What does one make of Greg Growden’s story that Ewen McKenzie has been blacklisted within the ARU for the Wallabies coaching job because as a former prop he knows nothing about running a backline?
First of all a confession, I worked with Greg at the Sydney Morning Herald as a rugby columnist when he was the paper’s long time Chief Rugby Reporter.
His bits-and-pieces column, Ruck’n Maul, was in my opinion the best column of its type on any sport in the Australian media.
He is extremely well-informed, assiduous, fearless and has contacts throughout the rugby world.
But … I find two things wrong with the story. I can’t think of anyone in the current ARU administration who is hostile to McKenzie as a coach.
And the notion that a former prop can’t coach backs is as fanciful (and inaccurate in the case of McKenzie) as the fallacious proposition that a former back can’t coach forwards effectively.
I would give more credence to the story if the blacklisting was related to the former administration led by John O’Neill.
It was no secret, although it was never publicly promoted, that everything being equal that David Nucifora was in line to take over from Robbie Deans, whenever the current coach finished up.
McKenzie was seen as a possible after Nucifora, if at all.
Nucifora has a Super Rugby premiership on his curriculum. He was seen, as well, as a determined opponent of over-weening player power emanating from the Brumbies franchise.
It was this player power that got him effectively sacked in the year the Brumbies won a Super Rugby title.
Nucifora was the high performance manager during an era when the Wallabies were number two team in the world for a long time. He also helped out in an advisory capacity with Deans from time to time and was a constant source of advice and information for the Wallaby coaching staff.
The black mark against Nucifora was the poor results achieved by the Australian Under-20 sides he coached at the IRB World Championship.
Nucifora has left the ARU or to be honest, has been booted out. He is no longer a possibility for the Wallaby coaching job.
The new regime, too, led by CEO Bill Pulver has made it clear that, for better or worse (which is a possibility no doubt), all vestiges of the O’Neill legacy and policies are to be wiped away.
The power brokers on the board of the ARU now are John Eales and George Gregan, both of whom could be described as McKenzie supporters.
I can’t see these former Wallaby captains black-balling McKenzie from the Wallaby coaching job.
Another wrinkle in the Growden story is that Pulver has made a point of insisting that he wants Australian teams, especially the Wallabies, to play entertaining, effective and successful rugby.
Of all the Australian Super Rugby teams, the Queensland Reds are the team that have fulfilled that mantra.
This brings us to the nonsense that a former prop can’t coach backs. I offer the name Warren Gatland in opposition to this nonsense.
Gatland’s tenure with Wales has seen a great improvement in the back play of the side. It has fallen away while he has been on a sort of sabbatical preparing for the British and Irish Lions side tour of Australia in June.
Let’s take a reverse proposition to really expose the nonsense. Backs can’t coach forward packs. Off hand I can think of any number of backs who are gurus with forwards: Sir Fred Allen, Sir Clive Woodward, Sir Graham Henry, Laurie Mains, Robbie Deans and so on.
This gets us back to McKenzie. The Reds have been a revitalised, energetic, successful and ball-in-hand team since McKenzie took over in 2010. He has restored some mongrel to the pack, too, as the Waratahs found out last weekend.
To my mind, the main criticisms of McKenzie relate to the way his teams tend to go into their shell in crucial finals matches. This applied especially when he coached the Waratahs.
Come finals time, his brilliant backs would kick away the ball and refuse to confront their opponents with a running game until it was too late and the match was lost.
There is also the fact that he gets too close to his senior players and is inclined to let them get away with behaviour that really should not be accepted.
As a coach, though, he is generally on the side of the angels with the running game and effective rugby. We can see this in his selection of the rookie Aidan Toua, a brilliant runner, as fullback on Friday night against the Hurricanes.
McKenzie has signalled with this selection that he needs more firepower in the backs to match the undoubted brilliance of the Hurricanes backline.
The selection of Toua means that Mike Harris is dropped to the subs bench. It was the accuracy of Harris’ boot that ensured the win over the Waratahs last weekend. Harris, though, aside from his valuable points-accumulation with kicking penalties and conversions, contributed very little to the Reds attack.
McKenzie has kept the successful and attacking centre pairing of Ben Tapuai and Chris Feauai-Sautia.
In my view, right now McKenzie is next cab off the rank as the Wallaby coach. The only other Australian possibility, Michael Cheika, has yet to prove himself in Super Rugby.
I don’t think that the ARU will appoint another non-Australian coach for a while, which kills off Jake White’s chances.
This brings me to one final point. Australian rugby is not good at utilising the talents of its best coaches. Look at the way New Zealand rugby tends to treasure and use former coaches.
