on jones. it’s laughable that it even gets a run. jones of course does have remarkable presence. i recall a function for one of campo’s first retirements. jones was the guest speaker at the showground. it was not long after the dreaded london incident. i feared for jones at the hands of a hostile rugby crowd. within seconds the room was spellbound. he can be quite inspirational. in short bursts. it wears thin very quickly. and then you either ” pick and stick ” or incur the wrath and displeasure of jones. not a good environment for grown men who are trying to gel as a team.
so i think your choices are right.
most of us are not insiders so perhaps our opinions should be qualified. but i do know that nucifora performed well with the brumbies. he ran foul of a group of players particularly those that had healthy opinions of themselves. footballers must be the only group of employees who think that they run the show. what other job other than CEO’s of public companies guarantees a large salary and bonuses for either under performing or not performing at all. at least the CEO can say he or she was employed to run the show. i’m self employed. i don’t have a guarantee of income beyond tomorrow. most employees have no guarantee beyond 4-8 weeks at best. what makes a footballer so precious. nucifora took them on. for two reasons. firstly because he wanted his under performers to perform and secondly because he knew that he had to give the understudies a smell of the ultimate prize. so when he benched jeremy paul a number of years ago and started with digby beaumont he raised a few hackles. jeremy spat the dummy and so with the infamous assistance of justin harrison nucifora’s fate was sealed. and where was the brumbies board while all this was going on. pandering to the players and shafting nucifora. and where now is digby beaumont who was a very good young player.
and so to auckland went nucifora. another club with huge discipline problems. natural physical talent but none mentally. 7th in 2005 in the super 14. nucifora had an unremarkable first year. they came 8th. team culture does not change in a year. or two. this year they led for most of the year to fall at the end of the season in south africa. they still came equal 2nd although 4th on for and against. he one way or the other got rid of ali williams. talented but stupid. you don’t want players like that. if he is appointed australian coach we will never know if he was on the right track with auckland but i suspect he was.
i’d back him as australian coach. and then we need a board with spine to remind the players of their limited tenure and that the way to extend that tenure is to stop being precious and perform.we don’t need a foreigner. these are test matches. IRB rankings aside we are supposed to be in the top 4 rugby nations. i want someone who cries with the national anthem. someone with passion. someone who knows that even though it is professional sport this is your country whose pride is on the line. you can’t do that if the players are not your flesh and blood. look at henry during that lions tour. woeful. so give me an australian coach. otherwise i’ll move to argentina and support the pumas who at least appreciate the honour of playing for your country. if we were a fledgeling nation or a minnow i might feel differently. but we are not.
and lastly spiro i think the time has come to end the dramatics over our world cup campaign. again from the outside i thought conolly johnson and foley did a reasonable job. there weren’t a whole lot of new players who were suddenly going to turn the team around. they largely had to work with what they inherited. i think to call our world cup campaign disastrous is a little hysterical. we lost one game by two points. if we had played either south africa or england in the final we would have given it a very good shake. only one team did not lose a game. the winner. was the world cup disastrous for the other 19 teams. of course not. disaster is when you lose 8/9 tests. conolly and his crew did their job as well as they could. now it’s time to move on.
go nucifora.
rob mccourt
Darryl said | October 30th 2007 @ 11:53am | Report comment
Sheek
Considering Mark Ella left rugby because he hated Allan Jones do you really think he’d want to work with that fascist again? The only thing Allan Jones would do for the Wallabies is turn away all the supporters who have been recruited over years by rugby appealing to the masses more than ever before. Jones is a bigot and should stick with his over 65’s right wing proper gander job.
Okay …. I’ve calmed down now.
I’m surprised there hasn’t been more of a push to get MacQueen back into the coaching job. O’Neil seems to have a knack of getting the people he wants even if they seem not interested.
Greg Russell said | October 30th 2007 @ 1:14pm | Report comment
It should not be forgotten that the Welsh are very much after Jake White too. That job pays very well (from memory Graham Henry was on something like 500,000 pounds per year) and there is an element of “nothing to lose” about the job (who expects the Welsh to win?). There is also the advantage of a nice clean takeover, whereas who knows what’s happening with the English coaching position? All else being equal White would obviously choose England over Wales, but I’m not sure that everything is equal.
Pfitzy said | October 30th 2007 @ 1:26pm | Report comment
Stillmissit – Mitchell is happy to continue with the marshmallow as captain – says it all for me.
el capitan – Moore and Shepherdson are also worth persisting with. The issue is those ugly club props might rip it up every week in club rugby, but so do blokes like Baxter and Dunning. The cream are actually getting picked, its just that we don’t have the right scrummaging culture in this nation. The fat kids get picked at junior levels for prop – and they get picked last. In South Africa and New Zealand all positions hold honour. Here all the nippers want to be Gregan or Larkham or Horan or Burke. How many kids aspire to be Richard Harry?
Pfitzy said | October 30th 2007 @ 1:34pm | Report comment
Darryl – Rod Macqueen has already stated he has no interest in returning to the job. Its a stressful venture compared to running his other successful businesses, and all the innovations he and his crew put together have been copied and worn out. His basic philosophy on rugby at the time was the requirement for new ideas.
Its also worth noting he had a pretty talented group of individuals together at the same time. Look at the RWC99 winning side:
Harry, Foley, Blades, Eales, Giffin, Cockbain, Wilson, Kefu, Gregan (at his peak), Larkham (at his peak), Roff, Horan, Herbert, Tune, Burke
And then guys around at the time like Kearns, Little, Bowman (who fell away badly shortly after this), Grey, Latham, Staniforth, Whitaker, Connors, Crowley.
