It’s time to ask the ARU some hard questions
Roar Guru By Rickety Knees, 24 Nov 2009 Rickety Knees is a Roar Guru
- Tagged:
- John ONeill, robbie deans, Rugby Union, wallabies
John O’Neill recently stated ”leading ARU officials would meet Deans to conduct a review of the season to work out what improvements had to be made to ensure the Wallabies end their slide well before the next World Cup”.
Given that the Wallabies are sadly lacking in playing talent in general, and specifically in world class locks, I would like to ask John O’Neill:
1. Was it the right decision to scrap the ARC?
2. Was it the right decision to drive Dan Vickerman and Hugh McMeniman offshore through cost cutting contracts negotiations?
3. What return on investment has $10M+ spent on Rugby League players provided and where are they now?
The buck has to stop with the ARU.
It has to take responsibility for its decisions that have now directly contributed to the lack of quality of players available to represent the Wallabies.
There is no argument that Robbie Deans is the best coach the Wallabies could have got. But he is no miracle worker.
He can only work with the players that are available.
And let’s be honest, many of those that represented the Wallabies against Scotland were not up to international standard. No ARU review can change that fact.
The only option that Deans has is to promote young players in the hope that they can quickly make the transition to international rugby and this, unfortunately, has not worked, witnessed by the lack of maturity and composure displayed against Scotland.
It is time for the ARU to fix up what it has done.
It needs to show strategic leadership to create a production line that can provide a pool of players so that Australian Rugby never confronts this situation again.
Recommend this story.
- Explore:
- John ONeill, robbie deans, Rugby Union, wallabies
November 24th 2009 @ 11:49am
Peter West said | November 24th 2009 @ 11:49am | Report comment
Rickety – it seems to me that the biggest challenge is to get every bugger in the Australian Rugby community to work together for the common good – providing talent for the Wallabies.
This is probably Mission Impossible!
November 24th 2009 @ 12:03pm
Rickety Knees said | November 24th 2009 @ 12:03pm | Report comment
Interesting times for the ARU and JON:
http://www.rugbyheaven.com.au/articles/2009/11/24/1258824702153.html
November 24th 2009 @ 12:29pm
kingplaymaker said | November 24th 2009 @ 12:29pm | Report comment
Rickety whatever the case that will cost the ARU a lot of money.
Perhaps O’Neill was thinking there was enough money to get Vickerman back and was dialling his number..when the news of this came in..and goes the phone on the receiver.
November 24th 2009 @ 12:39pm
Rickety Knees said | November 24th 2009 @ 12:39pm | Report comment
KPM – as I have posted in other threads – we need Vcikerman back to teach these young Metro’s some good old fashioned steel and take charge of the lineout.
November 24th 2009 @ 1:02pm
kingplaymaker said | November 24th 2009 @ 1:02pm | Report comment
Rickety I think the ‘old’ brigade in Australia have been misunderstood. Normally an old brigade in rugby signifies a group of almost retired senior players who contribute some experience and authority to the team but are no longer any good at all on the pitch, like Lawrence Dallaglio and Mike Catt for England in the last World Cup.
However the Wallabies ‘old’ or senior players do not conform to this: granted they have been around a long time, but the likes of Vickerman, Giteau, even Waugh and Tuqiri are firstly not that old in years but more importantly are still perfectly good AS PLAYERS. Choosing young players and retiring old ones makes sense largely when the young ones are better, which in this case is largely untrue (with exceptions e.g. Al Baxter).
November 24th 2009 @ 12:30pm
Pete said | November 24th 2009 @ 12:30pm | Report comment
Good timing knuckles… just what Rugby in Australia needs… distraction!
I guess he is going for an out of court settlement…
November 24th 2009 @ 12:32pm
Rickety Knees said | November 24th 2009 @ 12:32pm | Report comment
Like him or not – Knuckles in his hey day produced some great results and Australian Rugby was the better for it
November 24th 2009 @ 3:47pm
Pete said | November 24th 2009 @ 3:47pm | Report comment
I don’t know him, but he seemed a nice enough bloke. Love to know what the beef is between him and JON.
Just think his timing to sue is quite poor, but perhaps thats the plan.
also “According to the court claim, Mr O’Neill urged ARU high-performance manager Pat Howard, Wallabies team manager Phil Thompson, Wallabies assistant coach Michael Foley and the ARU management committee to “reconsider” whether it was in their career interests to have any further contact with Mr Connolly.”
This email was obviously leaked to Knuckles, doesn’t do anyhting for the credibility of those who received the email… people are going to think twice about corresponding with them. Even if they had gripe with JON that’s very unprofessional. Knuckles has unintentionally damaged their reputations…
I hope the email wasn’t written by the Fed. Treasury Dept..
November 24th 2009 @ 12:10pm
Hansie said | November 24th 2009 @ 12:10pm | Report comment
An excellent post from Hammer. There isn’t much to add. Accountability seems to be a one-way street where John O’Neill is involved. As for the poaching of league players, that was a policy heavily driven by John O’Neill.
November 24th 2009 @ 12:28pm
Pete said | November 24th 2009 @ 12:28pm | Report comment
The ARU are actually using smart PR by coming out and mentioning the tour review in the shadow of the Scotland debacle.
1) They would have a post tour review, regardless of the tour results (its good business).
2) ARU detractors would have been demanding a full review after the poor results, the ARU beat them to the punch – now it looks like their idea and that they are in control.
