Fresh off a heartbreaking series loss to the British and Irish Lions on Saturday night, Wallabies coach Robbie Deans has had his contract terminated with Australian Rugby Union, with premiership-winning Queensland Reds coach Ewen McKenzie to replace him.
The move comes as Deans’ side was thrashed at the hands of the Lions, after two tight tussles earlier in the series.
For many, the news could not come soon enough.
Deans had long been talked about as the man most likely to deliver Australian rugby back into the golden lands of World Cup success, but had failed to deliver any substance to those claims.
Australia had won just 58 percent of their 74 Tests since he had taken over, and with the Bledisloe Cup just around the corner (and the 11-year hoodoo that comes with it), Deans simply could not be in charge any longer. Simply put, he had to go.
Yet despite the resolve that Deans’ dismissal might appear to bring, the reality is that Australia’s future in international rugby is far from certain – especially if the man that takes over from Deans is McKenzie, as is expected.
McKenzie – despite his glowing resume and successes in Super Rugby – brings more questions than answers with him and those questions are likely to dominate the rugby landscape for several weeks and months to come.
Perhaps the biggest area of question to arise will be that of the tactics that McKenzie will employ, with a particular focus on the tactics of the back-line.
During his time at the Reds, McKenzie was known for his attacking rugby across the back with those tactics unearthing several future stars as a result.
Thus the question becomes as to whether we will see an international team play similar free-flowing rugby or whether McKenzie will adopt more traditional tactics.
Will we see a return of Quade Cooper, whom many fans were crying out for as James O’Connor sputtered his way around the field from against the Lions? Will Kurtley Beale be the first choice fullback once again? What else could we see from the man they call Link?
Under Deans, the Wallabies continued to get slammed by the media as unprofessional and lacking discipline from the top down. Which, given what we saw and heard, didn’t appear that far from an accurate assessment.
They didn’t turn up to team announcements and yet they did turn up to fast-food restaurants at four in the morning. They did (and didn’t) turn up to their court appearances for a myriad of different offenses and yet, for most of the part, there appeared to be no real punishment or consequences from those in charge.
Thus Deans — in his failure to act — was just as guilty as those whose actions brought negative media attention and spotlight on the team.
And it is in that arena that McKenzie could well face his biggest questioning.
How will he ensure the Wallabies remain focussed on the job at hand, and the potential success that lies ahead in the Bledisloe Cup and the Rugby Championship? How will he remain both a role model and a compatriot? How will he lead from in front and from alongside at the same time?
McKenzie’s biggest coaching strength is his understanding, and that will be no more true than with the Australian international team.
He understands the players and their thinking, and he understands how they respond to coaching.
For he — unlike Deans or those that have gone before him in recent years — remembers what it was like to be in their position.
Thus where McKenzie will draw the line and to what lengths he’ll go to in order to keep the squad he desires will be fascinating, and will no doubt bring with it plenty of questions.
Especially if, like Deans was faced with so many times, he is forced to choose between suspending a world-class player or choosing another reprimand.
These off-field questions (and answers) will be just as intriguing and perhaps even more important than any question that McKenzie will answer in terms of what happens on the field. Off-field disarray so often reveals itself in on-field production, and Australia cannot allow such disarray to reach as far as it has any longer.
Whether such disarray — both on and off the field — started with Deans or was there before him is a question that will likely never have an answer.
The only answers that are needed, for now, are those to the questions that are bound to arise over the coming days and weeks as McKenzie steps in to a job that his predecessor found so difficult to effectively fill.
They are the questions that we need to start asking and answering. For if you thought that the time of questioning head coaches, players, tactics and organisations died alongside Deans’ coaching contract, then think again.
The biggest questions are only just starting to be asked. How they are answered will be fascinating.
JoeyJohns
Guest
No Nova, we'll kick him in the guts when he loses 5 Bledisloe cups straight.