The Chiefs success last season is in large part due to the mentoring of coach Dave Rennie by Wayne Smith. Sir John Kirwan has Graham Henry as a mentor as he tries to revive the Blues fortunes.
The Australian franchises and the Wallabies seem to be reluctant to do this. I know that Bob Dwyer, had an unsuccessful stint as the Waratahs coach but this was the wrong job for him at the time.
He should have been (and should still be if he is available) in a mentoring role.
The talents of other great players, the Ella brothers and David Campese, have not really been put to best use the coaching and selecting of the Wallabies.
The All Blacks always have an All Black (generally a great All Black, too) somewhere in their coaching and selecting set-up. One of the three current selectors, for instance, is Grant Fox, one of the smartest five-eighths to have played rugby.
But no smarter on a rugby field than, say, Mark Ella, who never seems to be considered for selection/coaching duties for the national side.
And what about Rod Macqueen? He is the most successful coach the Wallabies have ever had. I find it remarkable that he isn’t a national selector.
soapit
Guest
cant we end this deans bashing? agree with your point though. still boggles my mind they reappointed him before the wc.
soapit
Guest
if he finishes no lower than second in any comp (lions, bledisloe, RC) and sneaks at least one win against nz and the lions then that's my par bar. you can swap a win between nz or lions as well (so no wins v lions but win 2 games against nz) as well. if he falls below this bar but the team plays well and keeps me smiling that'd be ok to. however only a par score should see him replaced anyway. its long enough for a single coach. few teams have held on to coaches for this long even when doing well.
soapit
Guest
have you finished the washing up yet kpm?
ajh
Guest
SJ, I like what you said regarding a coach proving themselves with achievements with Australian Rugby. I have to this point believed this to be always an Australian. However, JW has proved that he can successfully work with an Australian Team. Any foreign coach who has Wallaby coaching aspirations needs to have been successful coaching an Australian team first. The other thing is they have to appreciate the enterprising Wallaby style we used to have that seems to be lost under Dingo. The style has to embrace running rugby and wanting Australians to switch on. The Tahs look to be wanting to play a positive game this year along with the Reds. Given that Pulver has made a mandate that Australian Rugby has to be entertaining; it will be interesting whether Dingo's match tactics will change from the rubbish we have seen since RWC 2011.
Chivas
Guest
I think that is on the money and understandably human thing for the Mckenzie camp to do. Anybody who thinks politics isn't alive and well in the ARU are kidding themselves.
Big Merv's Jockstrap
Guest
I agree entirely, WNM. Bottom line - whichever coach takes the Wallbies to the next RWC must be in the job before the 2014 international season commences. The 2007 last-minute press-ganging of John Connolly shows the folly of appointing a coach with insufficient lead-in time to prepare a squad for a world cup. Whether it's Deans, McKenzie, Cheika, Hill, Meehan, Johnston, White, an overseas recruit or someone else about to emerge, they simply must be given time.
Big Merv's Jockstrap
Guest
"Not sure about Horan". Please, I implore you, go to YouTube and find him. It wasn't for fun that a few years ago he was officially named as our second-greatest ever Wallaby behind Eales. Just a few weeks ago, Brian O'Driscoll named Horan as the best he's seen. Oh, and when you find the videos, as an educational resource can you please share them with Pat McCabe?
Big Merv's Jockstrap
Guest
Perhaps the rush to "black-ball" Link is based on the fear that McKenzie may be about to have even more success and thus build an irresistable case for promotion. Yes, I'm being sarcastic. That theory is equally as ludicrous as KPM's "what if" scenarios that rely on either or both of NSW and ACT coming from nowhere to dominate the competition. All of this "what if NSW and ACT win the comp" garbage is based on what evidence exactly? Has nobody making these claims watched the early season NZ or RSA conference games? Our entire conference, Reds and Brumbies included, is seriously off the pace at this stage of the season.
