Alan Jones gives Deans his support
By Jim Morton, 11 Jul 2008 Jim Morton is a Roar Pro
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Former Test coach Alan Jones has delivered a ringing endorsement to the way New Zealander Robbie Deans is changing the Wallabies style.
In preparing for a one-off return to rugby union coaching after 21 years, Jones today supported Deans’ early attempts to move Australia’s attacking game away from “glorified rugby league”.
The Wallabies have been patchy in their three Test victories under the former Crusaders super-coach but they have made a definite move away from the highly-structured play of the Eddie Jones era.
Alan Jones applied for the Test post after John Connolly ended his two-year reign following last year’s World Cup failure and preached a need for keeping the ball off the ground, rather than playing target rugby.
The radio broadcaster will guide the Australian Barbarians against Queensland at Ballymore on Sunday and said he would instruct his players to play with skill and width and test the Reds defence.
“I think we should be playing more ball rather then ruck ball and I think the game got buggered up from the public’s point of view when it started to look like glorified rugby league,” he said.
“That’s what I said when I put my name forward but I’m totally happy with where things are now.”
Jones, who led Australia to the 1984 Grand Slam and the 1986 Bledisloe Cup before finishing as Test coach in 1987, was a constant critic of Eddie Jones during his five-year tenure.
While the Wallabies attempted to play with less structure under Connolly, they struggled to break the shackles and his backline showed little sparkle.
“I can’t subscribe to the way the game is played, on the ground,” Jones said.
“When you see a whole lot of people on the ground all the time it looks like a poor man’s version of rugby league and I think it’s alienating our support.”
Jones said he would test the Reds defence at Ballymore by running huge Tongan back-rower Epi Taione at inside centre in an attempt to draw the defence in and create more space out wide.
“I don’t know (exactly) what we are going to do but the opposition are going to have to tackle, that’s for sure,” he said.
Among a number of stars, Jones’ Barbarians will feature former Wallabies No.8 Toutai Kefu, England winger Dan Luger, Fijian halfback Moses Rauluni and Australian Under 20 wing sensation Ratu Nasiganiyavi.
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Frank O'Keeffe said | July 11th 2008 @ 10:26am | Report comment
Alan Jones is the man!
Mark Ella once wrote, and in my opinion he was incorrect, that Jones would pick more conservative players, while Dwyer would pick more flamboyant players. My personal opinion of Jones was that he gave the Wallabies the confidence to play what’s in front of them, like Robbie Deans. I’d rather see the Wallabies have the confidence to back themselves and recognise what’s in front of them than playing suck a structured narrow minded game.
Bob Dwyer was suprisingly of the same philosophy. When asked if Michael Lynagh wasn’t conforming to his game plans (people assumed Dwyer always wanted his team to run the ball) Dwyer responded by saying that he never actually gives his side exact instructions on how to play the game, because it limits the scope with which they can play the game. Dwyer’s philosophy was that its up to the players to see “what’s on”.
Rod MacQueen did everything a coach could possibly do on the international stage, but I sometimes question whether he would have continued to be successful had he kept on coaching. Clive Woodward was one who (in 2001 just after MacQueen left) labelled the Wallabies predictable and easy to defend when England beat Australia. Eddie Jones took the brunt of the criticism, but he’d only started as coach and was following the MacQueen style of play.
When I think of the great Wallaby sides, I think of sides that won the hearts of the rugby world with their entertaining style of play – the 27/28 Waratah’s, ’84 Wallabies and ’91 Wallabies. It just doesn’t seem very ‘Australian’ to me that their recent sides have strayed from what some would consider the Wallaby way.
sheek said | July 11th 2008 @ 4:17pm | Report comment
Frank,
I agree. I recently exchanged some emails with ABJ. He embarassed me by continually replying to each reply I made. Incredible. I think he attempts to respond to every email sent to him, providing the person isn’t abusive, or wanting something.
In 1984, Jones arrived at the perfect scenario – Slack was team captain, but Ella ran the backline. Perfect! I’m of the opinion the rift between Jones & Ella mostly came from Ella. Mark found it hard to escape the ‘Randwick’ antipathy towards Jones. Only Poidevin rose above this form of discrimination.
Jones was also right to take the captaincy away from Ella. The captaincy affected his form, & he played much better without the responsibility. I think if ella had his time over again, he might have behaved differently. This continual mantra that he was “always going to retire at 25″ is an excuse to cover his anti-Jones sentiment.
Re MacQueen, I heard chinese whispers the team was getting sick of him & he basically decided to resign before things got out of hand. But then, MacQueen had some very tough hombres to deal with.
Re great Wallaby sides, I endorse the 1927/28, 84 /86 & 91/93 teams. To those you should add the 1929/30 & 33/34 teams, which contained many of the 1927/28 stars. In fact, the 1929/30 team was a much stronger combo than the 1927/28 team, principally because of the front-row changes. Wild Bill Cerutti, Eddie Bonis & Eddie Thompson were our first great front-row.
Also, the 1998/99 team & the 1963 Wallabies, who 45 years later, remain the last Wallaby team to beat the Boks at altitude. The 1998/99 Wallabies could play attractive rugby, especially in 1998. Perhaps also the 1947/48 team, while the 1980/82 Wallaby era is a favourite of mine.
Pick a composite best from 1980-82: Gould, Campese, O’Connor, Hawker, Moon, M.Ella(vc), Hipwell, Loane(c), Poidevin, Cornelsen, Williams, Hillhouse, McIntyre, Ross, D’Arcy. Bench: Paul McLean, Slack, P.Cox, Tony Shaw, Peter McLean, Pilecki, Carberry.
Oh yeah!!!
Zen said | July 12th 2008 @ 7:38am | Report comment
Sheek, Frank, Jim
Re: McQueen. The Wallabies suffered massively because they couldn’t move away from his style. It was almost obsessively predictable, and too safe. I know Spiro is a die-hard fan of McQ, and I am too. However, I think the McQ style of play made a number of players look better than they were, at least measured against the yardstick of what makes a great ‘Australian’ player. Matt Burke, for one, wasn’t a particularly enterprising player, yet a great goalkicker. MB’s conservatism in general play the game plan under McQ. I’ve wondered ‘aloud’ on this site whether Spiro would be so harsh about LT if he had been in McQ’s team…he wouldn’t be, I think…Burkey was a great ‘NH’ type player, and perhaps South Africa, but Australia/NZ? No.
It’s strange you know, because so many rugby watchers said the same about MB at the time (my views above were by no means original)…but now intensely dislike LT…unfair I think. LT provides a good yardstick – he would have been better served under a better coach than E.J., that is absolutely certain. I wonder what Alan Jones could have done with him.
Z