By David Wiseman
September 21st 2009 @ 5:25am
It’s time to go Wallabies
Wallaby coach Robbie Deans watches his team train in Sydney, Australia. AP Photo/Mark Baker
Let’s make one thing clear. Robbie Deans knows rugby. 10 years of provincial rugby and five test matches proves he is capable of understanding the game at the highest level. He can coach – that surely isn’t in dispute.
He led the Crusaders to five Super 12/14 championships. No other team has even won the title more than three times.
The problem has to be the cattle he has.
They are weak, soft, ill-disciplined and unable to perform as a side for 80 minutes.
If the Wallabies were a movie, they would be Groundhog Day. The film begins with the side being hyped up ahead of an upcoming match. The game begins and then it all goes pear-shaped.
There is always some excuse and some reason why they couldn’t get over the line. Post-match they promise to toughen up but it’s all talk.
Watching the Wallabies in 2009 has been more painful than watching the entire Police Academy series.
How can you point the finger at Deans? He is a coach, not a magician.
He isn’t the one dropping passes, missing tackles or making bone-headed plays. Sack him and all you are doing is finding a different jockey to flog the same dead horse.
If the Wallabies are going to have any success, it will only come as a result of a complete change in culture to the sport in this country. It is too fragmented and there are way too many factions.
To call club rugby a mess would be severely understating the extent of the problem. The introduction of money into the sport hasn’t solved the problems, just created new ones.
These pampered stars don’t hold a candle to the likes of David Campese, Simon Poidevin, Tim Horan or Phil Kearns. What Deans is finding is that he can’t instil character into players who never had it to start off with.
His Crusaders were capable of thinking (and staying) on their feet and improvising with plays that both won and saved test matches. They had great rugby brains.
Who of the current Wallaby side would you say has a great rugby brain? Stirling Mortlock and that would be about it.
The only solution Deans has it to find Marty McFly and Doc Brown and fly back to the future. He can hop into the DeLorean, find some real Wallabies and bring them to 2009.
Slapping a green and gold jersey on someone doesn’t make them a quality international player. Deans said the Wallabies “did not show the same pride in the jersey as the All Blacks did”.
What they are doing is desecrating the jersey.
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mother teresa said | September 21st 2009 @ 10:02am | Report comment
yep he got great results insuper14 with crusaders and therefore a great coach there
he has terrible results with wallabies and therefore not a great coach there
whats the difference?SITUATIONAL FACTORS. deans has not performed in aust and read the situation hasnt adapted
CANT HAVE IT BOTH WAYS.
really great coaches make great teams thru preparation,caring and empathy;RESULTS are byproducts.
joeb said | September 21st 2009 @ 10:43am | Report comment
“The problem has to be the cattle he has.”
You’re right – it’s not Deans, but it’s either his head, or the players’, and i don’t want to see Deans go. As Farr-Jones said yesterday it’s time to get brutal, and for Tokyo the coach should sack the entire forward pack from last Saturday – nowhere to be seen at the breakdown, and amazingly as Horan siad during the commenatry often we had one or two players taking on 4, 5, or 6 AB forwards!!
I’d sack the whole eight, pick a whole new bunch for Japan as LAS was saying yesterday. In years past the head scratching was about, “What’s going on with our second row?” as we got shoved all over the park. At the time it was usually Sharpe and Vickerman who were in as the locks. Now we have this B/S at the breakdown as Horan himself described in disbelief, “What are our forwards doing out in our backline when they should be contesting the ball at the,” etc.
And were those leaked tries at the end again because of a repeated misunderstanding between our 10 and 12? This BS needs to stop as well – Giteau has to play where he’s best suited for the team and told to play because that will also improve our 10/12 channel defence!!
“really great coaches make great teams thru preparation,caring and empathy;RESULTS are byproducts.”
So Deans had nothing to do with the Brisbane result over the Boks? Maybe this Wallas outfit don’t need a coach – they’re self-motivators and can do it all on their lonesome? I’ll concede Connolly did seem to have a better rapport with the squad – understood the Wallaby psyche better – but was so hastily dumped after the 07 WC that he hardly had time to gather his belongings. Don’t blame the coach – blame the damn gutless uninspired effort by the players, particularly the damn forwards!!
