Deans now understands the Wallabies issues
Roar Guru By LeftArmSpinner, 11 Oct 2009 LeftArmSpinner is a Roar Guru
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Australian rugby union coach Robbie Deans (centre) talks to players during a training session for the team in Sydney on Monday, June 1, 2009. The Wallabies will play the Barbarians on Saturday night. AAP Image/Paul Miller
Robbie Deans’ 2009 Spring Tour Squad demonstrates that he now understands the unusual nature of the situation he inherited sixteen months ago and the solutions required to recover the situation.
Deans commenced coaching the Wallabies using his excellent and proven man management skills to win over the players to his methods.
He showed the incumbents sincerity, loyalty and gave them the first chance, and in many cases, many chances, to demonstrate their abilities and commitment.
However, Deans admirable strengths became his weakness.
The players abused his loyalty and genuine concern for them by refusing to play to his tactics and with the passion and commitment that Deans expected would be a given, and that every other successful national team takes for granted.
As a former All Black supporter, player and assistant coach, he knows that it is this passion and commitment that is the foundation of the All Blacks ethos and the reason behind their ability to win so many games.
Deans got a few good performances and one standout performance out of them.
This was enough to prove to himself and everyone else that the Wallabies have the ability and skill to win, but must also have the determination and pride to do so consistently.
The Brisbane game against the World Champion Springboks team, closely followed by the Wellington capitulation, was Deans’ epiphany. Now he fully understands the unusual situation he inherited.
Essentially, the players and RUPA were in charge and had been since at least 2003.
This was driven by the self-centred George Gregan at both the Brumbies and the Wallabies. Despite all the sound bites, Deans’ Wallabies were not serious enough about delivering their end of the bargain.
After sixteen months, Deans has now gotten tougher, eventually turning to extreme measures, as evidenced by his changing the habit of a lifetime and openly criticising the players on several occasions since the Wellington capitulation.
He has completely renovated the player stocks. Of the 35 man touring squad, only eleven are incumbents from June 2008 and of those, only six will be in his likely starting 15 in Tokyo.
He has replaced the previous leadership, and in particular captains Mortlock and Smith, while also overlooking Giteau and Moore.
This new culture puts the coach back in charge, puts the team first and ahead of the individual player and requires every player to give their best performance every time they wear a Wallabies jersey.
Understanding the scale of the job, Deans has appointed two players, rather than just one, to lead the team and implement the change in the culture.
The appointees, Elsom and Barnes, are highly compatible and complementary. Both are Queenslanders, former league players and are known more for their commitment than their natural abilities. Both will lead by example and with vigorous, on field instruction and direction.
They will fit comfortably into Deans new culture.
Deans decision to overlook Giteau and also move him to 12, against Giteau’s wishes, strengthens Elsom and Barnes’ influence while weakening Giteau’s.
It also sends a clear message to Giteau. Being the pin up boy and arguably the most gifted Wallaby player guarantees nothing if you are out of step with Deans’ new culture.
Deans unspoken message to the younger players who have gravitated to Giteau’s “Julio” camp like Cooper, O’Connor and Mitchell is that they need to realign to the Barnes camp if they value their Wallabies jersey.
This has been unexpectedly helped by Giteau and Mitchell leaving the Force in 2010 for the Brumbies and Waratahs respectively.
Giteau, now 27, could become the best Wallaby of all time if he can put aside the “me” culture he learned from the senior players at the Brumbies and Wallabies in his formative years and adopt Deans’ culture.
Deans’ next step must be to select a Wallabies team for the final Bledisloe Cup game that reflects and is consistent with all of the above.
I have no doubt that he will do this.
Nor do I doubt that the Wallabies have the ability to return to the winners circle, play some great rugby, re-establish themselves as Australia’s team and challenge strongly for future Bledisloe Cups, Tri Nations and RWC 2011.
Finally, a word of warning: rhe Wallabies re-emergence might be disguised, and possibly delayed, by the current shortage of healthy locks to provide the bulk and muscle in the engine room.
Recommend this story.
