When I was younger, I wanted to be a Special Forces soldier. I then went through a stage where becoming a professional game ranger greatly appealed to me. The thing that terrified me most was the idea of a desk job.
I could not imagine a less appealing way to spend my days.
Rugby went professional just as I was stumbling my way through high school, and given that it was a job that did not appear to involve much desk time, I thought I might give it a go.
I had this recollection recently because I finally decided to unclutter my desk, sit at it, and get some work done.
In fact, I quite enjoy being at my desk now. It’s where I read and write, reply to emails, and generally get stuff done. At the same time, my desk is a stark reminder of how divergent my current views are to those of my 16-year-old self.
Sitting at my desk, my mind wandered onto the subject of coaches.
I’ve been fortunate to play under many different coaches, some of the better known ones being Rudolph Straeuli, Kevin Putt, Jake White, David Nucifora, Eddie Jones, Laurie Fisher, John Connolly and Andy Friend.
I’m often asked who I consider to be the best coach I’ve played under.
Imagine asking a soldier what he or she considered to be the best type of camouflage. The simple answer is that there is no ‘best’; the effectiveness of camouflage is directly related to the environment in which it is employed.
I’ve certainly had coaches who were snow camo operating in a jungle. It’s not that they were bad coaches, just that they were ill-suited to the environment.
When I was at the Brumbies, some very capable and intelligent individuals were part of committees that assisted the CEO and board in selecting head coaches.
Despite this, there are clearly examples when this process produced very poor decisions.
The 2004 Brumbies and 2011 Reds produced championship-winning teams. Despite achieving the ultimate success, the nature of these two squads and the coaching involvement strikes me as completely different.
Ewen Mackenzie seems like the perfect fit for his young chargers. He’s a hands-on coach with an eye on the bigger picture, and an unassuming disposition that seems to set the tone for the rest of the group.
It’s easy to forget that Ewen was often criticised for not getting the best out of the Waratahs, for attempting an especially dour style of play. Now he heads the competition’s most exciting ensemble, playing arguably the most enterprising brand of rugby in the competition.
David Nucifora and Andy Friend are both coaches who Brumbies fans remember well.
Both coaches have proven that when mated to the right group of players, they are able to produce fantastic results. Yet, both eventually appeared to be ill-suited to the teams they headed.
In David’s case, clashes with senior Wallabies had a galvanising effect on the group and ironically produced a championship team. Andy Friend lost the confidence of his players, and from that point on, a working relationship became impossible.
What does all of this mean?
To my mind, it is a reminder that the process of selecting a coach is crucial. One might be tempted to say it’s the most important job an organisation is tasked with.
Clearly selecting the best possible coach for a particular group of players is key, and clearly the process is not an exact science. But this does not mean that there are not both terrible and optimal ways in which to conduct the selection process.
Once you acknowledge that, it becomes clear that at least to some degree, the selection process is a science. The art is in knowing how much to rely on science and how much intuition is required to form a final decision.
I don’t know the answer to this question, but I know there is an answer: an answer that bears seeking out.
ncart
Guest
Bakkies, I seem to recall that Mils left for the Chiefs due to a fraud allegation around his partner who worked for Auckland Rugby at the time - see this story http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=10338518 I don't think Nucifora had anything to do with it.
Ballboy
Guest
Excellent article Clyde. Nucifora and Friend have both proven they can coach in the right circumstances, as has McKenzie. I guess the thing that I take out of your article is that the decision is a tough one when selecting a coach but when that happens, the CEO and the coach have to be on the same page and that they run the ship from the top down. Something that sadly has been amiss at BrumbyLand. Let's hope player power and over-inflated belief in certain individual's own ability is a thing of the past.
Bakkies
Guest
Maybe, but it was Rob Clarke who sacked Nucifora. There wasn't a lot of tact shown back then when it was announced. The first place I found out about it was the Brumbies official website of all places. Wasn't in Canberra at the time so I wouldn't have got any of the small town rumours that would have been floating about
Bakkies
Guest
Would be good if Clyde could reply to the comments as he would have a lot of insight in to what went on in the Brumbies as he joined when Nucifora was coaching. A bit more depth would settle a few matters as Brumbies fans are still going on about his sacking.
Bakkies
Guest
Mils left to go to the Chiefs around that time. I am sure he had other reasons to leave but the Chiefs aren't far from Auckland if it wasn't related to Rugby. The Brumbies had an injury free season in 2004. Compared to the previous two seasons (2002 and 2003) narrowly missed the finals but had long injury lists and played inconsistant Rugby. I thought at the end of 2003, Nucifora was on his way out if things didn't improve. A pro Brumbies player, Justin Harrison left with Dan Vickermann. I kind of felt something was up for someone like Harrison to sign with the underachieving Waratahs given how much he got out of the Brumbies set up. The Blues played unbelievable Rugby in 2003 and forced teams like the Brumbies to lift their game. Nucifora had great rugby brains in Pat Howard and Rod Kafer in his set up, something Andy Friend lacked last year.
Slacky
Guest
Clyde, Enjoying your contributions as much as I enjoyed watching you play and your were a bloody good player! Bugger of a job selecting coaches. You remarked recently that you had changed your views on a lot of things in rugby over a few years and i think must players change also. What was a priority today is number three in two years time. This makes selecting the right coach more of a lottery than a science I feel. Keep up the great work.
louis Striker
Guest
I guess Fagan is a players CEO.
mania
Guest
jack- dont know what nucifora did but when he came to auckland blues after his 1st season there were rumblings of player power surfacing. instead Ali Williams moved to canterbury while nucifora was in auckland and moved back as soon as he left. there were a lot of grumblings by other players that were successfully kept out of the press. brumbies demise started with nucifora. i agree it was player power that wrecked it for brumbies eventually but u gotta laugh that the season that nucifora got dropped the brumbies went on to win the super title. it wasnt till a few years later that the brumbies started accelerating down hill and i reckon that was mainly due to a lot of senior players who started the playerpower revolt started retiring.
Jack
Guest
David Nucifora coached a team full of real stars, unfortunately for David the stars thought it was all their own work. Unfortunately for Brumbies fans subsequent seasons proved that the stars were not as good without him as they thought they would be. Andy Friend coached a team with "stars" who were nowhere near as good on the paddock as they were in their heads. Very unfortunate for the ticket buying fans. Fagan should have sacked the players not the coach. Most of them left in any case.
johnny-boy
Guest
So tell us Clyde, do you think Robbie Deans is the best fit for the Wallabies ? Just curious.