LeftArmSpinner said | September 21st 2009 @ 10:47am | Report comment
Mother T, nope. I dont agree. Deans can coach. He has got them fit, brought back the scrum to parity, got rid of the old blokes and blooded some youngsters. He has applied modern man management techniques to them, caring for the individual, specialist skills training etc. etc. He has given the incumbents a good go.
But, while you can take the horse to water, you cannot make it drink.
Deans needs a horse who wants to drink, i.e. :
1. who loves and lives for the battle, who loves smashing people, the rough stuff and who will just keep doing it all day and season long.
2. Who is competitive, uber competitive and will leave nothing in the tank to win, at all costs.
ohtani's jacket said | September 21st 2009 @ 10:54am | Report comment
Deans needs to look at himself too.
His subsitutions were odd. Around the 50-60 minute mark, he should’ve been looking to bring guys on to turn around the Wallabies’ fortunes (ala the All Blacks the week before), but he never seems to do this.
joeb said | September 21st 2009 @ 11:07am | Report comment
Was he renown for doing this with his super rugby squads? I can’t remember, but at the moment he seems intent on making these guys play their full 80 and earn their keep, though Greg Growden makes the same point re replacements as you. Still, i wouldn’t blame Deans considering how we played and shocked the Boks a fortnight ago.
LeftArmSpinner said | September 21st 2009 @ 11:19am | Report comment
OJ, I am a strong fan of deans. But I do agree that he didnt use the bench very well. Mumm should have gone on in the second row, if only to try something different. Hynes and Cooper, the same, Hynes for Mitchell, Cooper for ……………..cooper for ………….Um, well anyone but probably O’Connor or Giteau. My backline would have been Genia, Barnes, Giteau AAC and then the back three.
sheek said | September 21st 2009 @ 10:49pm | Report comment
OJ,
Sure Deans has made mistakes, no doubt about it. But the problems of the Wallabies & Australian rugby as a whole, go way beyond Robbie Deans.
joeb said | September 21st 2009 @ 11:02am | Report comment
LAS the only thing i’d disagree with is yuo haven’t acknowledged Connolly’s contribution – our scrum wasn’t going too badly with Knuckles at the helm, but perhaps the players are conspiring to oust Deans? Wouldn’t surprise.
As to that other query in the other thread about finding another Kearns running around in grade, at the moment a whole 15 of the former hooker are needed with the fire in the belly approach to turn this useless mob into successes, though to be fair the problem is the forwards.
stillmissit said | September 21st 2009 @ 11:48am | Report comment
Joeb – I remember Kearns when he started in the Wallabies taking over from Tom Lawton (I think). I thought he was a softie and so did the All Blacks until he started to harden up after the ’see you at 2′ to Fitzpatrick.
joeb said | September 21st 2009 @ 12:10pm | Report comment
Stillmissit, Dwyer obviously had an eye for talent when he plucked him from whatever grade it was, and yes remember the standoff with Fitzpatrick, and the Coogee boy backed it up. Harry below makes some very valid points – seems the forwards mingling amongst the backs was ‘game plan’ that went badly askew. We would’ve done better to take the ABs on – as we did the Boks – through the forwards and contested every breakdown. Last win on AB soil, 2001… long time between drinks. We better get it right next year, or forget any glory come 2011.
Harry said | September 21st 2009 @ 11:15am | Report comment
“Deans needs a horse who wants to drink”
LAS you are describing the 2008 versions of Elsom and Horwill. Sadly both of them are off the pace this year. I suspect that neither of them are 100% fit or have full confidence in their bodies.
reds fan said | September 21st 2009 @ 11:16am | Report comment
or perhaps their teammates?
Harry said | September 21st 2009 @ 11:36am | Report comment
Likely. Chisolm went missing in a display reminiscent of … Nathan Sharpe. I also thought Alexander and , yes, Robinson, were massively outplayed. Learning experience for Alexander (lets not forget folks it the Wallaby Development squad as well as our test team as we don’t have an Australia A side, or a decent domestic comp for these characters to actually play hard games in).
fred said | September 21st 2009 @ 9:54pm | Report comment
so it must be his delivery perhaps with:these modern man management techniques or maybe he selects the wrong people to do battle;i mean oconnor wouldnt be my first choice except for holding the mascot.
so sorry we must agree to disagree you clearly know more first hand info but i deal in patterns and facts like results and ex all blacks for my summation of strengths ,weaknesses and background music,if you are correct when will we have evidence.
