Much debate was sparked last week by the ‘revelation’ from Queensland journalist Jim Morton of possible plans to stop Wallabies players playing for their states prior to the British and Irish Lions tour.
I say ‘revelations’ because we were told at the logistics day last week that the plan, as presented by Morton, was yet to be decided on.
So where did Morton got his information from – and what was the purpose of the leak?
In both instances, I don’t think you have to be too clever to work out the answer. Suffice to say those who leak ‘privileged’ information generally only have their own ends in mind.
The situation did generate interest overseas, and possibly provided an insight into why Australian rugby still, in some areas, lags well behind South Africa and especially New Zealand.
Speaking to a South African counterpart later in the week, I was told the South Africans were amused there could be any debate at all as to the approach to be taken around preparing for a Lions tour.
As my mate noted, Lions coach Warren Gatland had basically given us the pointer when he complained recently that if Australia took out its top players from the state games, it would impact on the Lions’ preparations for the series.
If that’s not reason enough to do it, my South African friend reasoned, then recent experiences in first up Tests off limited preparation certainly was!
Of course I thanked him for reminding me of the losses to Samoa and Scotland in 2011 and 2012, although I certainly saw his point, which crystalised my own thoughts with regards to the right way to go.
The preparations for both of those Tests were rubbish.
In 2011, half of the Reds guys were on the social bend for most of that week – understandably so after winning the Super Rugby title the weekend before – and so were in no way ready to play a Test.
Robbie Deans rested a fair few of them, but those who did play bombed.
Even consummate professional Willy Genia acknowledged later he wasn’t mentally ready to play, while the rest of the team struggled after what had been a very limited preparation on a few days of training.
Scotland was even worse: one full training run together against a team coming off a Six Nations campaign, hardened by a full season of European rugby, and in tailor made weather conditions (although we could hardly blame preparation for the weather!)
Given that history, is it any wonder that Robbie and the ARU have put a lot of thought into what preparation time is needed before the first Lions Test?
Both, I would suggest, have taken heed of what worked for South Africa in 2009, New Zealand four years earlier and also Australia in 2001 (when current ARU board members John Eales and George Gregan were in the Wallabies and didn’t play the Lions for their respective states).
Ewen McKenzie, who headed up the criticism in the Morton article, opens himself up to the charge of being hypocritical by wading into all of this.
He was part of the Wallabies coaching team, as Rod Macqueen’s coaching coordinator, when many of the top Test players sat out the state games during the Lions tour of Australia in 2001.
Although that fact was conveniently omitted from Morton’s article.
South Africa, I was told, basically took on board what New Zealand had done, with senior figures in the team hierarchy getting together with the South African board to make a plan.
While there were some concerns from the provinces around the affect on crowd numbers, they went along with it, recognising the needs of the Springboks were of primary concern.
And that was rewarded with a 2-1 win in a tight series.
In New Zealand, there is never any doubt the All Blacks get what they want.
Just how much so surprised me when talking to some of the All Blacks after last year’s spring tour, but you certainly can’t knock the approach – look how it’s worked for them results-wise in the last decade.
This includes the 2005 Lions tour, which the All Blacks won 3-0 after taking their top players out of the provincial games.
And this is, in a nutshell, the crux of the question this issue raises for the game in this country. Shouldn’t it be about Australian rugby, that being the Wallabies, first?
If it has been decided that taking players out of the state games will provide the Wallabies with the best preparation for the Test series, surely it’s a no brainer?
Certainly the precedent of 2001, 2005 and 2009 suggests this is the right way to go, so one would be within their rights to question the motives of those who are challenging it.
The players love playing for their states, but to play for Australia is the ultimate, and always will be, especially when you only get one shot at playing the Lions if you are lucky.
To appreciate the significance of what is coming up for the Wallabies, you only have to look as far as Nathan Sharpe. He played Tests for the Wallabies for 11 years and has missed out!