Any of these blokes could, at the time, have held themselves in the top 5 of their position in the world. Can you say the same about any of the current squad? Maybe on potential, not proof.
stillmissit said | October 30th 2007 @ 2:54pm | Report comment
Pfitzy
I think you might have me there. I am not sure what Mitchells options were but I would have found anyone other than Sharpe to captain a team under me. There again maybe that was the deal to get him to be one of the first to go over to Perth!
I am feeling very nervous about the next coach as there is a huge amount of work and tough decisions to be made to get this ship upright and headed in a reasonable direction. I am stuffed outside of Deans and really just casting around for an alternative that looks like a possible rather than a probable. This is not good enough for what we need at this time.
Maybe there’s a coach out of the radar at the moment – like for instance, who the hell coached the U21’s to their first win in 10 years against the All Black U21’s and why are we not discussing him?
Darryl said | October 30th 2007 @ 3:35pm | Report comment
Rod Macquens tactics were right for the time – and I think he’s the type of person who could derive new tactics for todays game. Sure he had good players, but as Spiro has said often they were mostly the same players who got belted in South Africa under Smith – ie. coaches makes a difference.
andrew said | October 30th 2007 @ 3:47pm | Report comment
Dame Edna has more chance than Alan Jones of being the next Australian coach. Now I come to think of it…..
Jaffa said | October 30th 2007 @ 5:59pm | Report comment
Gents – thank you all for your unanimous rejection of the egregious Alan Jones as the next coach for the Wallabies. Whatever his oratorical powers, he owes no loyalty to anyone or anything in front of his own towering ego. It was, is now, and ever will be at all times all about Alan.
I acknowledge that he identified some players who were previously either overlooked (Steve Cutler) or discarded (David Codey) or unknown (Nick Farr-Jones) when putting together the ‘84 Grand Slam side, but Alec Evans actuallly coached the pack to technical excellence, and the backline, with Ella, Campese, Farr-Jones and Lynagh providing the flair (no,genius actually from the first two) and Gould, Slack and Grigg the grit and steadiness, virtually coached themselves.
Every position Jones has held as a teacher,mentor and coach has invariably produced polarisation in the playing group. He has been loved and loathed in equal measure.
His subsequent career as a radio spruiker has been tarnished by the cash for comment scandal , and he is regularly in the courts facing legal action from people he has attacked from his bully pulpit.
Australian Rugby does not need to be sidetracked by the controversy that would inevitably follow the reappointment of this relentless self-promoter.
On a more relevant matter, it is my impression that when John O’Neill reallly, really wants something (or someone in this case), he usually gets it – so my fearless prediction is that Robbie Deans will call the bluff of NZRU and accept the Wallabies job. Remember you heard it here first (or second, or wherever I am in the queue of people who have advocated his appointment).
I don’t accept the proposition that The Wallabies must be coached by an Australian. There are many examples of coaches moving freely across borders to top level positions in all international sports. The obvious recent example is Eddie Jones, but Football (or soccer if you prefer) has shown the way for years in this regard …maybe Guus Hidddinhk is available!
matty p said | October 31st 2007 @ 1:19am | Report comment
If nothing else, Rod McQueen has been involved in the Stellenbosch laws project and no doubt has some ideas about how to play them… should be worth involving him, no matter who is coach, I would have thought…
Nick said | October 31st 2007 @ 3:34am | Report comment
pfitzy – re wc99, You say Rod McQueen had a talented team, and he did, but 11 of those player were also in the team two years previous who were beaten 61-22 by South Africa, before Rod McQueen took over. I don’t think we can underestimate the job Rod McQueen did.
Pfitzy said | October 31st 2007 @ 5:04am | Report comment
Those players who got hammered in South Africa and then went on to lose to Argentina were, more than anything, in an environment that didn’t allow their natural talent to flourish. As always in Australian rugby, politics destroyed any chance our national team had. Greg Smith’s appointment for example, and his nascent illness, were at the top of the list of controversies in that time, and the results we had in 96-97 bore that out. Its also worth noting that many of those 11 players were not that far into their rugby careers, compared to some of the talent they were coming up against, a lot of whom were World Cup winners a couple of years previous. In 1999 we only beat them at RWC due to our superb defence and organisation; and here we come to the core of what Macqueen brought.
I agree that Rod was one of the great coach/managers ever, but its drawing a long bow to suggest he could sustain a similar dominance if he came back. You’ve got to remember that Macqueen was one of the first coaches to actually innovate across the spectrum of the game rather than just rely on a few tactical tweaks and the natural talent at his disposal. Professional rugby was barely in its infancy and we still had players with an amateur ethos. Macqueen sorted that out, and through his work with the Brumbies developed specific target areas for game performance that have since been copied and slightly modified by every other coach going around at the top level. Macqueen was the first coach to really tighten up the defensive patterns of our Test side, using Muggleton in that role. Since then many teams (including Graham Henry’s 2001 Lions and Clive Woodward’s 2003 winning Poms) have used a league defence coach to help with technique and alignment.
Throw in the fact that our Achilles Heel – scrummaging – is now a key focal point of the game and Macqueen would be faced with an even more difficult task. We don’t have the right culture for scrummaging in this country as noted many places elsewhere. Until that changes we’re living on Law modifications or smarts.
brumby justin said | October 31st 2007 @ 9:29am | Report comment
You ready for this…
I think that the ARU should employ Kevin Sheedy or another established AFL coach to be part of the Managerial staff (NOT the head coach or manager).
