Deans be brutal, Genia be realistic

By David Lord / Expert

Wallaby coach Robbie Deans has copped a lot of unfair flack over that pathetic performance last week against the All Blacks at ANZ Stadium.

But Deans didn’t miss tackles, or turn over possession. He didn’t spill regulation passes, or pass the ball behind support players.

Every one of them elementary rugby, basic skills, all gone AWOL.

It was so bad, I was really angry at the final hooter and felt cheated by such an abysmal performance when so much was on offer.

And I don’t feel any better after fill-in skipper Will Genia’s weak comments yesterday.

“We were a little bit passive (last week)”.

“We probably relied a little bit too much on our forwards (last week)”.

“I think we can look to be a little bit more attacking (this week) with the ball in hand as a backline”.

“So if we can get the ball in the backs’ hands a little bit more, and have a little bit more thrust, I think that will stand us in good stead”.

What’s this “little bit” rubbish?

If Genia honestly believes the Wallabies only have to improve “a little bit” this week, he has a major problem with reality that demands a 200% improvement or the Wallabies will be flogged by 30 minimum.

Despite his poor game last week by his high standards, Genia is one of only five Wallabies who can be confident of running onto Eden Park on Saturday night in the starting lineup.

Digby Ioane, Berrick Barnes, Adam Ashley-Cooper, and David Dennis are the other four.

The lack of urgency in the Wallaby ranks is alarming. That’s why the side needs an injection of new blood.

Complacency is rife. You would think pulling on a Wallaby jersey would make every player feel like a giant.

Not any more. Or to be more accurate, not nearly enough of them.

If Deans is to cop any genuine criticism, it will be making minimal changes because he is a loyal selector. While loyalty is commendable, these Wallabies need a major uppercut wake-up call.

Fly-half Quade Cooper, winger Drew Mitchell, and openside flanker Michael Hooper to replace the injured skipper David Pocock are must selections.

No argument whatsoever.

The likes of lock Kane Douglas, flanker Liam Gill, hooker Stephen Moore, backrower Radike Samo, and prop James Slipper, are kicking down the selection door.

The Wallaby pack last week delivered so much slow ball, the backs were stifled. And when the backs did receive decent ball, they invariably stuffed it up.

It was a vicious circle.

You couldn’t call it a comedy of errors because there was nothing funny about the farce at all.

So Robbie Deans, shake the Wallabies up with some positive selection changes.

And Will Genia, increase your “little bit more” theory to a massive improvement to be inspirational.

You will need it. And the fans demand it.

The Crowd Says:

2012-08-22T08:30:18+00:00

stillmatic1

Guest


agree with that justin2. whatever his faults and whether he wins the wallabies games or not, you cannot deny the shape that the wallabies play with whilst he is on the park. is it necessarily effective, maybe, maybe not, but his style seems to lift which ever team he plays with. berrick is a solid toiler and technically astute, but is simply the peter wallace of the wallabies. wont strike much fear into an opposition at all but will guts out a game. to be fair to berrick though, if quade gets credit for the reds and wallaby wins he is apart of, surely berrick should get credit for a sweep of wales. quade is not the messiah, nor berrick the pariah. just get deans to sort this damn team out!!