Justin2
Guest
Spot on Ajax, it's stupid o take them out for 3 weeks, at least one proper hit out would have been brilliant.
Ajax
Guest
They should have had a hit out against the Maori (assuming they would have agreed of course) or Samoa 2 weeks out from the first test... Opening test against the Lions is not the ideal time to be playing your first game of the year... takes 2-3 games to get the combinations working... if we are not out of the blocks quickly, we might be 2 nil down by the time the boys start to click,
cm
Guest
I was going to read some of the comments, as usual, looking forward to the routinely informative insights from kpm, offsider and so many others. But a comments section that kicks off with a prolix argument between johnno and the rest of the world is just a waste of everyone's time.
Bakkies
Guest
We don't have any fat kids in the squad so we pick the lads who are good on the deck and in the tight in the pack. We only have 5 man scrums at this stage. The team has about 5 kids who can place kick but we don't play full field until they are u13. At their level being able to drop kick is more important (restarts) and encourage them not to kick so they learn how to work their way up the pitch. Before I joined the squad the kids were very forward oriented, didn't use up much space, the passing wasn't good and they ran lateral in to other players channels. Now they are all offloading, scrumhalfs are sniping the fringes, the backs create more space and have better length on their pass. Backline alignment is a problem as they used to stand very flat now they hit the line from a bit of depth. We addressed the skills in less then a season, playing a lot of games at training has helped. If they aren't well drilled by the time they hit under 16s they will carry bad habits to senior levels.
dave
Guest
I would say if the Australians don't put out there test players in the warm up games and they turn out into meaningless games then the Lions should turn around and say that they are playing 6 games in Argentina 3 warm ups and 3 tests and then come to Australia for 3 tests only. The Argies have already said they would put out their strongest sides in the hope of getting the Lions down there where we are going to have 6 meaningless games shorn of the best players and then 3 tests... weak warm ups are little use to anyone and rip off the fans. I
mania
Guest
yeah bakkies. my under 10's could play at least 3 positions. the position they wanted to play, the position their body type was suited to and then the position we needed them to play. i'm in agreeance with u in that i taught all my kids how to play in the forwards first, so that all of them knew what to do at the rucks and mauls. those kids without as much skill as your boys is common. i see alot of coaches coach their players for the good of the team and not for the good of the kid. when i have skill set drills i make all the kids partake, eg bombs defusing, kicking out of hand, kicking for goal, scrummaging, mauling. age grade is where all the basics should be taught but most coaches only care about winning. so the fat kid that wants to be carlos spencer doesnt get a look in at learning 1st5 skills. its harder to win doing it this way but so much more rewarding when you got the fat kid kicking the winning goal for the day. its a thankless task that no one really realises hw much u do for the kids but its really rewarding. like doing a wee in your dark pants. you get a warm feeling but hardly anyone notices
Bakkies
Guest
The environment isn't that difficult. Instead of competition matches we have match days against two other clubs (we call them blitzes) so they have two or three matches against different types of teams and playing styles. There are also festivals so they get to play a variety of teams rather then being pigeon holed in to a league competition against the same opponents. When they get to under 13s they play league matches and friendlies so there is a mix. They get competition and games against other clubs to give them different challenges. Most kids in my team can play up to three different positions so we have depth cover in case of injuries and players unable to turn up to a match. they don't really decide on who they want to play like. We are developing a core crop of players at 9 and 10 so they learn the ropes of the position. They still get matches on the wing and in the centres. There are obviously kids that you wouldn't put in to a front row but they have multi skills so they can do things that range from ruck clean outs to fixing a defender in attack. The backs who get sucked in to mauls know what to do. I have seen under 16s teams at my club who don't have the skill range that the mini players have. They were brought up mostly on a different pathway where they played competitive league matches from the age of 7 at least and training wasn't as broad. That's why there has been a changing of coaching directive to focus on offloading, multi skilling. I suspect it has come from people like Joe Schmidt and Rob Penney.