Why – because the AFL seems to have perfected the system of taking young players and integrating them into team structures and letting them become champions. Even in TV commentary guys like Rob Walls make statements like “well, now that he has 60 games under his belt we expect this from him”.
Seems to me the AFL ability to make judgments on a players’ ability to deliver (and their subsequent willingness to drop players that aren’t going to make the cut) could be beneficial to rugby.
When was the last time you heard a member of the Wallabies coaching staff make points about players in relation to their overall career rather than one-off statements about their current performance and game by game analysis.
Granted, the AFL has a powerful junior playing group, national draft and top flight LONG TERM national club competition to base all of this on.
Whadya reckon???
stillmissit said | October 31st 2007 @ 9:34am | Report comment
When you think of what McQueen did in recreating a team that had been hammered by everyone and at the same time brought in a number of worldwide innovations, it is impossible to expect the man to sacrifice his family and, in his case, money, to attempt to repeat what he did 10 years ago.
I have never read anything from Rod M to suggest that he has new ideas to bring to the game, as he did 10 years ago. If he had them you could bet the ARU would listen and so would the coach.
We can’t expect that of him and even if we pushed him to do it, we would almost certainly be setting him up for failure.
What is needed worldwide is a set of innovations in attack. Where else should this innovation come from than Australia? We need to win on the backs of our backs and we ain’t going to have a strong pack of forwards in the coming few seasons. Maybe neccesity will be the mother of this invention.
I thought the AB’s counter attack, although they didnt use so much of it in the year before the world cup and at the world cup, showed some real promise.
Attack in this modern game appears to be successful only if you can make it happen before the tight defence can be put fully in place. I have always believed that the cross kick from the winger back to the centre of the field with the slide defence coming across would be very interesting. I once saw a half back I played with in South Africa confronted by a strong defence stop 10m from the line and about 5m in field and kick the ball from one side of the field to the other our right winger picked it up untouched and scored. Something radical needs to be done to break down these defences and some work involving Campese, Horan, Larkham, Ella and Muggleton could produce something.
brumby justin said | October 31st 2007 @ 9:38am | Report comment
Good to see you support my AFL recommendation Stillmissit (the cross field kick is of course a short pass to an unmarked player in space in the indigenous code)
sheek said | October 31st 2007 @ 9:49am | Report comment
On another site I wrote that South Africa won the WC because they were the best balanced team. Perhaps another way of saying it is that they adapted, where NZ did not.
Back in 1999, in the penultimate 3N match, the Wallabies lost an abysmal match to the Boks 9-10 in Capetown. As the story goes, the Wallabies “bombed” several try-scoring opportunites, & were also heavily penalised at crucial moments.
As the Wallabies flew back for their final 3N match against the ABs in Sydney (won 28-7, one try apiece), MacQueen was realising he needed to change the team’s strategy, from playing it wide to something more mundane, but safe.
Appreciating that the referees were likely to be “whistle-happy” (some things don’t change) at the 1999 WC, & also realising he would have Eales & Larkham back on deck (they had both missed the domestic season with injury), MacQueen adapted.
Despite having a backline capable of ripping oposition defences to shreads, MacQueen decided on a safety first approach. Retain possession, work into opposition territory, take the points on offer, backed by unremitting defence. Not pretty, but pretty effective!
I wonder if Jake White read MacQueen’s blueprint? I guess what I’m saying is that a smart coach/manager needs to read the game in front of him, not always as he would like it to be. Attention to detail, ie, techniques & basic skills, adaptability of mind & flexibility of approach appear to be the keys to a successful coach/WC campaign.
Pfitzy said | October 31st 2007 @ 10:01am | Report comment
brumby justin – if Sheedy had a good look at the way in which we develop our juniors ie. private schools only, he smile, and shake his head at any offer from the ARU. Quite simply unless the governing body is willing to reign in the provinces and take control of the entire tree, including funding which we don’t have, rugby will continue to be elitist crap. Hypothetically, if Sheedy took the job, the first place he’d pin on his development map would be Western Sydney. I play out that way and the place is drowning in talent but the ARU just aren’t interested beyond a few token training squads for U14-U16 level. League is king there, but the AFL also knows the population figures and how much they could expand. We’re planning to recruit heavily from the local population of Kiwis and disillusioned leaguies.
stillmissit – the counterattack plan of the All Blacks was based on a simple set of rules: Defend like your life depends on it, and have realy fast blokes with good handling skills to exploit space on the wings. It was very league-like IMHO and quite negative because refs give too much leeway at ruck time “Hands off 7! Hands off 7! Oh come on pleeze – hands off 7! Hands off 7!” (blow the whistle you git!). I can’t honestly remember the last decent first-phase try the All Blacks scored against rated opposition, and even the Wallabies struggled with first-phase scoring until the ABs put McAlister into midfield at Melbourne Bledisloe this year. That part of rugby has faded with the improved defences we have.
Another point is refereeing – Macqueen operated in a time where the attacking side gained favour at ruck time (particularly true of the South African refs at the time) and we still had things like rucking someone who got in the way, which is still the best way to manage the ruck i.e. let the players do it rather than all this whistle work.