2012-08-22T05:09:40+00:00

sittingbison

Guest


the real problem has been revealed by selecting waratahs, walking wounded and criminals. A sense of entitlement is the LAST thing the wobblies need, but is the very thing they all have. Except...SHARPIE!! and why? Because he has been shafted by Deans on numerous occasions, but has demanded selection through perseverance. Every other player is teachers pet. FFS what do you expect when you select half the team from a bunch of dispirited loser Tahs? Sure they played slightly better against Wales than for the Tahrds, not unexpected though. But they have been rewarded for dross, not excellence. As opposed to the Brumbies and Reds. FFS what do you expect selecting Mitchell et al when they have not played for almost two seasons! Not fit let alone match fit, demonstrated nothing for selection. Selecting AAC who has been a shadow of his former self living on past glory for two seasons. Or Robinson who has been as petulant as a spoiled little girl all season. As opposed to Shippers, Cummins, Mogg, Morahan etc who have sweated blood all season. FFS what do you expect selecting an unfit Beale with a criminal conviction weighing on his mind. The entire mindset of the wobblies is frakked up. Deans speaks in mumbo jumbo, the only continuity to selection is to pick the exact wrong players, play them out of position, and a with defensive game plan with no endeavour entirely unsuited to the Australian psyche. The players are not lean mean and hungry, desperate to show their mettle. They are fat, slow and lazy. Get them the hell out of Coffs Harbour etc and into a muddy stinking cold paddock. Drop them the moment they show entitlement. Kick them up the arse. Select players on form, players who are desperate to get a game. Not reputation. THEN you would would have ruthless, instead of toothless and useless. I like PeterKs team, mine is similar: 1 Holmes 2 Moore 3 Palmer (injured?) then Cowan or Blake 4 Sharpe (C) 5 Neville 6 Higgers 7 Hooper 8 Mowen 9 Genia 10 Cooper 11 Digby 12 Harris 13 Cummins 14 Shipperly 15 Morahan 16 TPN 17 Kepu (injured?) then Alexander 18 Pyle 19 Gill 20 Sheehan 21 Barnes 22 AAC FFS get Beale out of there!! Head is not screwed on FFS Samo cant even start at Reds, get him out of there! Advanced decrepitude, and refuses to shove FFS Robinson needs a good swift kick up derriere! FFS Sharpe for captain NO Tahs being rewarded for season 2012 thank Christ! Majority from Reds and Brumbies Higgers cannot be at 8, he will seagull if given half a chance. Specialist 8. AAC and Barnes to bench, they are Everyman. Sheehan adds mongrel from the bench as does TPN. Kepu on bench he can cover both props. Give Pyle or Douglas a chance from the bench. BTW Hodgo has undergone hoof and wing surgery, he is out. McCalman has a broken arm.

2012-08-22T04:28:25+00:00

Larry

Guest


spot on mick-e! I think David wants Zac 'not even the best fly-half at his club' holmes to be in the mix as well! It's laughable really.

2012-08-22T00:47:08+00:00

Justin2

Guest


Its not just about "freshness" its about changing it up and trying something to WIN the game. They are called "tactical" substitutions. Hansen may not need to make as many subs, especially when you are in front and contro of the match. The comparison of the two is irrelevant from Saturday.

2012-08-22T00:36:01+00:00

joeb

Guest


David, You’re a true fan of Neville and Pyle, as you’ve previously stated, and they’re decent players, though the Rebels finished 4th on our Conference ladder, and 13th in the Super Rugby standings. The two players that I think would do a better job for the Wallabies would be Mowen at 8 and Kimlin at 4 who played strong all Super Rugby season, and their team the Brumbies finished 2nd on the Conference ladder, and 7th in the overall Super Rugby standings. And Waratah Foley, isn’t he a bit light, a-la Shipperley, for this looming “must win” heavyweight – being the operative word – contest? That said, how is it also that Rodney Blake (Rebels) is so out of favour these days, and Greg Holmes as well, (though I’m no front row expert)? We can’t really ask or expect lightweight men – boys, basically – to do heavyweight men’s work, so here’s how I see it: 1. 2. Polota-Nau or Moore 3. 4. Kimlin 5. Sharpe 6. Higgers 7. Radike 8. Mowen 9. Will 10. Berrick 11. Digby 12. Quade (Quade & Berrick can switch around as required, and Will can use the cut-out pass to Quade when needed – get the picture? And it’d be good to see Quade/Berrick work the run-a-round, though as always these contests are won up front in the forwards, as we well know - dominance up front is crucial). 13. Horney 14. Drew (if he’s right, otherwise Nick Cummins to start) 15. AAC Reserves (in no specific order): Beau Robinson? Timani Neville Pyle I don’t know, leave it to you chaps to suggest, and may the rugby Gods smile on us.

2012-08-22T00:08:18+00:00

Ben S

Roar Guru


I think it's been proven emphatically that Ranger and Fruean aren't Test midfielders ATM. They struggle for consistency at Super level.

