Cooper a top rugby playmaker: McKenzie
By Wayne Heming, 11 Jul 2012
- Tagged:
- Ewen McKenzie, Quade Cooper, Queensland Reds, Rugby Union, Super Rugby
Coach Ewen McKenzie has pumped up Quade Cooper’s tyres before Queensland renew Super Rugby hostilities with NSW at the weekend describing him as the best playmaker he has coached.
With the Reds needing a big game from Cooper against the Waratahs to keep them in the hunt for a wildcard for the Super Rugby finals, McKenzie heaped praise on his match winner at a charity lunch featuring six of the state’s best coaches from varying sporting teams.
Asked how important Cooper’s contribution was to the Reds, the former NSW player and coach and ex-Wallaby prop said his unpredictable No.10 was the most influential player he had coached.
“I think everyone understands what Quade can bring to the team,” he told guests at the cross-code lunch at Suncorp Stadium.
“The way we play the game, Quade is very important – not just the skill side of it. He’s a great thinker with great observational skills.
“He can see an opportunity on the field and play to it.
“He’s the best playmaker I’ve been involved with as a coach to deliver a game plan.
“He can weave a game plan into how he plays and he loves the challenge of going out there and making it happen.”
Cooper, who took nine months to fully recover from a knee injury sustained during the World Cup, hasn’t played a lot for Queensland this season, as McKenzie pointed out.
“Quade’s played two full games and two half games for us this year so he hasn’t been there much, yet we’re still in contention for the finals,” he said.
“We can do it without him, but it’s certainly a bit easier when he’s there.”
The Reds coach said Queensland needed to put together the “perfect” game against NSW in Brisbane to keep the defence of their Super Rugby title alive.
“We’ve come back really well this season and we’re basically only two wins less than last season in a pretty hot competition with a lot of teams doing really well,” he said.
“We’re going to concentrate on winning the game and playing the best we can.
“If we score four tries, great, or six – even better – and if we score 10 tries …
“We just have to play the best we can and see what happens with the other results overnight in South Africa.”
© AAP 2013The Crowd Says (19) | Page 1 of Comments
Have Your Say
- Explore:
- Ewen McKenzie, Quade Cooper, Queensland Reds, Rugby Union, Super Rugby
July 11th 2012 @ 8:29am
Gary Russell-Sharam said | July 11th 2012 @ 8:29am | Report comment
Their destiny is not actually in their hands. Other results will determine if the Reds make the finals. IMO they will finish just outside their goal. There will be 6 other teams breathing a sigh of relief. That’s rugby though.
July 11th 2012 @ 11:07am
Red Kev said | July 11th 2012 @ 11:07am | Report comment
The rest of McKenzie’s statements are on other sites, but it basically says that Cooper thrives when he has a game plan to fall back on. That he will go out and execute the coach’s strategy to the letter. If he can see a better opportunity at a specific moment he’ll take it, but for the other 95% of the match he’ll follow the game plan you give him and execute it with precision. It’s a lovely (and about as subtle as tea-bagging) indictment of Deans’ failure to develop any coherent game plan for the Wallabies.
July 11th 2012 @ 12:24pm
Jutsie said | July 11th 2012 @ 12:24pm | Report comment
What was the reds game plan in the first half of this season?
July 11th 2012 @ 1:15pm
Red Kev said | July 11th 2012 @ 1:15pm | Report comment
Well for the first three rounds (which they won) it was a very conservative pressure into points and counter-attacking game built around Harris at 10 and their fast back three.
Then in round 4 when the flyhalf stocks were down Cooper, Lucas, Harris, Lance it became “do your best not to lose” (at least as far as I can tell) and that is when they lost the chance to defend the title.
July 11th 2012 @ 1:47pm
Jutsie said | July 11th 2012 @ 1:47pm | Report comment
“Pressure into points” “do your best not lose when your fly half stocks are down” that sounds like the game plan used by the wallabies in the WC Quarter finals and against the welsh.