At the moment we’ve got a shortage of decent referees, whose task is further complicated by an IRB willing to hand out stupid directives rather than remove all the technicality BS from the rules. I don’t care if the law changes encompass the trialled ELVs or what – we need a simpler set without all the conflicting sub-clauses, and get back to letting the players take responsibility for their actions. Rather than all this talk, we should have action by the refs. If you clamp down early in the game you put everyone on notice. Then as people get tired you can relax. Better than going easy early and clamping down later – unfair.
stillmissit said | October 31st 2007 @ 10:11am | Report comment
brumby justin
I think we should use an AFL coach for general kicking and field positioning kicks. I also believe that it’s the calibre of the coach rather than which code he comes from. I have always thought that Tim Sheens with his amazing career of taking inexperienced or run down clubs and turning them around is someone we should be looking to add to our squad as an advisor.
Before we do any of this I think we need to decide what coaches we want to do what! It can’t be easy having, was it 19 coaches? Sounds to me like a commitee and nothing good ever came out of one of those.
The game is about running (attack coach), passing (handling and positioning), tackling (defence) and kicking the ball (Kicking coach) . Our coaches should be based around these fundamentals plus a scrum specialist who should not be a coach in terms of input into the team. The head coach should call all the shots and be in charge of these other 4 coaches. What is wrong with having an AFL guy as our kicking coach we have an ex league as defence coach already?
The game needs to be brought back to basics and looked at again in terms of coaching. At the moment it seems we leave it up to the head coach to decide the structure of the coaches and although they should have strong input maybe they are too close to the problem.
Greg Russell said | October 31st 2007 @ 10:47am | Report comment
Re Jaffa’s “On a more relevant matter, it is my impression that when John O’Neill reallly, really wants something (or someone in this case), he usually gets it – so my fearless prediction is that Robbie Deans will call the bluff of NZRU and accept the Wallabies job”:
What people outside NZ perhaps do not know is that Deans went to school with NZRU chairman Jock Hobbs, and the two subsequently became brothers-in-law. So although the NZRU say they are not going to appoint a coach until Christmas, my guess is that Deans will know well before this how the land lies for him – he could hardly have a better “inside contact” than Hobbs. So while the timing of the two coaching appointments makes things look difficult for Deans (the job he most wants is the one that will be announced latest), I think he can work his way around this.
Also interesting is John O’Neill’s approach. Deans admires and is very much like Wayne Bennett. Just as Bennett keeps as much of his life as is possible out of the media, so too Deans. The NZ media has therefore been amazed at O’Neill’s openness about the Deans situation: telling the world that he had breakfast with Deans in Paris, telling the world that Deans has applied for the Wallaby position, and so on. The feeling in NZ is that O’Neill is shooting himself through the foot by doing this, because Deans will not like such public proclamations about him. However my feeling is that O’Neill is far too clever to make an obvious mistake like this: whatever O’Neill is doing, he is doing it so as as to maximize his chances of getting his man. Why then is O’Neill playing out in the open his courtship of Deans?
mudskipper said | October 31st 2007 @ 11:23am | Report comment
We all know it Alan Jones is hijacking the Wallaby Coach debate for his own media attention and John Singleton is laughing all the way to the bank….
Let’s talk about the real Wallaby Coach Contenders… Jones is a has-been from a non-professional era… leave Jones to talk back radio task of confusing and frightening Australia’s retirees …
Spiro Please write a new article about Coaching…
Nick said | October 31st 2007 @ 11:46am | Report comment
What is all this about swapping international coaches. Graham Henery gets the boot and we all scramble to get him for our national team. Wait a minute Jake White is now available, didn’t he just win the World Cup, We’d better sign him up before someone else does. Maybe Brian Ashton will be available soon, after all he did beat the Wallabies. John Connolly is free I heard….wait a minute we just had him…..is it too soon to have him again?
This is ridiculous. It’s just an international rugby version of wife swapping, or musical chairs, or both. We may as well get a big glass bowl and throw our car keys in it and see which coach pulls us out.
If Sth Africa don’t want Jake White, even after winning a world cup, and if NZ don’t want the man once known as “The Great Redeemer”, shouldn’t we be a little circumspect in our willingness to grab at others castoffs.
All knee jerk reaction and doubt in our own ability to find talent close to home. At least one thing Alan Jones did by putting his hand up, is open our mind to the possibility of SOMEONE DIFFERENT!
Nick
stillmissit said | October 31st 2007 @ 1:34pm | Report comment
Greg Russell
I think that O’Neil is making the Deans application very public for one reason and it isn’t because he thinks the ARU will get him although we may. I believe it is to set the bar for the appointment of the Australian coach.
I think he is saying “this is the guy we want” if you are not near this standard then it is not going to be you. The question is not why is he doing it. It is who is he trying to smoke out?
Sam Taulelei said | October 31st 2007 @ 1:34pm | Report comment
Greg
Reports in NZ media today are quoting Robbie Deans as being available, interested and keen for the All Black coaching job if it becomes available and also removing himself from the Wallabies coaching position. He won’t be involved in the ARU interview process beginning on November 9 and won’t be doing anything in the near future that would jeopardise his chances at the All Blacks job. He’s also told the WRU that they are wasting their time if they are chasing him for the Welsh coaching job. One can interpret this to mean as not necessarily ruling him out of the Wallabies job as he may already have been interviewed by John O’Neill in Paris but it’s clear that he covets the All Blacks job and his statement ends a lot of speculation as to what his plans are. How the NZRFU react to this news will be interesting over the coming weeks.
stillmissit said | October 31st 2007 @ 1:38pm | Report comment
Another thought could be that NZ rugby may not want to go into another coaching cycle just yet and maybe a reappointment of Henry, maybe for 2 years, and a similar appointment of Deans here for 2 years. Then Deans takes over the All Blacks for the 2011 WC and we appoint an Australian to take the Wallabies to the RWC in NZ.