2012-08-21T23:48:34+00:00

Ai Rui Sheng

Guest


The Gunners, gunner do this gunner do that, are ranked second in the world, an absolute miracle, given the skills and attitude of the players available to Dingo. Australians have been telling us that Pocock is the man, yet he is still being dealt lessons on the basics of captaincy and the play of a master no 7. Pocock often loses his cool, lacks depth of knowledge on the rules and is so easily beaten by a master. Unfortunately he is one of only four players who might conceivably make the Bleatingish and Oilyish Lions or even Argentina. All four are overseas born.

2012-08-21T21:24:36+00:00

Justin2

Guest


Watch how AUS play with him and without him. There is no comparison to the width and space he provides the team. Counter that with Barnes :( And by the way he has had MoM awards within his first couple of tests v England and Ireland. He has only had 2 seasons at 10 for AUS and done pretty well I believe but has had some monumental c--k ups along the way.

2012-08-21T19:52:32+00:00

Shop

Guest


Excellent post. All makes sense. I'm sure there are many Argies that would relish the chance to play S15 and the Oz teams would surely benefit. WIN WIN.

2012-08-21T19:43:35+00:00

Shop

Guest


True, but you can also decide to make changes because players are having a shocker.

2012-08-21T19:07:15+00:00

Shop

Guest


"sack another round of assistant coaches". I must admit that was worth a chuckle.

2012-08-21T18:23:54+00:00

Shop

Guest


I couldn't care less where the coach is from, what I care about is that he can't get them to consistantly play well let alone win!

2012-08-21T15:12:09+00:00

Shop

Guest


I bet if Deans came up with the same results as the All Blacks coach he wouldn't still have a job.

2012-08-21T15:02:55+00:00

Shop

Guest


Ditto

2012-08-21T15:00:31+00:00

Shop

Guest


Well said rl. While the players should feel guilty for an abysmal performance, it is time Deans shouldered some of the blame. If there was a change of coach we'd very quickly see a change in performance for the better.

2012-08-21T12:50:26+00:00

Matt

Guest


I actually think we're starting to see the rise of another negative symptom of the weaker Australian Super conference. That is, if you play lower intensity rugby too often then that becomes the benchmark. The Australian players are now being dragged down in match hardness from playing more games against resource thin Australian opponents? If you compared the brutal intensity and pace of the Australian inter-conference games then you quickly noticed that it was a step or two down from what the Kiwis and Saffas were doing to each other. Granted, if taken too far it can be detrimental (I'm looking at the Top 14 and Aviva here) to play too many tough games in a season, but if you want your domestic level to prepare and groom players for test match rugby then you want that domestic competition to go some way towards mimicing that intensity. Possibly it's time for JON to make a positive influence on the Wallabies and allow up to 4 foreign players per Australian Super side, with a clause stating that only 2 per position are allowed across the 5 teams (only two Hookers for example). No one can deny that Kane Thompson, Sona Taumalolo and Mahonri Schwalger were detrimental to the All Blacks this season. All 3 were regular starters for the Chiefs and all 3 kept fringe/potential All Blacks prospects on the bench (Toby Smith, Hika Elliot, Sam Cane/Fritz Lee). Imagine the boost in energy and intensity that a guy like Augustin Creevy or Jaun-Martin Fernandez Lobbe would do if added to the Rebels or Force pack. Or a star like Juan-Martin Hernandez guiding the ship at the Tahs. I imagine that, just like the Kiwi imports and those all over the globe (including Japan) these players would be marketable drawcards who'd relish earning a living playing Super Rugby and living in Australia. It's admirable to want to pay money to Australian youngsters to keep them on Australian shores, but overpaying potential stars just means you aren't spending as much on genuine stars of the present. Not to mention the impact SH based players would have on Los Pumas, where the Super based players would be more accesible to the national team. It would also provide a great marketing platform for promoting Super rugby in Argentina, where locals could watch their national heroes playing for leading clubs. This can then be leveraged off later down the line when/if South America ever attempts to create Super franchises. The groundwork would already be done.