Knives Out said | September 22nd 2009 @ 5:27am | Report comment
‘brought back the scrum to parity’
No he didn’t. I doubt Dean has coached a scrum in his life. Michael Foley improved the scrum.
‘blooded some youngsters’
And Jones and Connolly didn’t?
LeftArmSpinner said | September 21st 2009 @ 11:15am | Report comment
Joeb, I think it was more foley than Connolly, but Connolly was head coach and so had a contribution
But on John Connolly, did you see his player ratings in the Herald yesterday? Easy marker or what?
reds fan said | September 21st 2009 @ 11:16am | Report comment
I thought exactly the same thing. Waaayyy too soft.
Justin said | September 21st 2009 @ 11:20am | Report comment
Yep thought the same as well, some of them were laughable…
joeb said | September 21st 2009 @ 11:24am | Report comment
LAS, lol, no i purposely missed it. Might read it later. Sure, agree about Foles, an excellent forwards coach. Presuamably he’s back at the Tahs?
Harry said | September 21st 2009 @ 11:21am | Report comment
We have all noted how one of the reasons for the breakdown-smashing meted out on saturday was forwards standing out in the backs – both Robinson and TPN buggered up attacking moves by getting the ball at the wrong time by the way. It now appears this was part fo the wallaby game plan and they were stationed out there to cover the ineptitude of our lightweight backs at the breakdown – Nonu, the Fiian wingers and Ice are all stronger than our lot (as are the Saffas), particularly when we don’t ahve the size and presence of Lote and Stirling out there. So to hcover one waeakness we leave ourselves exposed elsewhere. Poor tactics, poor coaching not to realise and change this approach in the second half.
joeb said | September 21st 2009 @ 11:47am | Report comment
Good points there Harry – agree.
fred said | September 21st 2009 @ 9:56pm | Report comment
spot on harry ,your onto it
LeftArmSpinner said | September 21st 2009 @ 11:21am | Report comment
Geez, reds fan, its been a tough year for you hasnt it. it is back enough as a Tahs fan, but we have Tahman…… To make it worse for me, I’m also a roosters fan, But the saviours will be Randwick when they beat Uni and halt their 5 year dominance of sydney grade rugby. at least it will be a good game……………..
reds fan said | September 21st 2009 @ 11:31am | Report comment
Horrible year….
LeftArmSpinner said | September 21st 2009 @ 11:24am | Report comment
And the best thing is that the Uni boys get back their wallabies. It couldnt happen to a nicer bunch!!!! I really hope that Chisholm is too tired, or played too many games or isnt invited to play for randwick this week, or jsut shove him into 2nds with A Freier. No offence Adam.
formeropenside said | September 21st 2009 @ 11:28am | Report comment
The Wallabies made a number of mistakes, and so did Deans in my view. Some of Deans’ mistakes were months in the making however.
From the general to the specific:
1. Deans squad lacked balance, being too heavy on opensides and quasi-opensides (Smith, Waugh, Pocock, Brown and Hodgman early on) and lacking genuine 6s with lineout ability and grunt to back up Mumm (ie Mowen, Higginbotham).
2. This led to a poorly balanced backrow, which really only worked once all 3N season.
3. JOC is not a test class 15 at this point in time.
4. Deans use of the bench was poor in this match – JOC deserved an early rest, and its not certain that Smith did. The Wallabies did not really lose the match until the 70 minute mark: by that time a number of substitutions should have been made to get some fresh legs out there.
5. The Wallabies put very little pressure on the AB’s lineout, very often not contesting. This is sheer stupidity, especially as it is area where the Wallabies had a chance to dominate.
6. The forwards did not show up at ruck time (although I will argue that the control of the breakdown was poor – but even so, the forwards did not adapt to how the ruck was controlled by the referee). This has been a problem since at least QF 2007.
7. Poor kick chase by the backs, poor support of the runner in kick return.
8. No direction from Giteau at 10 and Barnes not stepping up into that role either.
The positives
The scrum was OK – and Alexander likely did better than Baxter. Having Pek Cowan as the backup prop though was strange.
Genia looks like a good prospect. AAC was OK, and perhaps should have been at 15. TPN pulled off a great tackle.