October 11th 2009 @ 9:42am
MM Fike said | October 11th 2009 @ 9:42am | Report comment
Thanks LAS, another well written and well thought out article. There is always rays of hope too.
The upcoming tour is as tough as it gets. The shortage of locks is the stuff of nightmares and we all know a team can have the best backline in the history of the game but they are useless unless the ‘engine room’ fires.
I’m encouraged by the appointments of Elsom and Barnes. I’m sure Deans can coach but he is taking time to find his feet in a very different rugby culture to the one he left behind.
By the end of November we will have a lot of answers. I just hope they are the correct ones.
October 11th 2009 @ 10:04am
Dave said | October 11th 2009 @ 10:04am | Report comment
Nucifora’s list of coaching failures is endless. Its obvious that his management and gameplans are not liked by the players – not just at the Brumbies but also the Blues.
From a spectators point of view, to me, Nucifora tried to change a successful Brumbies style. The Brumbies said ‘no thanks’, went out there and produced some of the most brilliant rugby you are ever likely to see.
I have NO problem with that. It reminds me of what chapel would say in regards cricket advice. When the Australian bowlers are in a tough spot and our working out tactics who should they be listening to – John Buchanan or Shane Warne? Its a no brainer.
When Gregan, Larkham, Finegan and Mortlock speak – all proven legends of Australian rugby – you give them their respect and listen.
If there is any problem with the current Australian squad, its that they are obviously not allowed to play the way that suits them. Australia is never going to grind out a win by forward dominance. Even our WC99 side was never held in awe by other nations. They did their job, tackled hard, and played smart football.
I simply dont think the players have any direction. Under Eddie Jones and Connolly even – we had slick, well executed backline moves that were a delight to watch. All we see now is players crabbing across field and and and passing one out.
I like Deans, he seems like a top bloke, but he needs to show some results on this tour. He has a VASTLY better squad to choose from than Eddie Jones did in 2005 or Connolly a the WC07(the Wallabies were completely reliant on Larkham but had to play without him).
Barnes, Cooper, Beale and Gits, O’connor are all capable of creating opportunities. Neither comes close to Larkham individually, but combine the best traits of each and we are on the right road.
Let me be clear that I am NOT comparing the current squad with the likes of those brumbies players. I think the Australian players at the moment SHOULD be listening. Their results dont justify their arrogance. I also however, believe that Deans has a negative gameplan that is hindering their development and making it harder for the players to mature.
October 11th 2009 @ 10:49am
stillmissit said | October 11th 2009 @ 10:49am | Report comment
Dave – If Nucifora was soo bad and the players went out and did their own thing beautifully then why didn’t it continue under ‘The Colonel’ as he just seemed to step aside and let them play what they wanted to, and that took them nowhere.
The Brumbies are our most successful team and that was due to the McQueen structure but it is a bit like Animal Farm, Napoleon and his dogs get to take over after Snowball is overthrown.
Larkham was our best player at 5/8 in my 35 years of watching the Wallabies and that includes Mark Ella, due to the structure and brilliance he brought to the position. He was the key to the Wallabies and the Brumbies for almost his entire time in the game. Compare him to Gregan and it is daylight between them.
Giving this bunch the opportunity to play how they want to is very naive. I think they showed how they want to play in Wellington and that is about protecting themselves and avoiding anything too hard, thereby extending their paydays.
Sounds like Gregan to me!
October 11th 2009 @ 2:10pm
Dave said | October 11th 2009 @ 2:10pm | Report comment
Stillmissit,
I actually believe the colonel did implement his ideas which the players followed. The Brumbies post 2004 turned into ever other super 14 side – playing safe, percentage rugby. Perhaps that was due in part to injuries to Larkham/Mortlock. Regardless, long gone are the days of the brumbies refusing to kick the ball.
I do think Eddie Jones was an outstanding coach with his time at the brumbies. McQueen certainly got the ball rolling, but remember that Jones took over in 1998. No success at first, but had them playing with the right attitude that paid off in the years that followed and he should get credit for that.