Deans would do a great job of rebuilding Australia, Henry could hold the NZ ship together and beat the pants off all the rest of the world and then both NZ and Australia would be in good shape for the RWC.
Bit out there but I could see Hobbs and O’Neil forging this kind of verbal agreement.
stillmissit said | October 31st 2007 @ 1:41pm | Report comment
Sam my theory is obviously too far out there. Wish I had waited 5 mins before posting.
andrew said | October 31st 2007 @ 1:58pm | Report comment
Apparently I was off the ball ( excuse pun) about Dame Edna as the next Australian coach but “high placed sources in the ARU” (to quote G.Growden on endless occasions) are telling me that Sir Les Patterson has applied.He was of course rushed to the head of the queue on the condition that he attended his interviews with a bevy of his research assistants.One of the questions he asked at his first interview was why the ARU needed any more coaches since the last time he looked they seemed to have more of them than the total number of players in the squad. He suggested that the ARU sack the lot of them since whatever they were doing was clearly not working – I mean losing to the English!! As a service to Australia in his position as cultural attache at the court of St James he had personally asked her Majesty to have all of them comitted to the Tower of London for life – which of course She readily agreed ( She has always had a soft spot for Sir Les)
Sir Les then suggested that all these lilly livered woofters be replaced by him and his bevy of research assistants.The players were over the moon ( whatever that might mean – I thought he’d retired , but there you go) and of course players get their way these days.Ah what fun we’ll have!!
mcxd said | October 31st 2007 @ 2:25pm | Report comment
I cant help but think NZRU are playing silly buggers knowing how much the ARU want Deans. Ive got nothing to base my arguement on other than a hunch but i have a feeling Deans will be the next AB’s coach and its pretty much decided.
Jaffa said | October 31st 2007 @ 10:50pm | Report comment
The latest news from NZ suggests that Robbie Deans has taken himself out of contention for the Wallabies job. At face value, that seems to be the last word on the subject….. but is it?
It was not all that long ago that John O’Neill was quoted extensively in the press as saying he was not a candidate for the CEO’s position at the ARU, he would not be applying , blah blah blah – and then, lo and behold – he’s in the job!
I repeat – what John REALLY wants, he usually gets, so I won’t absolutely positively rule out Robbie Deans until either he is appointed to the All Blacks job ,or someone else is announced as the Wallabies coach. Watch this space!
Greg said | November 1st 2007 @ 6:34am | Report comment
I can’t believe i’m still hearing this rubbish! Robbie Deans will NOT coach the Wallabies. I’ll say it again: Robbie Deans will NOT coach the Wallabies. What is it with people refusing to rule him out?
O’Neill is an Australian with a passion for rugby and has extensive sports management experience and had the job before, making him the ideal candidate for the job, it was just a question of money.
Deans is a New Zealander with a passion for rugby and has extensive credentials in the coaching department, making him an ideal candidate for the All Blacks job. See the difference?
Deans is a New Zealander, and as such, the All Blacks job is the highest rung he can climb on the coaching ladder. Can you imagine an Australian turning down a Wallabies job to coach the All Blacks? (assuming there isn’t too much difference in salary as I assume is the case here) No of course not, becuase the Wallabies is the pinnacle for Australian rugby coaches.
I don’t care what John wants, he may want Deans but Deans does not want the job and it’s his decision. And give O’Neill some credit, he’s not about to put his time and resources into chasing someone who clearly has other priorities, he’s not that stupid.
Don’t watch this space!
andrew said | November 1st 2007 @ 6:46am | Report comment
Spot on Greg, and as I was saying Sir Les is a shoe in anyway ( whatever that means ) As we speak he is increasing his extraordinary personal training schedule to make sure he’s in tip top condition.Nobody is sure what his training involves except that something called a python is used.He assures us the players will love it.
Peter L said | November 1st 2007 @ 8:07am | Report comment
I still think go for broke and go left field – take on someone from outside the game (as head coach, that is a strategic role not a tactical one).
But now that Kyle Sandilands has ruled himself out I would go with Andrew and put my support behind Sir Les on the proviso that one of his bevvy of research assistants finds a way to get rid of Jon Williamson and his bloddy waltzing matilda!
counterruck said | November 1st 2007 @ 11:58am | Report comment
My money is on SCW to take the job. Watch this space.
Darryl said | November 1st 2007 @ 5:52pm | Report comment
geez you’re a tool Greg.
gavin said | November 2nd 2007 @ 6:18pm | Report comment
Hear this, as it is true!
Alan Jones will be the Wallabies coach for the following reason. Alan Jones has quietly investigated the possibilities about beoiming national coach. He knows he has detractors due to age and the ridiculous “the game has moved on ” mob!
You see, Jones doesn’t like publicly losing and he officially threw his hat into the ring at the “11th hour” due to the personal feedback he looked for and received. He had to be on firm ground before proceeding with his application. The QRU is on side with him, so there’s a major State on his side, and after some work and lobbying behind the scenes, NSW will fall in behind him, especially given they know he’s running rugby style, and a possibly coaching team consisting of Alec Evans, Mark Ella and Simon Poidevan.
Alternatively, he have Scott Johnson (no way) John mUggleton ( a tackling coach who knows little about the tackle. Ewan MacKensie, great player, average coach, Lauir Fisher is interesting, as is Nucifora, forget the rest!
Jones studied and asked opinions about his chances, and now, the 2 November, he officially entered the race for the coaching position
It’s Jones!
DaniE said | November 2nd 2007 @ 8:30pm | Report comment
http://www.rugbyheaven.com.au/news/news/back-to-the-future-jones-wants-wallabies-job/2007/11/02/1193619124290.html
Yay. What joy. It’s official.
