Juen 11 2008 Spiro Zavos

“I remember talking with Robbie Deans about the views of Cecilia Lashley, a New Zealand social worker who has written some interesting books on how young men can be aggressive on the field of play and non-violent off it.

Deans has tried to implement her methods with the Crusaders, and will certainly do the same with the Wallabies. In a sense, this interest is a modern take on the Bob Deans mentorship role.

In this way, Robbie Deans has many of the attributes of coaches like Jack Gibson and Wayne Bennett. There is a laconic speech pattern. The words are few but they weigh a lot.

There is the concern about the total player, with improvements on and off the field, being the goal. The improvements are all about the issue of responsibility. Players are expected to be responsible for what they do and are given skills to achieve good outcomes, on and off the field.

Discipline and the desire to constantly improve are internalised. So you won’t get Deans imposing curfews and so on. The players are expected to do the right thing because they want to, not because they are forced to.

There is nothing soft about this approach. Players are treated with respect. They are given the chance to improve. But if they don’t rate, they don’t get selected. “

Maybe you are bitter about SA winning the world cup last year while your chokers blew it once again?

Regards,

I think that we have all used up our allotment of emotion on Robbie Deans and have almost run out for the test match.

Snap out of it – All of us, the day of rekoning is upon us!

True believers still worship with King James version
Frank Keating
Tuesday January 8 2008
The Guardian

Thursday marks, unbelievably, a quarter of a century since Carwyn James died of a heart-attack aged 54. Rugby football was his game, but his legacy survives as the philosopher-king of all sports’ team coaches. You can come across inscrutable Chinese rowing coaches or earnest American basketball bods and they recognise any mention of him with solemn reverence and awestruck smile.

James was an unlikely one-off all right. A West Walian miner’s son with a passion for cricket and snooker; a scholar who could translate Chekhov and Turgenev into Welsh, the Mabinogion into Russian and Dylan into Italian; a Plaid Cymru evangelist and Gorsedd of Bards member, who chain-smoked and drank gin and tonic; he played fly-half for Wales, coached Llanelli to four successive Welsh cups, and, epically, the 1971 British Lions to their (still) solitary series victory against New Zealand.

He also wrote a Guardian column. I spent the weekend fondly tweezering out a few aperçus from those now parchmenty, print-faded pieces. Rugby has seismically changed since his death, but his remarkable percipience still shines. Here’s a delectable dozen:

· If I had my time again I’d be a soccer manager, not coach of a rugby club where half a dozen or more committeemen interfere with selection. As well, money now permeates rugby’s administration. Rugby must always be our aristocratic heritage, never a trade.

· The boring, unthinking coach continually preaches about mistakes. The creative coach invites his players to make mistakes. Adventure and error go together. I loved Lewis Jones’s way – “I may concede two, but I’ll score four!”

· I have relished studying coaching methods at Manchester United – heresy in rugby union – and also rugby league at Wigan – even more heinous heresy. The transfer of skills from one ball game to another should forever occupy the mind of a responsible coach.

· Mini-rugby too often substitutes fun for fear-of-error. It was created for youngsters with the best of intentions, but screaming mums, doting dads, and competitive coaches give it the image of a monster.

· Most memorable tries are launched from deep positions; great counter-attack always has an element of the adventurer’s daredevil desperation.

· Successful man-management is no more than demanding your team’s “cocky blighter” remains outrageously full of himself, and ensuring your morose grumbler can moan as much as he wants. Express yourselves, I tell my teams, not as you would at the office, but as you would at home.

· However “brilliant”, a young player must think and rethink his game many times over if he wants to graduate to a brilliant career. If he does not, it will be all too short, sharp and painful and (to round up Dylan) “we shall see the boy of summer in his ruin”.

· The most telling of any pre-match team-talk consists of just three words: “Think! Think! Think!”

· This new midfield “crash-ball” is disaster – hunks of manhood with madness in their eyes, battering-ram bulldozers happy to be picked off on the gain-line by just-as-large hunks from the opposing side. For what? Just to do it all over again.

· The laws need simplifying. The minor offence is, incredibly, still equal to the major. Referees strut and talk far too much; they must become less and less important.

· Back play at speed is becoming a pathetic apology, an insult to those who have graced it for a century. Flat-footed forwards now stand at centre: I ask you! And crowds clap aimless kicks-ahead – and pay £12 for the privilege.