mania
Guest
see bakkies i disagree removing the competition from under 8's - 12. but the environment your in is way harder to coach than for me. when i coached the under 10's most kids knew who they wanted to play like and most knew what position they wanted to play, unfortunately they all predominantly wanted to be #7 (or #10 in carlos spencers day) my 5yr old loves football because his mates are with him at nursery grade. but they dont actually play proper games. about 50 kids turn up have drills then get split into teams and play each other then rotate. he almost always has some of his mates in his team. my son loves winning but more importantly he has learnt to cope with losing. last game he learnt that sometimes no matter how well he plays his team can still lose. every week he learns something new and teaches me even more.
Bakkies
Guest
''ok Bakkies. firstly i apologise for making you sound like your not serving your kids properly. anyone whose willing to coach, especially age grade should be given a medal and cherished as a national treasure. theres never enough coaches and the key to proper developement is getting it right in the age grades. i coached gridiron and rugby (as well as martial arts). rugby under 10′s thru to first XV, gridiron i coached juniors who were aged between 14 -17. i dont know the rugby environment in ireland but i imagine its a lot more diffilcult than in NZ. i’ll just let this to lie because your not going to convince me and this will just escalate and achieve nothing. keep up the good work.'' That's no problem. The IRFU have changed the pathways here since 2009 and England is looking at doing the same where they have stopped competition Rugby from under 8s to under 12s so they are focussing more on developing skills in a less intense environment. There is a code of conduct for parents and coaches (I haven't heard of any incidents at mini Rugby fixtures here involving parents and coaches going out of control). I do have some issues with the set up here that they need to be training more often as it's common for clubs not to schedule midweek sessions for u10, 11s and 12s. However we don't want Rugby ending up like Soccer where 5 year olds are sent abroad to clubs like Barcelona, I think recently there was a case of a 2 year old being earmarked as a potential star in the future. We are picking up a lot more coaches here in Ireland. It's common to have around 30 prospective coaches at each mini Rugby coaching course. There are a load of coaches who haven't played Rugby before. We have at least 3 coaches per age group at my club they have really put a focus on getting the right set up for the younger players and coaches. Some kids aren't as well drilled in comparison to players their age in Aus and NZ in terms of back play, I have had to fix that with my team. The forward play for their age group is exceptional especially with pilfering and counter rucking. It's up to individual coaches to see past the conservatism that exists in Irish Rugby towards tactics, having backgrounds in different, link play. Schools players are able to work on it more and they are driven heavily. The club game is closing the gap slightly particularly in rural GAA areas, there are good players out there and their numbers are good.
mania
Guest
the lines i run are better
Justin2
Guest
Your last few lines are your best mania...
mania
Guest
ok Bakkies. firstly i apologise for making you sound like your not serving your kids properly. anyone whose willing to coach, especially age grade should be given a medal and cherished as a national treasure. theres never enough coaches and the key to proper developement is getting it right in the age grades. i coached gridiron and rugby (as well as martial arts). rugby under 10's thru to first XV, gridiron i coached juniors who were aged between 14 -17. i dont know the rugby environment in ireland but i imagine its a lot more diffilcult than in NZ. i'll just let this to lie because your not going to convince me and this will just escalate and achieve nothing. keep up the good work.