Mark said | September 21st 2009 @ 11:30am | Report comment
Mother Theresa you have no idea!!! I have played rugby in nz and aust, also played rugby in aust defence force, aust have BAD CATTLE you clearly are not watching the same game!!!
joeb said | September 21st 2009 @ 11:45am | Report comment
“3. JOC is not a test class 15 at this point in time.”
FOS, I just hope Cam Shepherd times his run right and he should be there come 2011, or at least on the wing. Meanwhile we need to do better in the TN next year…
Dean Pantio said | September 21st 2009 @ 12:54pm | Report comment
Gerrard surely.
joeb said | September 22nd 2009 @ 8:59am | Report comment
Count me a fan – when he’s on, he’s on! All depends how he comes back from Japan, presuming that’s where he’s at. But he might be getting a bit long in the tooth, and Shep’s a younger guy, and a tremendous player when he’s switched on. Would love to see the Force’s man selected for 2011, being fit and in form that is.
fred said | September 21st 2009 @ 9:59pm | Report comment
MARK you must have been a great player mate .what position did you play mate?
mother teresa said | September 21st 2009 @ 10:18pm | Report comment
mark i understand.look youre feeling a little insecure right now you possibly should get checked for posttraumatic stress disorder and yes i played soccer all my life and i bow to your superior knowledge and im impressed with your playing in 2 countries.. and ill watch out for that bad cattle and you be wary of swine flu .cheer up.mother teresa
Jack Petro said | September 21st 2009 @ 1:50pm | Report comment
I was at a BBQ for the kids yesterday and one of the boys asked the question “how can a Kiwi ‘really’ not feel when the Kiwi National Anthem is played, and then how can he ‘really’ belt out our National Anthem”? My response was, it’s professional sport and great coaches just want their team to win (et.al. The Wallabies). But it did get me thinking!
I like the thread and the various points of view but the fact remains (1) the players were out-played by their opposition (2) the coaches made fundamental errors in judgement by not utilizing their bench. If the ‘cattle’ is the best we’ve got at the time, then the likes of Jim Williams (former Wallaby and Assistant Coach) should be able to tell the players like it is … “belt the sheep #^&*, put your bodies on the line, and bash em” (a good old fashion aussie rev up) … you think the All Blacks were sitting in their dressing room discussing how they’d play this pattern then that? They were saying “Belt those sheep #&%&, put your bodies on the line, and bash em”!
We’ve lost the Bledisloe Cup, Tri-Nations and only have the wooden spoon to show for it, therefore, using Tokyo as a guage against one of the best teams in the world. My squad/team would be:
1. Robinson
2. Polota-Nau
3. Baxter
4. Horwill
5. Mumm
6. Hodgson
7. Waugh
8. Brown
9. Burgess
10. Barnes
11. Mitchell
12. Giteau
13. Ashley-Cooper
14. Hynes
15. Beale
Reserves:
16.Moore
17. Cowan
18. Elsom
19. Pocock
20. Genia
21. Cooper
22. Cross
I know a lot of you will complain about ‘tries and true’ but (1) Baxter is our best THP (unless refereed by cheating SA referees); (2) Phil Waugh needs to be given a start to prove he wants that Wallaby jersey; (3) try a Burgess-Barnes combination (it will give Chris Hickey an insight into next season); (4) KB at FB – let him be either the deer in the headlights or the masters apprentice; (5) Cooper and Cross deserve a place on the bench – hopefully they’d be given some time too!
If you rev them up just enough, some of these guys would relish the chance to get a head start on the others for the European tour and, you never know, it might just bring about a turn-around in fortune!
sportym said | September 21st 2009 @ 9:21pm | Report comment
No George smith in the team? Elsom on the bench?
Dean Pantio said | September 21st 2009 @ 10:33pm | Report comment
Good grief you can’t be serious. Baxter is a scrum bunny. Mumm has a work ethic reminiscent of an Egyptian mummy. Waugh isn’t as good as Smith and Brown is a journeyman. Burgess can’t pass ( a required skill for a scrum half apparently). Mitchell is a defensive liability. Beale is nothing but hype – he makes Mitchell look like the Great Wall of China. Elsom is miles ahead of Hodgson in a 100m race.