· We are breeding robots. Is it the drudge and monotony of training sessions where everything’s done by numbers? Fly-halves even call moves before the scrummage forms – “miss one”, “dummy scissors”, “high up-and-under” and so on – regardless of the quality of the emerging ball. Coaches treat players like puppets on a string.

I was reminded of Carwyn at the extraordinary gathering at Stradey Park for the funeral this winter of his beloved protégé Ray Gravell. Both would have laughed at my memory of Carwyn’s memorial service, higher up the steep sheep-speckled mountainside above Llanelli in Cefneithin’s whitewashed little Tabernacle. Late, I’d driven at full-pelt from London, only to find a huge throng of mourners around the already burstingly cram-full chapel. Desperate, I implored a kindly steward: “I’ve come all the way from the Guardian to report the service.” Valiantly, he muscled me through the complaining multitude to the chapel elders’ jam-packed front pew, insisting: “Make room for this man, he’s very important – he’s from the Ammanford Guardian!”

· This article was amended on Monday January 21 2008. Carwyn James, the Welsh rugby union international and coach, was not an Eisteddfod arch-druid, as we said in the article above. This has been corrected.

Copyright Guardian Newspapers Limited 2008

Maybe it should also be the semi talented and sometimes the totally lacking in talent but have a big pile of ego.

It is interesting that Robbie was quoted yesterday as saying “missing out on the All Blacks coaching position had been a blessing”. It would seem that the NSWRU and NZRU have much in common.

Westy – We have to have both. The short term goals are to get on the front foot and win, thus ensuring the media aren’t on his back and also build a squad that is capable of beating anyone in the world and on a regular basis. These are not insigniificant goals.

His other challenge is to find or build the talent, particularly in the front row that is not obvious at the moment, as we all know. Let’s hope he is successful and after he has gone on, hopefully for him to coach the All Blacks, then we don’t appoint another highly conservative, political muppet like E.Jones.

I read somewhere that Deans used take his (Crusaders?) players out at night and take homeless people to shelters. Has anyone else heard/read this? Can anyone provide insight?

While Geoff, Chas, Dublin Dave and Jerry did pick up some minor factual inaccuracies, it in no way detratcted from your excellent general theme on Deans the man. In fact the Deans family had an enormous impact in pioneering farming on the Canterbury Plains. I thought some history and a few facts may be useful In case you one day decide to write a book on Deans – and also may be of interest to readers here.

Just to complete the Ellesmere/Glenmark matter first though – the Ellesmere district is south of Christchurch and is the home of one Dan Carter. Glenmark is some 40 miles north of Christchurch, over the Waipara River at the start of the Omihi valley. It’s beautiful country – I drove through it the day after watching the Crusaders / Hurricanes semi-final.

The 2 pioneer Deans brothers William and John came from Ayrshire(?) in Scotland in their early 20′s I think. As Chas said they arrived in Canterbury in 1843 and established their substantial farm at Riccarton on the banks of the Avon River (which they named from the Avon in Scotland – NOT Stratford-on- Avon in England) – well before the First Four Ships arrived from England in 1850. The ships being the Charlotte Jane, Sir George Seymour, Randolph and Cressy.

Thus the Deans were were the first settlers on the Canterbury Plains. The site of the(ir) “First House on the Canterbury Plains in 1843″ is marked by a plaque and oak tree planted by John’s wife Jane Deans about 1884 on Kahu Road about 100 yards from the Avon River bridge opposite the current Christchurch Boys High School (CBHS). I believe William was drowned relatively early in a river crossing. John and Jane Deans had one son John, who in turn had about 9-10 sons and daughters – one of whom was the great Bob Deans and another the great(?)-grandfather of Bruce & Robbie Deans. The substantial farm at Riccarton was developed and they had further extensive farm holdings at Homebush, towards the foothills of the Southern Alps…not sure of exact location or history of Homebush property. Thus the Deans were THE major pioneering family in Canterbury, followed by many others. Bob Deans was known for his generosity to many of the touring 1905 All Blacks side.