Funny how deans is castigated and mckenzie is annointed as the 2nd coming yet the reds and wallabies have very similar characteristics,
-look a million dollars when the forwards turn up, but they do not do this on a consistent basis
-only win parity at breakdown if their world class 7 carries the pack
-overly reliant on genia having a blinder for backline to tick
-below average scrum
-workmanlike centre combo
-excellent first choice 5/8, average options afterwards
-are easily rattled by teams that bully them at the breakdown (bulls, saders, sharks, highlanders, force)
-excellent goal kickers (harris, oc’onnor, barnes)
-known to be a running rugby exponent but actually kick the leather out of the ball in most games
July 11th 2012 @ 4:03pm
Red Kev said | July 11th 2012 @ 4:03pm | Report comment
The difference is pretty obvious to everyone who isn’t a Deans fanboi. McKenzie tells his team HOW to create pressure against each opponent and likely avenues to exploit to convert that pressure into points. Deans just says “play what is in front of you” and then Wobbly Wannabies create pressure on themselves and convert it into easy points for the All Blacks.
July 11th 2012 @ 4:27pm
Jutsie said | July 11th 2012 @ 4:27pm | Report comment
Right got ya, sound argument.
so when the reds win a game because
a: a bloke from one of the biggest underachievers in the comp kicks the ball to shipperley in the dying seconds
b: a debutant 5/8 misses a sitter of a penalty in the 80th min
c: a team switches off for 10 minutes after half time after having scored 3 tries in the preceding 10
its because mckenzie is a master strategist.
But when the wb’s win 3 tight games agains the 6 nations champs depsite missing their 3 best backline players its purely due to luck and the oppositions lack of composure and nothing to do with the coach working with the resources he has available.
Cheers for clearing that up, I will now join the “mckenzie: wallaby coach” cheers squad and ignore the fact he has only one s15 championship compared to 5 and has been unable to motivate his squad to be even remotely competitive when his star players are out.
July 11th 2012 @ 4:36pm
Red Kev said | July 11th 2012 @ 4:36pm | Report comment
I like how you try to put words in my mouth. Doesn’t help your argument but I’m sure it makes you feel better so go ahead.
July 11th 2012 @ 5:18pm
Jutsie said | July 11th 2012 @ 5:18pm | Report comment
Im not sure how i’ve put words into your mouth, you criticise deans using a quote from mckenzie as supportive evidence but I put it to you that mckenzie has as many shortcomings as deans.
You allude that im a deans fan boi because I claim this so I elaborated further by comparing your theories to actual recent events and now im supposedly misrepresenting you.
FYI I have criticised deans in the past too but this bandwagon to sack him and install link sounds like another quick fix that will not address the underlying problems with australian rugby.
When given proper support and depth in playing numbers deans was able to achieve success at super level for a sustained period of time. Mckenzie has achieved this success one year and (lets be honest) failed miserably in the follow up year.
They both have issue with motivating their forwards on to perform consistently but I have never seen a deans coached team go down without any fight to a low ranked team like the reds did against the force.
I agree with you that this statement by link is a pot shot at deans and thats what irritates me even more, people in glass house shouldn’t throw stones.
I had alot of respect for link but the way he has conducted himself this year has been disappointing. The backroom deals and use of press conferences/releases and his SMH articles to push his agenda have left a sour taste. IMO he will be another eddie jones if he were to take over the wallaby head coach position. A politician/spin doctor masquerading as a coach.
July 11th 2012 @ 5:28pm
Dexter William said | July 11th 2012 @ 5:28pm | Report comment
Gold!!!
July 12th 2012 @ 1:24am
Ra said | July 12th 2012 @ 1:24am | Report comment
Yeah that’s how he took the Crusaders to all those Super finals. Remember, he coached the majority of the players who have dominated All Blacks teams for the past decade – not bad really eh???? Maybe Deans never had to tell his players HOW in the past. He’s not expecting to have to do it in the present either. That’s the job of the Super rugby, provincial, age-group, and coaching clinic coaches like McKenzie & Co so when players arrive at the top level they already know the WHAT & the HOW. It’s a matter of stitching it all together at the top – that’s what makes good All Blacks teams. Deans knows that, and so do you now Rod bro
July 12th 2012 @ 6:21am
Red Kev said | July 12th 2012 @ 6:21am | Report comment
Quote:
“but I have never seen a deans coached team go down without any fight to a low ranked team like the reds did against the force”
I guess you missed those back to back losses the Deans coached Wallabies had against Scotland, or the pathetic play of the Deans coached Wallabies against Samoa.
