About a month or so ago, I got an email from a friend in the United Kingdom. He told me that a friend of his who worked in the Irish Rugby Football Union had told him that …
1. Declan Kidney, the then coach of Ireland would be sacked.
2. That Les Kiss, the former Sydney rugby league winger and defence coach for Ireland, would take an Ireland Development side to the USA in June
3. And that the new coach of Ireland would be Ewen McKenzie.
Since then the following things have happened:
1. This week, Kidney was sacked.
2. Also the announcement was made that Kiss will take an Ireland Development side to the USA.
3. Ewen McKenzie has announced that he is stepping down from his coaching and development roles with the Queensland Reds franchise at the end of the Super Rugby season.
This last announcement is the crucial one for McKenzie and Australian rugby.
He has made no secret of the fact, and nor should he with his record, that he hopes to coach the Wallabies, sooner or later. But the timing of his resignation from the Reds franchise suggests to me that this aspiration is likely to be met later rather than sooner.
Ireland will need to have a coach, or a decision on a coach, before the start of the Wallabies and the other southern hemisphere teams’ November tours of Europe.
By announcing his resignation from the Reds when he did, well before the end of the Super Rugby season ends, McKenzie has put himself in line for an early call from the Irish rugby authorities.
The conventional wisdom in rugby circles is that Robbie Deans is finished as the Wallaby coach if his team loses its June series against the British and Irish Lions.
But Bill Pulver, the CEO of the ARU, has said that Deans will take the Wallabies to Europe in November, no matter what happens against the Lions.
This gives Deans, if say the Lions series is lost, a chance of redemption with The Rugby Championship series (which includes Bledisloe Cup Tests against the All Blacks) and the northern hemisphere tour.
If there are spectacular victories in these series, would this trump a possible loss to the Lions. Or, if the Wallabies defeat the Lions in the series will this, in turn, sort of guarantee Deans two more years up to 2015.
Put yourself in McKenzie’s boots now.
From all accounts, and even the UK Daily Telegraph says he is the favourite for the Irish job, he has a splendid and rewarding coaching job with Ireland virtually his for the taking.
Or he could give this chance up, which will not come again in all probability, and take his chances on the Wallabies wobbling through their next set of Tests and having his name endorsed as coach early next year.
McKenzie is a cautious, realistic thinker about the game and his career in it.
He turned down an earlier chance to coach the Wallabies because he felt he wasn’t ready and took up an offer from the Waratahs franchise.
It seems to me that this cautious, realistic approach is in play once again. He is ready for the job. But the job is not ready for him. The time-table is out of sync for him right now.
If he takes the job of coaching Ireland, he will take this side to the 2015 Rugby World Cup tournament in England. Ireland have some good young backs coming through and the side might be effective in this tournament.
Deans will certainly not coach the Wallabies in 2016. This could be McKenzie’s best chance. Of course, Jake White has said that he intends to make a play for the Wallaby job then, as well.
There is a lot of rugby to be played and coached up to 2016.
The Ireland job now, it seems to me, is McKenzie’s best chance of moving on, in time, to the Wallaby job.
Dublin Dave
Guest
Leinster coach Joe Schmidt has just been appointed to the vacant Irish head coach job to replace Declan Kidney. It is the most uncontroversial and predicable appointment in Irish rugby in years. Who's Ewen McKenzie? Schmidt has done an excellent job in Leinster, taking over from the Australian Michael Cheika, who guided the team to the first of its three Heineken Cup titles, and adding back to back titles in the previous two seasons. Last weekend they overwhelmed Biarritz in a feast of running rugby to reach the final of the secondary Amlin Trophy for which Leinster will be firm favourites, taking on Stade Francais in their home ground the RDS in Dublin. Schmidt has been blessed, it must be said, with a particulary talented roster of players which will be in need of major overhaul next season. Fly half Johnny Sexton is off to France, captain Leo Cullen has announced his retirment and utility back Isa Nacewa, who must surely vie with Felipe Contepomi for the title of Leinster's greatest ever southern hemisphere signing, is returning home to New Zealand. The end to the careers of such stalwarts as Gordon D'Arcy and Brian O'Driscoll, although not yet formally announced, must surely be imminent too. There are some talented young players emerging to fill some of those mighty pairs of shoes. Ian Madigan, who to the more elderly among us bears a startling resemblance to Trampas from The Virginian, is blossoming into a fine out half in Sexton's absence. The Irish under 20's star Luke McGrath could yet turn out to be that hitherto unknown specimen in the rugby kingdom: a top class Irish srcum half. And the schools competition continues to throw up promising three quarters but you don't find replacements for the likes of O'Driscoll at the drop of a hat. The Irish team too is going to need some rebuilding as the last of the great noughties generation shuffle towards retirement. It's a big ask for Schmidt but he has the pedigree and we will wish him well. Hope we get New Zealand in the next World Cup :)
carnivean
Roar Rookie
For everyone suggesting that Deans be dumped at the end of the Lions tour (presumably if he loses it...), that doesn't leave a particularly large gap until the Rugby Championship, and then no a large gap to the EOYT. Why would you dump a new coach into that scenario? Why not let them start next year, so that they can get their due diligence done? They'll want to understand the structure, communicate with the players, select a team, etc, etc. Any (either) of the prospective coaches would likely be engaged in Super Rugby through the finals. That leaves 2 weeks (I think) until their first test match. That's a hiding to nothing.