Christchurch was laid out (to a design by the Adelaide architect) by leading 1850 settlers in a one mile square bounded by Bealey, Rolleston, Moorhouse and Fitzgerald Avenues, with the magnificent 600 odd acre Hagley Park adjacent to the west. Deans Avenue on the western side of Hagley park also formed the boundary of the Deans farm at Riccarton. It was almost certainly named in the 1850′s – years before Bob Deans was born in 1884! The magnificent Deans home – Riccarton House was developed in stages from 1856 through to 1900. Bob Deans and I believe most of his brothers attended Christchurch Boys High School – then in the city on the same block as the then Canterbury University College. The Deans Scholarship in memory of Bob Deans is the most prestigious award at CBHS.

As Christchurch expanded west the Deans farm at Riccarton was gradually subdivided and sold. In the 1920′s the Government compulsorily acquired some 28 acres for the new Christchurch Boys High School which was transferred from the city site and opened in 1926. It included the Deans weir over the Avon River and many of the Deans farm buildings used as bike sheds, phys ed room and the radio room. Unfortunately and probably inevitably the Deans family were not happy with this and I believe all subsequent Deans family members have attended the private Christs College! Including Bruce, Robbie and the noted artist Austen Deans.

Eventually all that remained at Riccarton was Deans Bush, Riccarton House and the lovely grounds on the banks of the Avon. These ended up around 1950 in the Riccarton House Trust and are open to the public, Riccarton House being used for functions, wedding receptions etc. I recall at the Canterbury Centennial in 1950 the Deans second house – a small 2 room cottage on the Avon next to the Kahu Road bridge – being moved in a special ceremony to a site just west of the main Riccarton House. One of Bob Deans brothers – John Deans (the third) and his wife – continued to live in a lovely section of the estate where the second house had been, until the 1960′s when he was in his nineties.

As an aside, from 1946 our family lived on the Avon River immediately opposite Riccarton House and Mr John Deans house, so as young boys we had great times playing in Deans Bush and the grounds opposite. Many neighbourhood boys played there too, including Graham and Brian Henry who lived nearby! Graham was in the same class as my brother Alastair (Bob) at both Ilam Primary School and CBHS for some 5 years and I think they played in the same Christchurch HSOB rugby teams. Bob later moved to Melbourne and played for Victoria against the 1971 Springboks. Graham Henry attained more illustrious heights! Tis a small world.

Unfortunately all the above is from memory as my books are in storage. Readers are welcome to point out my inaccuracies and fill in gaps!

However I thought it might be of interest to illustrate that Robbie Deans the man comes from the very highest pedigree of Canterbury pioneers.

I have seen the future of Australian scrummaging. It is big, it is mean, it is as stubborn as a pack of mules.

Come on down, Belinda Neal!

As much as we like Spiro his alter ego GGrowden just doesn’t do it. There he is going on about Hynes selection as the weakness in the team when anyone with eyes would know he has had a great season.

The other thing that pisses me is that whenever you see Hynes interviewed it is obvious that he is a bit shy and retireing. An article like that can affect a person like Hynes and I believe that Phil Mooney has managed to bring the best out in him by showing faith in what he can do. GG is again dropping depth charges into the Australian teams ego, we can live without him.

I hope Deans has a quiet word with Hynes before the game.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23848962-2722,00.html

No writer is above critique, it shouldn’t be about whether we like Spiro or not, his writing should speak for itself. For mine any writer that is willing to admit mistakes gets a tick, and Spiro is in this category.

LEAVE him alone or I will hit you with an opinion, ok?

Enough already, we all enjoyed the article and although as you and Dublin Dave has pointed out there are a couple of factual errors but you must allow that Spiro must write each day to dead lines and this is not conducive to checking all quotes etc that is up to people writing books who have the time to research what they are saying.

In terms of journalism I would rather read Spiro’s stuff than have you picking at what others write. Try to concentrate on writing good stuff here yourself as a writer you know what we want to hear. Good stories and insightful observations that we havent thought of or agree or disagree with.

How can this be a “great article” combining “great insight and knowledge”when it has been exposed as having so many factual errors? It makes me suspicious of Spiro’s previous articles and books. I have done a little writing and would be embarrassed to have produced something with so many mistakes. I feel for you, Spiro.

Farr-Jones is interesting. Not sure that he could teach a half back in the current game much about the tactics etc but he may instill a few what to do’s about driving a pack of forwards around as he was, in my book, the best at that. There is some similarity between Burgess and Farr-Jones in the crisp pass and the energy around the field.