Darryl said | November 3rd 2007 @ 4:57am | Report comment
I’ve changed my mind – give Alan the job.
If he succeeds then great, I love the Wallabies and I want to see them win by playing their game and not boring European rugby. If he fails then great, I hate Alan Jones and want to see him fall flat on his big fat fascist face.
Either way, success or fail, he’s atleast off the radio for 12 months.
It’s win, win and win.
sheek said | November 3rd 2007 @ 6:55am | Report comment
I suggest Winston Churchill as head coach (apparently his motivational speeches are spine-tingling).
Attilla the Hun as forwards coach to put some mongrel in the pack. Vlad the Impaler as his assistant.
Genghis Khan as backs coach for his sweeping, outflanking movements, & take no prisoners attitude.
Leonidas (leader of the Spartan 300) as defence coach.
Any of Aristotle, Plato or Socrates to handle the IT/Video analysis.
alex dunnin said | November 4th 2007 @ 8:09am | Report comment
The more ideas the better, even if they come from Jones senior. But the biggest worry is Alan Jones is being sponsored into the Wallaby coaching job by the QRU, who it must be said are not known for too much success or shrewd decision making of their own. At least Jones is saying we have the players to do the job but on the other hand the idea that a new coach singlehandely will save the day is really the thing that worries me>
Spiro Zavos said | November 4th 2007 @ 9:04pm | Report comment
One of the intriquing comments Alan Jones made in his presentation announcing his decision to stand for Wallaby coach is that he will stand down from his announcing job if he is successful. This was always going to be the primary concern regarding his application. With this cleared up, the ARU will have to consider his application on its merits. My belief is that someone out of the coaching game for 20 years just couldn’t fit back in.
There may be a role for Jones in the Brian Lochore mould, that is as third selector and wise counsel to the hands-on coaches. But Jones’ tendency to dominate any group he is involved with, and cause splits in the groups, a common tendency, should tell against him, I think.
But Jones might bring sponsors with him that the ARU finds irresistible. Who knows. I just can’t see the ARU bringing Jones back in knowing his history.
brumby justin said | November 4th 2007 @ 9:15pm | Report comment
Agree Spiro, but isn’t there just the slightest chance that ARU might let AJ in for one year, assuming he will be out of touch and stuff up, just to silence a potential critic FOREVER – then hand the role on to whichever Oz coach stands up during this post RWC year. I think this is what Jones is betting on given his 12 month only demand.
Pfitzy said | November 5th 2007 @ 8:57am | Report comment
No – if Jones comes in it will be on his own terms, and those will be unacceptable to the ARU and O’Neill. You can’t have all those egos in the room together – nor do you need it. I’d say your chances of silencing Jones are about as good as the Waratahs winning the title
Sam Taulelei said | November 7th 2007 @ 12:40pm | Report comment
Hello all
Just a brief aside on the Waalby coaching dramas.
If events transpire as Spiro predicts with Nucifora and Deans winning their coveted coaching positions then NZ would find it in a similar position to what John O’Neill and the ARU so loudly protested when Eddie Jones resigned from Queensland Reds and on the way to Saracens became technical adviser for the Springboks to the world cup. If Nucifora is allowed to see out his Super 14 campaign with the Blues before becoming HEAD COACH (not technical adviser) of the Wallabies.
Or how about this as an intriguing alternative, Robbie Deans named as Wallabies coach but still completing his contractual obligations to coaching the Crusaders for 2008.
Either way would you expect the NZRFU in all honesty to compel either man to honour their Super 14 committments before taking up their oppositions prized coaching job?
Publicly the NZRFU has been in full support of Nucifora and his ambitions for the Wallabies and don’t see it as an impediment to coaching the Blues for 2008 but privately there must be some board members seething that they’ve lost Warren Gatland to the Welsh who could have been encouraged to remain in NZ if he saw that there was path for him. Without a NZ Super 14 coaching job, ranked an outsider at best for the All Blacks, the opportunity to coach internationally again is more appealing than another seasone with Waikato in the NPC. If Nucifora is named Wallaby coach and leaves the Blues either this year or next, then that coaching carrot could have been dangled before Gatland who has just an impressive domestic coaching record with Wasps as Deans has with the Crusaders and previous international experience with Ireland.
If Deans misses out on the All Blacks job as well and is also lost overseas then the NZRFU only has itself to blame for its current state of coaching affairs and the old joke about the last person leaving NZ remembering to turn out the lights will become true.
Sam Taulelei said | November 7th 2007 @ 12:41pm | Report comment
Sorry damn spellchecker it should of course read “Wallaby coaching dramas”
Glenn Condell said | November 7th 2007 @ 1:40pm | Report comment
Rugbyheaven at the SMH has obviously jumped on the Jones bandwagon, Spiro notwithstanding. Note the title:
http://www.rugbyheaven.com.au/news/news/let-the-ball-sing-alan-jones/2007/11/04/1194117865930.html
It’s a hagiographic paean to the man, which could have been written by Himself. It might be AOK in an editorial but is well out of line in a news report, signed by someone called AAP. Here’s a few tidbits:
‘Making a better fist of selling himself than John Howard or Kevin Rudd, Jones probably picked up more votes than either as well on the opening day of his own election campaign… Rather than bemoan a lack of depth as John Connolly often did during his 18-month reign, Jones – a man’s man who thrives on redirecting wayward talent – was adamant Australia had the players to once again rule the rugby world… Like Howard and Rudd, Jones will know just how he has polled later this month after O’Neill, ARU high-performance unit manager Pat Howard and co assess all the candidates. Undoubtedly, though, there has been a swing in his favour.’