Worlds Biggest
Guest
I normally agree with Spiro on many matters however Dingo Deans is not one of them. Spiro and Lordy are strong supporters of Deans still after 5 years. Why I have no idea.
Worlds Biggest
Guest
I normally agree with Spiro on many matters however Dingo Deans is not one of them. Spiro and Lordy are strong supporters of Deans still after 5 years. I don't get it myself.
formeropenside
Guest
Morahan. Harris, Shipperley, AF, Cooper, Simmons. Gill not starting. Slipper.
formeropenside
Guest
Yeah, but the NSWRU had none whatsoever for choosing him.
Rebel
Guest
Names?
Dexter William
Roar Guru
Spiro post sounds like he wants EM out of the way for Robbie Deans to continue till the next RWC!!! How long will you continue to carry RD with the privilege of being a journalist??? Everybody knows that RD is sheet.
Derm
Roar Guru
In Ireland, McKenzie is front runner for the gig at 7 to 4 on. Ruddock is next up at threes, followed by Schmidt at 5/1. White is 5th in the running at 16/1 behind Less Kiss at 12.
KW
Guest
Oh Spiro...the love affair of Deans continues!
Stin
Guest
Schmidt sounds more likely.
Worlds Biggest
Guest
Jiggles, just read your earlier post re the late Greg Smith. Very tasteless comment.
Snobby Deans
Guest
Corrections - ScrumJunkie, not ScumJunkie, and of course next RWC is 2015
Snobby Deans
Guest
You're kinda on the mark there, ScumJunkie. It's more that with a decade's worth of trophy's such as the Bledisloe Cup (you should Google it, to see what it looks like), they're onto a good thing and keep going. Roll on 2016 - will have only been 16 years since the Wallabies last win (at a RWC that is, though it almost feels the same for pretty much any silverware). I will give you your dues, however; you are right about Macqueen. I don't think a team necessarily needs a 4 year cycle with a coach; some might argue that players get stale around a coach for that long.
Malo
Guest
just go reds are shite and white has job
nickoldschool
Roar Guru
same here. L'Equipe just wrote that Cotter had declined (or said he wasnt interested in) the Irish job in a possible duo with Schmidt. And they also confirm McKenzie is the front runner. dunno what to think/what to believe. I read last week that despite also having one year left at Clermont Cotter might be keen on a bigger coaching job, i.e a national team.
Sam
Guest
the ARU should have signed Ewen after the World cup good work guys
Ben.S
Roar Guru
That's probably because most people in the UK don't pay much attention to Super Rugby (including Barnes and his awful media pals). Schmidt has one year to run on his contract with Leinster, and has a working knowledge of Irish rugby, so IMO that would put him up there, but at the bookies McKenzie is 1/2 favourite.
Red Kev
Guest
Very interesting to hear Stuart Barnes live on The Rugby Club saying that over there McKenzie's name wasn't being seriously discussed, that it was Schmidt all the way. Maybe if he turns it down Ewen might get in there.
Worlds Biggest
Guest
What is it with the media driving McKenzie out of the Wallaby job ? The guy has the runs on the board and should be a leading candidate for the Wallaby job. He has played his hand early and may well land the Irish job. If so it's a big loss to Australian rugby. As for Pulver stating Deans will take the team on the Spring Tour is utterly ridiculous. That is straight out of the JON box of tricks. If he doesn't win the Lions series he should be out of a job full stop. It seems he only needs to win 50% of his games and the job is his for as long as he wants.