Let the dirt trackers play against Scotland because on form, Ireland will win and England will be a struggle.
sheek said | September 21st 2009 @ 10:52pm | Report comment
David,
Well written. Agree with most of what you say, can’t really add much anymore.
johnno42 said | September 22nd 2009 @ 7:20am | Report comment
have to say that robinson was not the “worlds best prop” as we were led to believe in the pre game hype. i don’t know why the press (is it the press?) does this with a new player. its just setting them up for the fall.
they must think we’re all idiots foaming at the mouth, and waiting on the next scrap of hype to get us screaming in the streets
Jameswm said | September 22nd 2009 @ 10:25am | Report comment
I’m as depressed as everyone else but I’d like to make a few points…
1. TPN’s throwing was 100% perfect – I kept notes. When Moore came on the lineouts struggled.
2. I thought Alexander got a good lesson but Benn Robbo was perfectly solid on his side. Alexander only really started at tight head this year and until that game has done remarkably well for a rookie, who didn’t even play tight head in S14. Alexander is a tough nut too – he, Robbo and TPN have the potential to become world dominators – the best front row we’ve ever had. Don’t despair after one ordinary performance in his rookie year in the position against a very good player. He will come back strong – you watch.
3. Bringing Baxter back has to be a step backwards. Kepu is the obvious one to come back subject to his scrummaging being OK. And we should find out a fair bit this weekend – is Kepu playing 1 or 3? He is a tough nut, but then so is Pek Cowan. Cowan might not quite be there yet, but he has a lot of potential. He is tough around the field, and reminds me of Benn Robbo 2 years back.
4. I am still yet to be convinced about Pocock. The obvious person the forward pack lacked was Phil Waugh, who tends to better against NZ (and specifically McCaw) than Smith.
5. I’m with Bob Dwyer – how can anyone call Richie Brown a better test no.8 than Wycliffe Palu?
6. You can’t simply drop the whole forward pack. Some of them really deserve to be there, esp TPN and Benn Robbo
7. Smith was playing no.8. He isn’t a no.8 – it’s been tried before. Palu is our only test quality one, really. Rocky runs too high and is too easy a target to play no.8.
Bananas said | September 24th 2009 @ 2:07pm | Report comment
Best XV if available Aust 2 XV
Benn Robinson Pek Cowan
Tatafu Polota-Nau Stephen Moore
Ben Alexander Al Baxter
James Horwill Dan Vickerman
Nathan Sharpe Mark Chisholm
Rocky Elsom Dean Mumm
George Smith David Pocock
Wycliff Palu Richard Brown
Will Genia Luke Burgess
Berrick Barnes Quade Cooper
Lachie Turner Drew Mitchell
Matt Giteau James O’Connor
Stirling Mortlock Rob Horne
Adam Ashley-Cooper Peter Hynes
Cameron Shepherd Kurtley Beale
devon speck said | September 24th 2009 @ 5:09pm | Report comment
i think the whole team sucks, esp players like turner & o’connor what the hell happened to Barnes and giteau? sheesh they all sucked…never blame deans as hes a good coach..maybe the players need to play more with pride and not be so damn cocky just cause they wallabies ( it dont mean u becum a wallaby player den u think your the best) psttt bring on new players ..they should play like digby ioane, who strives for the best and also he plays with commitment on the field like he did during the super14 ..if we have players like him then the damn WALLABIES Would be a matach againest the AB..
SuperDave said | September 29th 2009 @ 5:35am | Report comment
Great article with some valid points. My only issue….why is this a surprise?
Deans coached Canterbury to many titles – true…but he had a team containing at least 7 All Blacks at any one time and, at one stage, contained 14 All Blacks thanks to the hideous bias he and Mitchell showed to their own players while NZ coaches. Anyone remember when the All Blacks played with 18 Cantabs, 2 Aucklanders and a couple of Wellingtonians?
If he couldn’t win a S14 title with that team, then there would be serious questions asked.
Now, when he no longer has a team of stars (because, lets be honest, there are still some holes in that Aussie squad) it becomes apparent that it was not all about Deans, it was all about his players.
Having said that, he will make this team the best it can be over time. Whether that ‘best’ is good enough remains to be seen.
I always felt he was being severely over-rated…I’m glad that theory is being tested by the Wallabies and not the ABs.