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Phil Waugh retires (source AFP)
Phil Waugh’s rugby, on the field, will be finished at the end of this 2011 season. In making this announcement this afternoon the most capped player in NSW provincial history is doing the right thing for himself, the Waratahs and for his legacy.
There was the danger that he might continue his career for another year or even two, a bit like George Gregan, who stayed on for several years too long.
The golden goodwill and esteem a once-great player like Gregan, and in this case, Waugh builds up over a stellar career can be diminished if that player is seen to put his understandable self-interest (generally a high remuneration) ahead of the interests of the franchise he has honoured.
Waugh has avoided this Gregan-like ending to his career. The dramatic media conference announcing his impending retirement means that he goes out on a rugby high.
He will be remembered for being a combative, pesky loose forward who never shirked the tough stuff, who was a first-class scrounger for the ball in the deeps of the rucks. A fearless tackler and a combative and often inspirational leader in the ‘follow me’ mode.
He was a great player (in his prime) at the Super Rugby level, and a very good player at the Test level.
He is still ambitious about regaining his Wallaby colours, as the back-up to David Pocock. Now is not the time to fully discuss this matter.
Suffice to say that this is unlikely but is still possible if Robbie Deans wants an experienced campaigner for his Rugby World Cup campaign.
It is with the Waratahs, though, that Waugh has and still can make his most important contribution.
His comeback match against the Brumbies last weekend revealed that a back three in the pack of Dave Dennis, Dean Mumm and Waugh is a well-balanced force that can ask a lot of questions of the Blues in Friday night’s knock-out qualifying final at Eden Park.
Waugh’s snarling will-to-win can also be an asset in this qualifying final. I am reluctant, though, to push this line too far.
For, to be honest, this antagonistic approach to captaincy, with its emphasis on a negative, kicking for position style, has alienated a number of the more talented players.
Would Kurtley Beale have defected to the Melbourne Rebels if Waugh had encouraged the attacking potential of his players?
Last season it was lack of 4-try bonus points that kept the Waratahs out of the finals. This year the Waratahs have just made the finals and although as Waugh points out they scored the most tries of any team in the tournament (48) they suffered the indignity of being booed by their home crowd, and plunging crowd numbers as fans voted with their feet against the Hickey/Waugh doctrine that might is right.
The irony here is that Waugh has developed a cult following with Waratahs supporters. But this is hopefully less because of his playing philosophy than for his fearless play. And here we have the paradox about Waugh’s career which the rugby historians, no doubt, will pontificate on and sort out for us in the coming years.
He is undoubtedly the most popular Waratahs player in the last two decades. This is a significant achievement. But as far as the ‘Running Rugby’ motto the Waratahs adopted in 1991 when NSW was re-branded, his legacy has been more negative than positive.