You Deans fanbois give Robbie all the credit when the Wallabies win but if they lose it is always “Australia doesn’t have the cattle”. It’s pathetic.
The fact is Deans’ wins do not come about due to good execution of a gameplan. The wins (such as the Tri-Nations decider at Suncorp or the win against the Boks in Bloemfontain) are a result of the Wallabies performing the basics with intensity. There is no difference in game plan between those matches and the pummelling the Wallabies received at Eden Park twice last year.
The reason for that is that Deans doesn’t do strategy, tactics or gameplans. He does “play what is in front of you” and relies on intensity of play – a Crusaders characteristic.
And while that is successful for New Zealand teams, it doesn’t work often enough for Australian teams. The psyche of the players is different. They need an actual plan to play to. A canny coach (such as Eddie Jones in the 2003 RWC or Declan Kidney in the 2011 RWC) can negate a team that uses those tactics with a good game plan.
When he comes up against a more intelligent coach, Deans has no answers.
July 12th 2012 @ 8:51am
MR said | July 12th 2012 @ 8:51am | Report comment
RK I normally agree with you but this time I am with J, the “play what is in front of you” is a red herring as you want your team to do this plus difficult to argue RD was not responsible for developing Crusaders tactics (which is one of the better tactical teams)
The jury is still out on EM, he was rubbish with NSW but good for Reds last year, jury is still out for this season and while he has had a lot of injuries to contend with so has RD and failure of Red forwards to deliver this year echoes WB failures
The problem with WB is bigger than coach, the solution is not clear
July 11th 2012 @ 7:49pm
DC of nz said | July 11th 2012 @ 7:49pm | Report comment
Jutsie you are onto it mate.
Link would have been a great coach if he had adapted the game plan in the first half of the season but he was not shrewd enough.
July 11th 2012 @ 5:07pm
AWCMONREF said | July 11th 2012 @ 5:07pm | Report comment
Here we go again talking up Cooper, now he’s going to think all he has to do is TWEET his way on to the field and he’s won the game for the Reds, then he will walk into the nearest BAR and claim he’s the most important rugby player in Australia, all for coaches talking their teams up but only to a certain degree well respecting the opposition and as for Cooper hes as predictable as Dan Carters next shot at goal , I use to have so much more respect for McKenzie but after talking the Reds up before their South African road trip to which they were soundly beaten and this, my respect is slowly dissappearing……..I’m guessing like Cooper winning that one title may have got to his head just a little……….
July 11th 2012 @ 6:37pm
Damo said | July 11th 2012 @ 6:37pm | Report comment
Awcomeon awcomeonref
July 12th 2012 @ 5:24pm
Ash said | July 12th 2012 @ 5:24pm | Report comment
Come on Deans should be gone. He is simply not the right person for the Wallabies.
I’m not saying he is a bad coach.
We need an Aussie and McKenzie is the obvious choice.
As Aussies we should decide who should be the coach.
We don’t go round telling other nations who their national coach should be.
July 12th 2012 @ 7:25pm
AWCMONREF said | July 12th 2012 @ 7:25pm | Report comment
Ash agree the Wallabies coach “should” be Australian born and bred, he should know the Australian culture and the rugby mindset of his fellow Australlians, the obvious choice at the moment is McKenzie he may never be of the Rod McQueen mould but he has some substance as a rugby coach and has played for and loves the Wallabies although I emphasized “should” because their may not be a Australian suitable for the job,and I thought Warren Gatland done a brilliant job for Wales in the RWC also in Robbies defence their are a couple of his fellow countrymen starring in the Wallaby team , but Red Kevs right what works for the Kiwis may not work for the Aussies and vice versa. Don’t understand where you got the mindset other nations are picking your coach , didn’t ONeill and co. in the ARU choose Robbie oh I suppose you could blame NZ a little for chosing Graham Henry over Robbie.(masterstroke!!!)………………….. it would be amusing if another nation tried to tell NZ and SA who their coach had to be……..
July 13th 2012 @ 8:16am
Ash said | July 13th 2012 @ 8:16am | Report comment
I was referring to the non Aussies that stick up for Deans when really it’s our team etc etc.