I tried to email a complaint to them but an error cocmes up when you submit. There’s a number they give you to call, but when you do there is no mention of Rugbyheaven, so I tried to get on to someone, anyone, who could take a message. Voicemils galore, but no human beings.
Has Fairfax been taken over by Telstra or something? (Speaking of which, perhaps the Wallabies could approach Sol Trujillo – he might be free shortly)
Greg said | November 7th 2007 @ 2:31pm | Report comment
AAP is a news syndication called Australian Associated Press, it seems that is wasn’t one of the Telegraph’s writers who wrote this.
gavin said | November 7th 2007 @ 2:34pm | Report comment
It’s Jones fellas. He’s already got the job. The selectors will go through the motions of the interviews for appearences sake.
It’s over! Jones has it!
stillmissit said | November 7th 2007 @ 4:22pm | Report comment
Christ Gavin I hope you are wrong! I can still recall his last effort where it went from great elation to deflation over a couple of years. Still you have to admire his work ethic even if he promoting himself he does it flat out.
I would be happy for Nucifora to get ideas and input from him but having him run the show would be very distasteful to the players and us supporters, if he ripped into individuals and set up favourites like he did last time.
stillmissit said | November 7th 2007 @ 4:23pm | Report comment
Christ Gavin I hope you are wrong! I can still recall his last effort where it went from great elation to deflation over a couple of years. Still you have to admire his work ethic even if he promoting himself he does it flat out.
I would be happy for Nucifora to get ideas and input from him but having him run the show would be very distasteful to the players and us supporters if he ripped into individuals and set up favourites like he did last time.
gavin said | November 7th 2007 @ 4:42pm | Report comment
Hi Still
Consider this
He has a good record as a coach, albeit with a champion side he didn’t develop himself
He has one major union onside, namely Queensland
The contract will be for one year only so the ARU lose nothing. If he performs well, a further contract may be available, but only on results
He may be willing to do it for free, which eleviates a financial burden for the ARU. No coaches wages
The public will see it as a popuarly move as with luck he’ll try and get rid of the national selectors and the high performance unit that even though a coach selector, Pat Howard is on it!
The ARU get access to a a radio station and associated radio network at their beck & call! with the owner’s ( J Singleton & Jones is part owner) blessing
It’s all done and dusted!
brumby justin said | November 7th 2007 @ 5:06pm | Report comment
I wouldn’t call QLD a major union anymore
The ARU potentially lose a range of followers not keen on Jones’ ego, politics, history with player management, potentially laughably outdated tactics…
We need a coach to develop a side, not motivate a group of champions (last time I looked we weren’t a champion team by any measure).
Nuff said Gav!
andrew said | November 7th 2007 @ 5:19pm | Report comment
Gavin you say that Alan Jones would be a popular view with the public.
Well here’s one member of the public who would be outraged, because his talkback programme has defined Jones as a right wing racist bigot.No doubt John Howard his chief cheerleader will become his mentor.
This is the man people will want to be the Australian coach??!! Even in passive,conservative Australia I would have thought this was too much.If Jones is appointed it will be good night and bad luck from me.
gavin said | November 8th 2007 @ 9:01am | Report comment
Hi Andrew
Who cares about his politics as long as he coaches well. I have read he how he is old fashioned and we need a new style of play. No we don’t! We need the effective tried and true running rugger back. I have heard that Mark Ella left becuase of him, well that’s true in part, but if Jones comes on, so will Alec Evans, Mark Ella and Simon Poidevan
I can see Kurtly Beale as the only player who coucld try to play an Ealla style of game, although I think he’s no Mark Ella, but Kurtly’s style will suit the Randwick game better than Berrick Barnes. It’s the old Randwick style we need in the Wallabies! Excellent forwards dishing the ball out to backs
So there’s the team, Jones Evans Ella & Poidevan. Potentially you don’t get much better!
All we nee to do is rid ourselves of Baxter, Sephardson, and Moore. Keep Dunning, Rodney Blake and find a couple od hard heavy props, and for the first time in Oz rugby, remove al the fat from them and harden then up!
Even if you had to go outside rugby to find strong men and teach them the game, so be it. There must be huge aggressive heavy blokes in various grades that could be looked at. All this old school tie crap has to be gotten rid of!
And stop forwards “seagulling” in the backs, Jesus that gives me the shits!
I like the traditional deep backline although Mark Ella makes a point here. Read flat backline and five eighth here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Ella
stillmissit said | November 8th 2007 @ 9:36am | Report comment
Gavin
I think many of us can relate and applaud your rant. Seagulling Sharpe is a sight I have hated for ages. It seems the idea of not commiting to the ruck and stacking the D line is mostly a ticket of leave for the forwards. I understand that there are times when it is useless to pile into a ruck where the ball is already won but the art of the counter ruck is one we don’t have in out knapsack of stupidity.
I want us to play balanced rugby as Sheek suggested in one of his posts. I don’t want a bunch of great backs living on 30% ball mostly from set piece where the defence is set. I want 50% minimum across the park and backs who can use that ball.
If Jones gets this bunch to sort out as you logically suggest I hope this is one of the first things he fixes. I also hope that this is one time when your logical argument should not win out and you end up being wrong.
Jones to be coach – If only there was a Gandalf to say “You shall not Pass!”
gavin said | November 8th 2007 @ 10:06am | Report comment
Hi Still
Yes you are correct re ball percentages won by forwards. The forwards win the ball and if they don’t your great backline is useless.