Big Merv's Jockstrap
Guest
As has been said elsewhere, Macqueen is not involved because his recent stint with the Rebels showed just how far off the pace his thinking had become. And he's got enough going on in business to keep him busy. Ella is too busy sniping from the sidelines in his media column, offering little constructive advice. Sort of like his old backline mate, Campo, but without the unintended comedy. Farr Jones is a politician, busy with his career there and as Chairman of the NSWRU. I'd say he has enough challenges in that role. Poidevin is the bloke that a former test ref once told me used to worry him. Whenever Poido would praise him, he would wonder just how badly he had done. I'm told that the modern equivalents there, from the players' and refs' perspectives, are Martin and Kearns. What we really lack are the respected senior statesmen to mentor the Wallaby players and coaches - we were spoiled for along time having old Tempo and Brocks doing that sort of thing. Eales seems thenext most likely, although he's probably still not far enough removed from his playing career to take the role of the sage old oracle just yet. Rather than looking to get additional help for our senior coaches, I think we need to make them more accountable. Not just to their employers (boards), but how about having them explain themselves semi-regularly to a panel of former greats (coaches, players and refs -all three need to be there as the most influntial people re on-field action). Make them justify what they're doing, and explain it to people who actually understand and can offer constructive input. This arrangement could have prevented or at least avoided the worst detours of the Greg Smith and Eddie Jones experiences, especially the latter. Connolly's time as national coach was wasted time, as it too him the full 2 years to un-Eddie the team's play, and he never quite got it done. It was interesting to see Phil Mooney suffer a similar fate at the Reds, and Laurie Fisher at the Brumbies. All post-Eddie. Whoever the ext Wallaby coach is must be free to assemble his own suppot staff and not have them imposed on him. Michal Foley may not e a great head coach, but he is the best forwards coach we've had in recent times. He should have that job with the test team, if the coach can work with him. The Reds defence coach of a few years ago should be head-hunted back from Scotland on the same proviso. I'm not sure who should be our attack coach, but that would be an opportunity to periodically use some of these mentors - especially people like Bernie Larkham and Michael Lynagh.
soapit`
Guest
tim horan didnt have pace? when did this happen?
kingplaymaker
Roar Guru
Dexter I'll resist your invitation to get into an anti-Deans argument because the thread is about that. And you have deliberately misunderstood the point and attempted to drag the thread off topic, which is wrong.
kingplaymaker
Roar Guru
Handles I did NOT accuse Mckenzie of starting the story himself: that is a downright lie. I said that forces were behind it who wanted him to be coach, but not HIM. A shameful and despicable lie from you.
Dexter William
Roar Guru
"The reason the Mckenzie supporters are in such a rush is obvious. At the moment Mckenzie would be appointed over Jake White and Cheika. That may not be the case in three years if they start to win Super titles. So the best thing is to pressure the ARU to fire Deans so that Mckenzie can nip in before the other two build up challenging CVs, and while Mckenzie’s own record is ont weighed down by possible future non-success." KPM, by saying that: "That may not be the case in three years ..." Are you implying that Robbie Deans should be left on as coach for another three years? I thought that JON was mad extending Robbie Deans contract for 2 years before the RWC, but you are more than mad, YOU ARE INSANE wanting Robbie Deans for another 3 years. GOD FORBID!!!!!!!!!! I have no problems with you being a supporter of RD, but you are a blind supporter which is what is concerning. Please note that I am not a supporter of EM perse, and I was a supporter of RD, but after 5 years of mediocrity, let's give someone else a go.
Bakkies
Guest
Coker, McKenzie, Giffin, Robinson, Finegan, Langford, Noriega, Knox, Holbeck, Howard, Magro, Hardy all key players for Macqueen didn't play for the Kookaburras so you can't compare the former ACT provincial squad with the 1996/1997 Brumbies. I don't think Larkham did either.
Parra
Roar Rookie
Spiro, I like your list of former backs who are gurus with forwards: 'Sir Fred Allen, Sir Clive Woodward, Sir Graham Henry, Laurie Mains, Robbie Deans...' You couldn't help but give Deans a little plug by just tacking him on the end hoping noone would notice. Is he really a forwards guru?? Sounds like (if one were listing soccer greats): Pele, Maradona, Ronaldo, Beckham, and eerr... Kewell!
Parra
Guest
Just because they were great players they won't necessarily make great coaches. I don't mean to offend, but I've not heard Simon Poidevin say one intellegent thing.
ScrumJunkie
Guest
JW hasn't done enough for Aussie rugby to deserve the wallabies job, much as Robbie Deans hadn't when he took the job. Yet at the time we all kept out mouths shut because we thought he would be as successful with the wallabies as he was with the crusaders. I have to admit having a kiwi coach made me uneasy, yet I said nothing. Well I for one have learnt my lesson, and I won't be keeping my mouth shut, that wallaby job must be earn't by service to aussie rugby! Not SA rugby, or kiwi rugby, or Scottish rugby.
ScrumJunkie
Guest
Win or lose the Lions series, it is time for a change. Even a sucessful coach shouldn't coach the wallabies for a decade. Deans should take a leaf out of Rod Macqueen's book and retire gracefully after the lions series.
soapit`
Guest
its fairly low down on my lists of things i'd rather werent exposed on the internet. english is a living language. didnt realise there were people that still didnt know this.
hammertime
Guest
" coach in waiting" stories have been running forever and were tedious then. Shouts " run for your lives, the snails are coming...!" sun sets..."they,re still coming!"