3) Speculation about whose job is on the line would be rife and media would be frothing at the mouth if there was no public HO support for Deans. By saying Deans is safe, it allows him to concentrate on coaching the final games (and deflects some of the heat away from the ARU). The players’ jobs are on the line, but Deans will be the constant. If they (the players) are smart they will bury the hatchet and start to work with Deans.
4) Backs against the wall stuff is what lifts players to perform (aka the ABs in Wellington). I wouldn’t be surprised if the Wallabies beat the Welsh – many are expecting the opposite. If a win happens, the heat won’t be as severe.
I agree with everyone, I hope the review is a thorough one and brings about positive change (if change is required or possible). I hope the review isn’t lip service to appease the crowd and real outcomes are implemented…
November 24th 2009 @ 1:16pm
Westy said | November 24th 2009 @ 1:16pm | Report comment
The reality is we do not have a very good team. It has happened before and I am afraid sometimes for more a few seasons.The problem is that some of the past weaker sides may have played with a little more passion.
This is the norm for Australian rugby historically. Our somewhat more consistent high level success between 1990′s to early noughties was an unusually long period of relative success historically.
To put it in perspective we have lost 7 times straight to a mediocre All Blacks side. That is not my judgement but the judgement of most rugby commentators in NZ. If they are mediocre where the hell does that put us . Part of the reason the All Blacks hang in there is competitive pressure for positions generated by their third tier
I agee any proposals that will enhance rebuilding skill development and depth is worthwhile otherwise we wait as we have always done for a better crop of players to pop up together.
What bites at your core is the ARU spends 27 million on player’s wages this season. The idea that Giteau was once lauded as the highest paid player of any code does come back to haunt you. I would love to have four young skilled No 10s vying for Giteau’s position on $250000 looking for the plumb job. He knows he is in the team whether as No 10 or 12. Even paying a player of real potential o’Connor $600000 per season to play super 14 and sit on the bench is over the mark. Where did they honestly think he was going before the next World Cup.
this top down stuff contributes to the cyclical nature of Australian rugby
The other 20 players for melbourne are not going to come from Victorian club rugby they will come from the best players in Sydney and brisbane club rugby. melbourne will work but in the interim do not look to closely at the quality of club rugby in Sydney and brisbane. You pull 3 players out of the best 7 teams there is no way you will not reduce the overall quality.
Remember it will also be a longer super 15 season.
We either start the long haul now on the third tier of rugby or we put up with more periods of sharp cyclical decline .
November 24th 2009 @ 1:29pm
Rickety Knees said | November 24th 2009 @ 1:29pm | Report comment
Westy – I am for the long haul!
Australian Rugby at the moment is a house of cards with a wonky (cyclical) foundation. Let’s build a model that is sustainable and deliver a production line of talented players.
November 24th 2009 @ 1:55pm
Ben said | November 24th 2009 @ 1:55pm | Report comment
How about playing a bit more and training a bit less ? These guys have no skills compared to pre-professional Union or current league players.
November 24th 2009 @ 3:30pm
Campbell Watts said | November 24th 2009 @ 3:30pm | Report comment
Here’s a huge idea!!!
Let’s hear John come out and declare:
“We’re not performing up to scratch, none of us – players, coaches, board and support staff. We’re in finacial strife. As of next season we are all taking a 25% pay cut”
That’d help improve the financial situation, make the public believe they are all sacrificing something, and provide the money to get the ARC up and running!
Chances of it happening???
November 24th 2009 @ 4:31pm
Jack Petro said | November 24th 2009 @ 4:31pm | Report comment
Campbell … although the sentiments may be well meaning … they’re off the mark as well. The Wallabies aren’t playing well – they’re not the best playing on the world stage but they seem to be the best we have. How do we stop it? I don’t know! Westy’s point is valid and we may just have to wait out the “bad” days.
BUT … pay cuts? The players are paid out of a separate pool of money – this has been stated over and over again. As if RUPA is going to let their slice of the pie go. And then why should employees a company take a pay cut because we don’t like getting up at 4am on a Sunday morning and going to bed at 6.30am feeling worse than we did when we woke up?
Get a reality check all of you … I have stated on this blog time and time again … have faith and wait for the next World Cup, because this squad WILL pay good rugby and be very close to winning the Cup … or maybe ‘they’ll bring back Bill’!
November 24th 2009 @ 4:51pm
Hammer said | November 24th 2009 @ 4:51pm | Report comment
Jack P, are you in la la land? Wait and see what happens in the WC? Why would RUPA? As far as a reality check goes how much more real do you need than the game against scotland?
November 24th 2009 @ 6:54pm
Sam said | November 24th 2009 @ 6:54pm | Report comment
Please tell me you don’t want Australia to be the England of SH rugby – doing enough come RWC time but between cups playing so poorly they get booed by their own fans? Australian supporters don’t want to become like some in Europe who are almost happy to lose, celebrating losses and saying how proud a team should be for leading a team at half-time. If Australia wants to fund player development maybe a 25% pay-cut isn’t a bad idea.
November 24th 2009 @ 5:13pm
Chris said | November 24th 2009 @ 5:13pm | Report comment
So I just heard that the players of Wigan Atheletic offered a refund to all their travelling fans after losing 9-1 to Tottenham in the English Premier League.
I wish the wallabies had the same attitude