As far as my logic is concerned, if I am wrong about Jones’s selection, then I will have to eat humble pie and logically admit to all and sundry that I’m wrong
By the way, it would appear that the only one of our coaches that can hold his head up high the Eddie Jones, assisted coach to the RWC winners.
Amazing how fortunes change
mudskipper said | November 8th 2007 @ 10:07am | Report comment
Jonestown to be the Queensland Reds coach. Let him wave their flag. Let him verify he can still coach a rugby team and win a match in the modern game. The QRU Boss is only recommending Alan Jones to be mischievous and disruptive to the selection process as QLD don’t have a contender for national coach, he’s just being a nuisance….Queenslanders Knuckles is gone and he favoured the QRU Reds enough in his short term as coach…
stillmissit said | November 8th 2007 @ 10:23am | Report comment
Gavin he is more like the scum rising to the surface of a tepid bath and leaving a dirty ring for someone else to clean up!
Mudskipper good idea, let him prove himself in the Elephants graveyard of coaching in Australia.
mudskipper said | November 8th 2007 @ 10:34am | Report comment
QRU just had one coach E.Jones they could try another A.Jones and change their colours to RED and be Wales…I suppose that would make them new south wales and we already have that one covered by AKA Link…
Queensland has the right sound for A.Jones… Jonestown would look good in an elephant suit…He likes light grey suits…ha ha ha…
gavin said | November 8th 2007 @ 10:35am | Report comment
lol!
Hey “mudskipper” If the QRU boss is only being mischevious, then great! And just what is the “modern game ” ? I’ve heard that expression time and time again. I claim the “modern game” is the problem!
And “still” The “scum has a proven track record, he is part owner of a radio station, he is supported by the majority shareholder of that radio station. If I was O’Neill, I’d be saying ” we could have some cheap broadcasts here” and publicity you can’t buy. Happy radio station with the ratings too! And he is willing to coach for no fee charged!
And respected Alec Evans, respected mark Ella, and possible equally respected Simon Poidevan who could really get our back row going and show them how to get th the breakdown!
It looks like business chaps. They are scratching each others backs!
The engineering is happening and this is as much business as well as rugger! All based on a proven past!
Jones says if he becomes coach, a lot of blokes will end up on the dole queue. Good, that’s what we need!
The “high performance unit and John Muggleton to start with! HAHA
stillmissit said | November 8th 2007 @ 10:48am | Report comment
Gavin I was refering to the ‘Other’ Jones boy.
Muggleton to go! not by a mile that guy made Australian rugby solid in defence when it needed it. I don’t think he has the wrong attitude, it is the players who think they are on the gravy train and don’t commit to anything, and as long as they break down and cry when they lose or do that other modern abomination, apologise, then the big dough will continue to roll in.
Cynical you might say, but that is how dark I am feeling about these wallabies of ours at the moment.
They need a rocket up them and a reality check. The next coach will have to deal with some bruised ego’s as I don’t think the gravy train goes on past this WC stop. O’Neil will ensure that success is rewarded and failure punished.
gavin said | November 8th 2007 @ 11:08am | Report comment
Muggo has been around for a while and he’s taken his time about it. I admit he’s gotten better, but he still teaches slide defence. Whatever happened to the day you marked your man as an individual and you moved forward to tackle him. Today with slide defence, tacklers wait for the attacking player to come to them, allowing the attacking side to gain too much yardage!
Slide defence is bollocks!
mudskipper said | November 8th 2007 @ 11:56am | Report comment
Gavin its OK don’t be alarmed…the modern game is the game which you watch on telly each week…not the game that was played in the past decades….such as the 70’s, 80’’s, 90’s… its about current offense and defense strategies, the current styles of rugby play.
Defense today you can’t mark your opposite man as the superior teams play 2 or more layers of offense so you can’t go man on man, if you did you would be easily defeated very week …Muggleton understands this.
Even if A. Jones coached for free he would be too costly for Australian Rugby…
gavin said | November 8th 2007 @ 3:44pm | Report comment
DEfense OFFence. Wow. Are we talking gridiron ? LOL!
I haven’t seen anything but slide defense. I have never seen an attacking side so good as the early 80! Except when David Knox was 5/8, or stand off half if you prefer!
stillmissit said | November 8th 2007 @ 4:59pm | Report comment
Gavin there was a wonderful example of the umbrella defence in the NZvFrance game. I am surprised you missed it.
Knox was a magician in every area but defence which he not only knew nothing about, but didnt want to know either, you are not related are you?
gavin said | November 10th 2007 @ 1:47am | Report comment
No Not related to Knoxy. What a brilliant player. The white mark Ella. He was lousy in defence too, but otherwise brilliant!
I see Johnson has pulled out of the coaches selection, and MacKensie will soon follow. A J is firming!
gavin said | November 15th 2007 @ 3:15pm | Report comment
Almost a couple of weeks ago, J Muggleton rather demeanigly toward Jones, claimed at least he had coached this century.
He has since said he would be willing to be coach with Jones as motivater. Mr Muggleton appears more conciliatory as he sees Jones firming for the job. He suspects he’s going to get “done” Of course MacKensie and Johnson can forget it!
Say hello to the others on the dole queue for me Muggo ! HAHA
It might be Alan Jones, after all » The Roar - Your Sports Opinion said | November 26th 2007 @ 9:09am | Report comment
[...] When Alan Jones put his hand up to become the Wallaby coach I insisted that he wouldn’t get the job. [...]