often think about a letter to the editor. Something significant: Global warming, carbon tax, Afghanistan. But I’ve never done it; can’t be bothered, apathetic. So why now? A Rugby Test – hardly earth shattering. But I think I know why.
Global warming counts for something whatever your view. Afghanistan counts. A carbon tax counts. And because it counts, there is action.
So I can sit back in the comfort that others will look after it and solve it one way or the other. I can afford to be apathetic.
But not with rugby. Because the problems are not being solved . They are being perpetuated. And no one seems to want to recognise that the Emperor has no clothes.
I had the privelage to play a curtain raiser for NSW Sub District in 1973 at Ballymore. We won that day and the full significance of what followed probably did not dawn on our alcoholic haze. Tonga beat Australia resoundingly, 30 – 12. Australia were woeful. It was a day of shame.
38 years later another day of shame. I am ashamed to be an Australian Rugby supporter. I am ashamed of Australian rugby. A week ago I could have moved to Queensland so great was my pride in what the Reds had achieved. In a week all is lost. I may leave the country next week.
There are no excuses. We are, I don’t know how, the number two nation in the world. I don’t want to hear that it wasn’t our top team.
Can you imagine the All Black dirt trackers losing? No. And the team that ran on today had in it six forwards who at various times have been run on choices. And in the backs four players who similarly have been first choice players.
Haven’t we been fed the spin for the last two or three years under Deans that our depth has improved markedly?
I’s time for a few home truths.
Deans may be a great coach. If he is then he certainly has not been for Australia. He has coached us to our worst ever Test loss in South Africa only three years ago at Johannesburg 53-8.
He has coached us to our first loss against Scotland since 1982. He has coached us to our first ever loss against Samoa.
He has the worst win/loss record of any Australian coach that I can remember. Worse than Greg Smith. And let’s not have excuses about rebuilding. Every coach who has a three year term or more is rebuilding constantly.
The measure of the man is perhaps his choice as a captain.
A captain who firstly should not be in the team. How anyone could pick Elsom ahead of Higginbotham is beyond me. Elsom has poor handling skills, a poor rugby brain, and poor running skills. There is more to running skills than running hard.
Elsom has no idea where he is running, who he is running for apart from himself, or what to do with the ball when his running is finished. Could Elsom have done what Higginbotham did in the final for the Reds last week, or in setting up Giteau’s try today? The short and only answer is no; a resounding no.
As for his captaincy, I firstly find it offensive that a man who is honoured with the captaincy of the Australian team would even suggest that if contractual terms cannot be agreed he will be off overseas. I am sure that the ARU does not simply pay what is asked.
I would hope that however in the case of the Australian captain any offer would properly reflect the prestige that accompanies that position. If I am wrong on that then we really are in trouble!
Why is that no other Super Rugby province seems to be chasing our Rocky. I am no Phil Waugh fan but one thing I will say is that he had heart and he seemed to treat the Waratahs as a family about which he cared. I did not notice Elsom in the stands with the Brumbies in a year when they needed every bit of glue they could find.
A captain would have been there (notwithstanding that he was not the Brumbies captain ). Elsom does nothing for this team as a leader. He is not a leader.
We have a coach who can’t win and a captain who can’t lead.
This is not to be seen as an attack on Deans. But it is time at least we started calling a spade a spade and cease this mindless view that Deans is some sort of visionary and tactical guru. His utterings quite frankly are more reminiscent of Chauncey Gardiner.
If I hear again that these young men will learn from this (i.e another bad loss) or that it is all part of the journey then I will truly despair. Deans may already have uttered these words at a post match conference.
It is time to stop learning and perform. The journey is over. Now is the time to perform.
I am sure that we have the players to do better. But we need the right mix and the right captain. We do not have time to appoint a captain for the next five years or more.
Appoint Nathan Sharpe and give him a leadership team of Pocock, Horwill and Genia so they are groomed for the harsh reality of the post World Cup era. It will be difficult enough particularly if we go out again in the Quarters.
My apologies to global warming, the carbon tax and Afghanistan. I will get to you.