Gregan was a dedicated brumby and Australian player for many years so he has my respect. Larkham, followed a few steps back by Mortlock were the twin pillars that kept Brumbies and Australian rugby strong. To think that this current crop can replace them is silly – BUT, I really love the football that Cooper and Barnes play, while we know whats Gits can do (if played in the right position). We are far better served than in 2005 when we only had rogers in reserve, or in 2007 with a rookie Barnes.
In case I wasn’t clear – I DO believe these wallabies need to be put in their place and I DO believe they need direction. I just dont know if Deans is providing it. I think its unfair to jump on Jones and Connolly (and I am no fan of his) for their coaching record, but let Deans off the hook.
October 11th 2009 @ 11:14am
stillmissit said | October 11th 2009 @ 11:14am | Report comment
Dave another thought about the Brumbies.
The reason they listened to McQueen was they were all rejects from the other states and had nowhere else to go.
When McQueen took over the Wallabies he was opposed by several of the senior players, who have never been named as far as I know, complaining about his style of getting the players to decide on things (a great management technique but you must ensure that they agree to what you want, not run off and do whatever they want to). As soon as the Wallabies became successful the opposition disappeared as it always does.
BTW I love the Brumbies Randwickesq running rugby, long may it continue.
October 11th 2009 @ 10:05am
LeftArmSpinner said | October 11th 2009 @ 10:05am | Report comment
Well, frankly, I am happy to be getting both ends of the commentary spectrum. So much better than no response.
Brett, yep, if nothing else, it will be interesting. I just hope that we see passionate and committed play.
MM Fike, I love the fact that Deans has taken so much time to get to grips with the wallaby issues, if only because they are so foreign to any NZ rugby team of note or any he has been associated with.
It tells you the depth of the problem.
October 11th 2009 @ 10:25am
sheek said | October 11th 2009 @ 10:25am | Report comment
Leftie,
Keep it going! Mentioning Gregan’s past selfishness & Brumbies union-industrial culture is not anti-Brumbies, it’s reality, it happened, it’s acknowledging history as it occurred. Living in an open society requires us to acknowledge the less savoury parts of our history as well as the good.
If it’s true in today’s Sunday’s papers there is a growing rift between Deans & some of his senior players, then I say – “get rid of these players”! Giteau is apparently behaving like a spoilt brat, which he may well be…..
The Wallabies have been mostly rubbish these past 5 years, & the players are hardly in a position to take any high moral ground. Start winning regularly against the best, & we might show them some respect.
October 11th 2009 @ 1:31pm
LeftArmSpinner said | October 11th 2009 @ 1:31pm | Report comment
Sheek,
Trust me, it is unlikely that I am going to walk away from expressing, testing and discussing my opinions on the Roar because of a few critical posts. Au contraire, I just love the joust.
Where there is smoke, there is fire. that is two reports of Giteau throwing his toys out of the cot, but still not recognising that he is not getting the job done as a 10. I tended not to believe the first report but I do now.
Yep, the players are definitely not able to claim the high ground.
October 11th 2009 @ 11:01am
stillmissit said | October 11th 2009 @ 11:01am | Report comment
LAS – this is a great article and just what we need at this quiet time. Something inspirational and supportive and maybe even the truth!
I sincerely hope so, as I am sure 90% of the other roarer’s do as well.
Attitudes can change a lot faster than habits. If those attitudes change then Deans can work on the habits, if the attitude stays the same we are all stuffed.
October 11th 2009 @ 1:32pm
LeftArmSpinner said | October 11th 2009 @ 1:32pm | Report comment
SMI, Yep, change the attitude and all sorts of things are possible.
October 11th 2009 @ 11:05am
Sammy22 said | October 11th 2009 @ 11:05am | Report comment
LAS
Great piece amazed at some of the comments on here from reactive bloggers.
We were all pretty happy with the Eales McQueen era but that only came about from a strong intelligent coach who took time to manage the upstarts and egos of his time, like the Gregan’s et al. When the coach went there was no high quality man manager to carry on the good work Eales had retired so the players who still had a few more years in them(all well skilled) were able to take control from everyone else’s fear of loosing them instead of giving them leadership they needed of the field.