2012-08-21T12:14:11+00:00

Rob from Brumby Country

Guest


Cooper isn't a Test 10. Those results you claim that he got us were not his own work. Stop giving him credit for those victories that had clearly been left to Genia and Beale to piece together.

2012-08-21T12:12:48+00:00

Charcoal

Guest


Let's cut to the chase. You can argue all day about whether this player or that should be selected in the Wallabies' team, but the problem with Australian Rugby is far more deep seated than just selecting the best of the talent that is available. It goes back to the grass roots. Australian Rugby will never progress until someone in authority has the balls to challenge the private school lobby to engage with the broader rugby community and create a more competitive environment for aspiring talent to hone their skills and mental toughness. Our school and junior players just don't get enough hard playing experience to be competitive with their counterparts in New Zealand and South Africa. Until that happens, nothing will change.

2012-08-21T11:48:48+00:00

Justin2

Guest


Mick still and brumby boy I ain't arguing as it he said she said but for all BBs courage he is a plodder in comparison to QC, end of story. You can say he isn't a test 10 but he's had more results than Barnes, the Reds shone with him at the helm and Barnes gone. And nsw with Barnes? Just super... Regardless of all that we won't win on Saturday because we have a coach with no strategy, ingenuity, courage or passion IMO.

2012-08-21T11:37:23+00:00

Rob from Brumby Country

Guest


What happened in Hong Kong? A kick after the siren happened in Hong Kong. As for Brisbane, you're kidding yourself if you're going to credit that win to Cooper. Genia was far and away the star of that show. Cooper was the player who stood there and did nothing while Ma'a Nonu charged past him for a try. Maybe it's true that QC stood no chance of stopping him, but he didn't even try to! I will not tolerate such pussyfooting by ANY player in my national team. If you're in for a penny, then you're bloody well in for a pound. It will be suggested that I'm being unfair to him by overlooking the good things that he did in that game (and in other matches), but to those who would raise that objection I say to you that Quade Cooper has never won a game for the Wallabies. If you wish to contest my assertion, oblige me by answering this question; when has he ever performed well behind a pack that performed as badly as the Wallabies pack did on Saturday night? When has he ever been the sole standout of a side - even a losing side? When has he ever been the difference between defeat and victory? When has he ever played so well in a match that undeniably his team would have lost if he had been replaced by a supposedly-inferior flyhalf like Ben Lucas? The answer is never. Cooper is a point-scorer, but he is reliant on good performances from those around him. He is not a gamebreaker. Will Genia is a gamebreaker. David Pocock is a gamebreaker. Quade Cooper. Is not. A gamebreaker. A rider that I will add to my statement is that Berrick Barnes is also not a matchwinner. He also cannot win a match behind a crumbling forward pack. He has a grittier temperament than Cooper and his efforts on the weekend were a testament to this, and valiant in the face of adversity. But he could not inspire anything to occur against the run of play. But the fact is that 90% of the world's flyhalves are like this. Here in AustraZealand we have been spoilt by Lynaghs and Larkhams and Carters and Crudens. They are all 10%ers. But you go elsewhere, and you find that other teams have been forced to find ways to win without brilliant flyhalves. Ireland, Wales (before Priestland), France, even arguably England under Jonny Wilkinson. Morne Steyn is not regarded as an attacking genius, but it has not prevented the Boks from tasting considerable success. More than us, anyway. I think the reality is that the only Australian player who looks close to being the complete package flyhalf is Lealiifano, and I have massive doubts about whether he could transfer his Super Rugby form to international level. Like QC, I think he would find that there are a lot of tricks that you can get away with at provincial level that will get you found out in Test rugby. Perhaps there will come a time when he is mature enough, but he is not ready yet, even if he were uninjured. The reality is this - we have no brilliant flyhalves, and we are just going to have to find a way to win in other areas of the paddock until JOC or Lealiifano or whoever is ready to make the step up and become the main man. I feel cruel for saying it, but Quade will never be that man for Australia, no matter how much we wish he would be. That doesn't mean he has no place in the team - we just need to stop thinking of him as the only possible hope for Aussie rugby.

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