Bakkies
Guest
''i’m sorry bakkies but your irresponsible and have a duty towards your charges to inspire them to be all they can be. if u dont tell them the path of where rugby can take them how are they going to know? and please stop referring this back to the AB’s all the time. AB’s arent to blame for the demise of aus rugby. this argument is about loyalty to the national side which in your case is the Wallaby’s. basically its your fault bakkies and coaches like you all over aus not doing their job properly for the demise of aus rugby. just because u couldnt make it to the higher echelons of rugby doesnt mean that the kids u coach cant. ok youve reached your potential but every single one of those kids havent. what a loser attitude saying that most of them wont make the national side so you just dont map out for them at all how to reach higher honours. enjoying the game is important. enjoyment guarantees longevity if the body hold outs. but at some stage the kids need to be made aware that rugby can give them some awesome opportunities to see the world and multiply all the social niceities you espouse a hundred fold on an international level. bakkies your short sighted and ripping your kids off.'' What utter nonsense and a completely ignorant viewpoint. First of all I coach in Ireland. Kids at the age of 10 don't even play competition Rugby for Cups, Leagues, so they aren't driven to a point of delusion while they are learning how to play the game of Rugby. Rugby has been working hard over the last ten years to get more kids playing Rugby and they are doing a great job, we aren't there to model test players at the age of 9/10. Rep squads don't kick until they are 13 or 14 and it's up to the provincial branch to pick them. I have 30 players in my squad only a handful may make regional/provincial squads when they get older so I have a responsibility to my club not just the IRFU provincial branch to ensure that they are enjoying their Rugby and continue playing when they are adults. The other alternatives are soccer, GAA or sitting at home. You have to be realistic. The kids know full well where Rugby can take them. They watch plenty of provincial and test Rugby to know what they can achieve. They aren't stupid and we don't talk down to them. You will lose the players talking to them like they are idiots. Kids know more about the game these days compared to when I was growing up. They have full access to the game on their computers, tv, backyard, Rugby club. We only train on Saturdays when there are no matches scheduled we don't have time to waste to talk about who they idolise. When they do talk to us about Rugby it's generally about their own game and how they will like to improve rather then about Paul O'Connell and Brian O'Driscoll.
mania
Guest
hey i'm not saying shove it down their throat like super rugby is. ask them which national player they like. and ask would they like to be a (insert antional team here) one day. if your coaching kids you should know how to talk to them with out being intimidating or over bearing. dont sound like the PC brigade that says every one wins and every one deserves a medal and we shouldnt make them too competitive because they'll cry and be disapoiinted when they lose. and this is how the demise of aus rugby got to where it is. the wallaby's cannot succeed if its grassroots isnt working. i have a 5 year old who plays football and he knows about competing , hard work, practising/training and team work. he knows about and loves watching the phoenix (wellington team who we've gone to see every home game) and who the allWhites are, but he'd prefer to be an allBlack.
Justin2
Guest
At 10 they should be enjoying the game as much as possible not being driven to make the national team. They are kids with a thousand other things going on in their little lives. National honours? That will take care of itself for the majority not by something they had drilled into them at 10 in my opinion. Sounds like cold war Russia or China to me...
Greg
Guest
Haha, Im from south Auckland, it's union first, daylight second, then league.
mania
Guest
justin2 - what in particular? your not phased by bakkies coaching technique? as a coach i'm appalled he doesnt try to instil a pride into his charges for the national team and inject a belief into them that they can make the national team. its all part of the fun playing and striving to be better
Justin2
Guest
You need help mania, goodness what a viewpoint.
mania
Guest
i'm sorry bakkies but your irresponsible and have a duty towards your charges to inspire them to be all they can be. if u dont tell them the path of where rugby can take them how are they going to know? and please stop referring this back to the AB's all the time. AB's arent to blame for the demise of aus rugby. this argument is about loyalty to the national side which in your case is the Wallaby's. basically its your fault bakkies and coaches like you all over aus not doing their job properly for the demise of aus rugby. just because u couldnt make it to the higher echelons of rugby doesnt mean that the kids u coach cant. ok youve reached your potential but every single one of those kids havent. what a loser attitude saying that most of them wont make the national side so you just dont map out for them at all how to reach higher honours. enjoying the game is important. enjoyment guarantees longevity if the body hold outs. but at some stage the kids need to be made aware that rugby can give them some awesome opportunities to see the world and multiply all the social niceities you espouse a hundred fold on an international level. bakkies your short sighted and ripping your kids off.
Justin2
Guest
That worked :)