That initial situation is where we are now we have introduced an intelligent coach with real man management skills a number of upstart players (again well skilled) The captains role to be proven and interesting tour to find out many things
I am optimistic, depth of players is better than we give credit its the experience we need to give them, when a good player takes hold of a wallaby position its very hard for a player to challenge as they cant the time at high enough level to expand their own skill set. Hence ARC type scenario needed. Hey perhaps each Aus super team should buy a club in a european competition and put the players through there.
Can someone confirm my memory, we know what a great Fly half Larkham was but didnt he start there when he was about 25/26 as he was fullback before then. Just with the current batch Tooma Cooper Beale and more coming through there is still development time needed for them to mature
October 11th 2009 @ 1:34pm
LeftArmSpinner said | October 11th 2009 @ 1:34pm | Report comment
Sammy22, LArkham was a fullback and McQueen moved him. the rest is history.
These brumbies fans are very sensitive aren’t they. Oh no, I’m gonna get it in the neck again…….
October 11th 2009 @ 9:04pm
Knives Out said | October 11th 2009 @ 9:04pm | Report comment
Don’t you dare trash talk the Brumbies!
October 12th 2009 @ 12:15pm
brendo said | October 12th 2009 @ 12:15pm | Report comment
I don’t think we’re all that sensitive LAS, but we’re obviously going to stand up for the Guv whenever you or some other distant observer decides to sink the boot in. You’d do the same if I gave you the long version of what I think of Phil Waugh! Nevertheless, keep the articles coming – I disagree with a lot of your opinions, but love reading them.
For the record, Nuc wasn’t sacked by the players in ’04 – he just didn’t have his contract renewed when he requested it. And I don’t think he stood aside and let the players do the coaching – the coach and whole squad handled that whole situation really professionally given the way it blew up, and they’ve all got some sort of premiership ring/medallion/action figure to show for it.
By the way, are you the same little known left arm spinner that just got selected for the Indian tour? If so, congratulations, and again ignore all of those detractors. They do seem to go after you, don’t they?
October 11th 2009 @ 1:41pm
Brett McKay said | October 11th 2009 @ 1:41pm | Report comment
Not all of us Leftie!!
October 11th 2009 @ 11:11am
mattamkII said | October 11th 2009 @ 11:11am | Report comment
yes sammy correct.
Your point on Larkham is right and one I used early in the year when the overly negative group of Roarers were on the back of Beale, Cooper etc.
Not like the good ol days…wot wot.
October 11th 2009 @ 11:42am
Gary said | October 11th 2009 @ 11:42am | Report comment
When I was playing if a player didn’t follow the coaches instructions repaetedly he didn’t get selected. IMHO Robbie needs to drop a couple of the prima donnas until they agree to do things his way. Spoilt brats, now matter how talented are a liability.
October 11th 2009 @ 12:09pm
vinay verma said | October 11th 2009 @ 12:09pm | Report comment
LAS..I agree the players have to take responsibility for their performance..or lack thereof..Players have a distorted sense of their importance and their market value is exagerrated by the “10 percenters” Player Managers are fast develoing thereputation of used car salesmen and their advice is open to question… The Wallabies should be taking a voluntary paycut as they have taken too many sickies and have ben found wanting at the breakdown. The Players Union is till bargaining pre LehmanBros .When the Wallabies lay claim to the second or third best side we can cut them some leeway..onlythe most charitable would say they are number three.
How much they value the legacy of the Wallaby Jersy will be apparent in the way they play from hereon in. The talent is there…show me the attitude.
October 11th 2009 @ 1:57pm
LeftArmSpinner said | October 11th 2009 @ 1:57pm | Report comment
VV, SHOW ME THE ATTITUDE.