Bakkies
Guest
agreed it will be tough. Make or break time in European club comps is when the Six Nations is on and shortly after that it's the business end of the Heinken Cup. We will be playing three tests in a row and maybe a tour game than back in to the important end of Super Rugby
AndyS
Guest
There may be a lot of pain floating around this morning, but we better get used to it. As of next year we will be taking a break in the middle of the Super season and fielding Test teams the following weekend, so picture that team where everyone had played a match the previous weekend. And we won't just be playing Samoa, it will be England, Wales, Ireland, etc....
sheek
Guest
True.....
soapit
Guest
our setup with all its problems is still a far better one than the samoans have, yet their team managed to beat ours.
sheek
Guest
Rob, It's too easy, far too easy, & far too simplistic, to blame coach Robbie Deans for all the Wallabies' ills. Sure, his win/loss record is poor, but you need to look behind the results & at the reasons. Why is his win/loss record poor? Well, while the Wallabies have some outstanding individual players, collectively they are, & have been, ordinary for a long time. Even a star like Quade Cooper has a severe fault - his tackling is woeful. Being ranked number 2 in the world isn't necessarily the huge wrap it ought to be. Apart from the ABs almost day-in & day-out, the Boks & us occasionally, & the English & French infrequently, world rugby isn't of a breathtakingly high standard either. We Aussies talk up the Wallabies, then when they don't live up to our inflated expectations, rather than give ourselves an uppercut for being so unrealistically ambitious, we pour scorn on the coach. And so much easier to do when he isn't one of us - "damn those bloody kiwis, etc". A lot of Australian rugby's problems are structural. Those looking for a quick fix, & there are plenty of them on the Roar, will be disappointed. Our player participation pool is thin. It needs to be massively developed. This then leads to another problem - the quality player pool depth is also thin. Then there is the structure of our rugby comps itself. The Shute Shield, breeding ground forabout two-thirds of future Wallabies, or thereabouts, is dysfunctional. Totally dysfunctional. NSW & Qld continue to treat each other as enemies rather than colleagues. Co-operation is virtually non-existent. Schoolboy rugby ought to be totally overhauled. But nobody wants to make the tough, unpopular decisions. Everyone protects their jealous turf as if it was a God-given right. There is no national domestic comp to speak of. Rather than give ourselves headaches by putting our minds to these serious issues, it is so much easier to blame the foreign-born national coach. What this says about the average Aussie rugby fan is less than complimentary. I guess the Wallaby fan merely reflects the Wallaby team - while the players lack depth in the quality of their play, we fans lack depth in the quality of our thinking.....
sheek
Guest
Rob, Slight correction necessary. In 1973, the Wallabies beat Tonga 30-12 in the 1st test at Sydney. Tonga won the 2nd test 16-11 at Ballymore.
Recruiter
Guest
You can't be serious! Rocky is overrated, undercooked and he should be over there (Europe) where it appears his heart truly is....they can have him...gladly. Certainly a captain he is not and given that no local franchise wants him, why on earth is he in the team? Can Deans please explain this ludicrous situation. As for Rocyk's "(1)He does play well and have a huge work ethic. (2) He leads naturally by his play and (3) has been one of, if not the top player for the Wallabies on many occasions." 1. He does not play well, Higginbotham has is all over him. 2. He is not a natural leader, he sulks and scowls around the field like a spoilt child 3. yes, he is a has been. Get him off the team, send him back where he wants to be sowe don't have to put up with his rubbish play and rubbish attitude.
Damo
Guest
I don't get this idea that the captain has to be set in stone. What if Rocky is playing well and leading well but gets injured? who would be captain then? Well that person should be captain now. Genia or Horwill are obvious candidates. Rocky may need some club games to find form. A captain has to be someone who is first picked. Epsom is not in the form 15 at the moment. I can see Australia having several captains before this year is out. Remember one of Australia's gutsiest victories occurred with the captain off the field. Ireland '91. We need 3 leadership options going into this cup.
Jadeous
Guest
I think Rocky is an exceptional player for Australia. An immature and not so intelligent Captain though. I agree that he should not be a Captain. But he is a natural born leader as a player. He does play well and have a huge work ethic. He leads naturally by his play and has been one of, if not the top player for the Wallabies on many occasions. But he does not have the football brain to be a Captain. He has no idea how to approach a referee or think about the bigger picture. He should lead the forward pack and lead as usual through his hard work and inspirational play. And leave the Captains job to someone like Genia who doesn't sulk after a loss and has far more rugby intelligence. Remember too, that this is his first game back. It's a bit harsh too be too critical on him. By the time the World Cup arrives he will be firing again and one of the Wallabies top players again. But a Captain he is not. -- Comment left via The Roar's iPhone app. Download The Roar's iPhone App in the App Store here.