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There has been plenty of debate about the Wallabies recent drop in form, with genuine concern that Australia will struggle to rise up for the Tri Nations challenge when pitted against powerhouses New Zealand and South Africa.
While many place the blame on the players, more recently the spotlight has started to shift to Wallaby coach Robbie Deans with question marks arising about whether he is the right man for the job.
New Zealander Deans’ rise to the highest office in Australian Rugby was after his renowned steering of Super 14 franchise, Canterbury Crusaders. While the Wallabies assignment is his first position as a head coach for an international team, Deans was an assistant coach between 2001-2003 for the All Blacks during the John Mitchell reign.
Deans even managed five caps for the All Blacks during the mid-1980s – but there were murmurs of discontent squared at Deans about his performance as All Black assistant coach, particularly at his selection decisions which included a publically played out debate that ended the All Black career of Christian Cullen. Cullen is now almost universally accepted as one of the all time greats of international rugby.
Deans became available to the ARU after being rejected for the head coach position of the All Blacks.
Criticisms aimed at Deans include his player selection, the management of his reserve bench and his focus on a youth orientated team. Some quarters are questioning if Deans is attempting to change the Australian Brand of rugby to a New Zealand model – essentially a hybrid All Black team.
Moreso, there are questions that Dean’s player management skills may not be up to scratch for the international arena – that his quiet type, soft speak persona is just not a powerful enough influence on the Australian team psyche.
Perhaps what we need to do is alter our perspective in order to understand if the Wallabies patchy form is a result of the players or the coach.
So the question is this; would the Wallabies win more games if Graham Henry was the Wallaby coach?
As Henry settles into his coaching swansong, he has matured into a fine rugby Statesman. While he has, in the past, made his share of blunders with rotation, resting players and flat offensives, he also holds an enviable record and is highly regarded on the international stage.
To Henry’s credit he holds the reins firmly on the All Black team, with never a whisper of discontent rising from the ranks. On occasion, when the All Blacks have had a lackluster performance in an opening half, Henry’s thunderous halftime diatribes have sparked the team into action often triggering a turnaround and even a hammering of the opposition.
If Henry was the Wallaby coach, do you think he could alter the mindset of the Wallabies and grab those close games to victory as opposed to defeat?
And if the answer is yes, then maybe the questions revolving around Deans are quite valid indeed…
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.