October 11th 2009 @ 12:22pm
Hansie said | October 11th 2009 @ 12:22pm | Report comment
If the players have been ignoring Deans’ instructions, why has it taken Deans 16 months to take action? And the “action” he has taken is pretty minimal – removing the captaincy from Mortlock (well into his 30s) and overlooking Smith as the long term captain (a job Smith never wanted), and replacing them with another Brumby. And since when has George Smith become the problem for Australian rugby? I cannot imagine some of the hidings Australia would have copped in the last two years without George Smith on the paddock. As for the anti-Gregan comments, surely Gregan’s influence cannot be used to excuse Deans’ coaching failures. Gregan hasn’t played for Australia for 2 years.
October 11th 2009 @ 1:57pm
LeftArmSpinner said | October 11th 2009 @ 1:57pm | Report comment
IMO, Hansie, he treated them as genuine (mistake 1) and as similar to ‘Saders and ABs. (Mistake 2) So he showed his hand with loyalty and player care. Any incoming “change” manager (Sport or business)worth their salt will do this as it is easier, quicker and more effective to adjist the existing players. So, he started slowly. Remember he didnt revolutionise the squad this time last year before the NH tour.
His action has been significant and comprehensive:
1. Got them fit again;
2. different playing strategy;
3. different culture;
4. Different coaching team;
5. 24 different young, inexperienced players;
6. Different captain and Vice captain;
7. Different playmaker;
8. Removed the underperforming old guard (Baxter, Sharpe, Waugh, Smith, Mortlock, Tuqiri et al)
9. Addressed the player power and player behaviour issues (Tuqiri) head on, on and off the field.
10. Got Wallabies players playing again (in grade) when not required by Wallabies.
11. re-established set piece performance
All of this while the provinces performances ranged from “floundering” (Koalas) to “underperforming” (Force, Tahs and Brumbies) and with only one experienced provincial coach, Mitchell.
Frankly, he’s done plenty and in a escalating manner, if you know what I mean. We are now at “all stops out” I suspect.
October 11th 2009 @ 5:41pm
Justin said | October 11th 2009 @ 5:41pm | Report comment
LAS – Agree there looks like there is plenty that is different. The real question is whether it is any better and that at the moment is debatable… Lets hope he gets his selections and tactics right in the UK because so far that has been his biggest negative and they are probably the most important two things he can influence.
October 11th 2009 @ 5:46pm
Chris said | October 11th 2009 @ 5:46pm | Report comment
I severely doubt you will see Smith and Mortlock removed from the starting XV. Indeed I would say they have been anything but under-performing (leveling the tag of under-performing against someone who hasn’t played the last few games is very harsh. Smith has been a stand out fetcher once again this season. No he wasn’t a very good captain but, lets be honest, he probably never wanted that role to begin with.
For that matter I don’t think Waugh has been all that bad this season – certainly you should have someone like him in a 35 man squad (and as a person who has grown up hating the Tah’s that is very hard for me to say).
October 11th 2009 @ 9:06pm
Knives Out said | October 11th 2009 @ 9:06pm | Report comment
Lefty,
2. Which is?
4. Was getting rid of Foley a good thing?
7. We won’t know if that’s true until the rugby kicks off.
8. Only Baxter and Waugh have actually been dropped from that list.
11. Is set piece work not the remit of the forwards coach?
October 11th 2009 @ 11:36pm
IronAwe said | October 11th 2009 @ 11:36pm | Report comment
He didn’t get rid of Foley, Foley left on his own devices. If I remember correctly they actually wanted to keep him.
October 11th 2009 @ 3:41pm
Col said | October 11th 2009 @ 3:41pm | Report comment
Hansie, Deans has moved the on-field captaincy role closer to the action (viz McCaw at the AB, Smit at RSA, Gregan, et al), rather than removing it from an aging player. Mortlock still has much to offer as a player and a leader within the overall team structure, as any experienced player does. As you say, George Smith never wanted the job and the team would know this. Smith is not to blame for the current woes as his playing ability remains unquestioned. The inference is that he’s not the right captain, not that his ability or performances as a player have been substandard.
Yes, Gregan has been gone for 2 years, but I believe the inference is that the culture surrounding him has been carried on by others who played and developed under his leadership (Gits is mentioned as an example of this). This happens with any sporting team (e.g. the Aust cricket team, where Steve Waugh’s healthy legacy as captain lasted long after his retirement).