John
Guest
Good coaches ride on the backs of good players, where would have McKenzie have been without Cooper when Reds won super 15. Deans had great players at Crusaders when he won his titles.he came from a backround where rugby is indoctrinated in your blood from day one of life.their babies in gestation are holding footballs deciding what number they wiill wear when they get out there and thats why a population of 4 million people can produce a world conquering side. There is not enough emphasis on grass roots rugby in this country and thats a shame as seen in the other code we have some bloody good footballers, we only have to get to them before the other code does. Lets look to youth development and in 20 years we may see a whole bright new era I would like to see Mr Deans write his book called"Australian Rugby, My experience"
Gavin Melville
Roar Pro
Let's all wish Mr McKenzie all the luck in the world. There's a whole lot of assumption in here about players, fans and officials: "Nick Phipps, Pat McCabe, Rob Horne, Berrick, Ben McCalman and Wyclif Pal have all played their last game for the wallabies" Maybe some of them, but I doubt if none of this lot will ever play again. "Quade Cooper is in the team again." Not necessarily. Plenty other blokes out there without Quade's 'baggage'. No one quite as scary as him, though. "the majority of fans will cut McKenzie plenty of slack just as long as he is able to show that his team do have a game plan " You must be joking. A bad 4N and the knives will be out. Deans had a game plan. What's needed is top players, more commitment and better execution. Best of luck. What the fans want is wins. Not rugby, not skills but wins. Look at all the nonsense on here about winning %. "McKenzie will do well with our scrum, and having an ex-prop as coach is a great move." Maybe. But being an ex-prop doesn't mean he'll do well with the scrum at all. Chances are, as Head Coach he'll get a bloke in to look at it. "He will understand that the forwards are the engine room, which many Australian fans don’t seem to comprehend." After that 3rd Lions Test, if there's anyone left in Australia who doesn't understand that forwards win matches then they need to change their guide dog. You have to hope that if McKenzie or Deans or any other Australian coach ever-ever-ever doesn't understand that the forwards are the engine room, then the ARU might pick that up at the interview stage. "Deans has been an unmitigated failure at $ 1,000,000 " Would he have been a success at half that? At $100,000? Salary has nothing to do with it. "Senior players and influential ARU figures were particularly unhappy with how star backs James O’Connor and Kurtley Beale have continued to misbehave off the field." F. them. Have they nothing better to do? Again, how "unhappy" were they when the Wallabies levelled to 1-1. And then got unhappy enough again at 1-2 to fire Deans? I don't think so.
Riccus
Guest
As an AB supporter I find myself relieved that McKenzie was chosen over White. White's style would be more successful against the AB's than playing a wider game, or kick it back to them - see the WC semifinal. Mckenzie's only real success was in the Super 14 when the Crusaders were forced to play all their games away from home. I do believe that he will have initial success however. A new coach often has initial success when taking over a team; even Robbie's first game against the AB's was a big win, plus the fact that this year the AB's seem vulnerable; I am expecting them to struggle in the RC. So my vision is to see immediate success for McKenzie, followed by a gradual falling-off of results, to be roughly where the Aus team is now.
mania
Guest
bye bye deans. at a $millions a year and securing initially the beldisloe in 2003 and then helping the ABs to hold onto it for 10 years straight, then having the ARU break your contract and pay it out; your job is done. mackenzie is the perfect incentive for the ABs now. beating robbie was getting tiresome
ANON69
Guest
We all know it is EM, So who are in his team?. I think CB and JOC are done for this year's test. They may be in for spring tour.
dwayne
Guest
Kiwi super teams are not the All Blacks, That's a whole different thing.
Silver_Sovereign
Guest
Cooper as we have discovered was simply stating the truth about a toxic environment. Deans couldn't hack anyone knocking him and it cost him. Quade does not mess with Link
bennalong
Guest
Let's not dramatise If McKenzie is the man I think he is he won't change much. Deans has done all the hard work and taken all the flack. Being a national coach is not easy. Three weeks training and no prep game before a lions series to kick off the season is likely to generate ulcers. You're not in charge of fitness training early in the season and you can't get provincial coaches to help you (Jake ran Lealiifano at 12 when Deans wanted him at 10, Link kept QC at 15 in defence when Deans wanted him to step upin the 10 spot) You build the team over seasons and lose players to injury or France /Japan but try desperately for some continuity to build teamwork and combinations Deans has done the hard yards now Link can profit The team is battle hardened and despite the loss of the series only one game stood out as a bummer, and I will tell my grandchidren we were set up to lose it by the choice of a dodgy French referee. The Wallabies will bounce back but if I see that "woeful Wallabies" epithet as a byline again......@#$%^&*!!! The big change will be Quade running the backline as he does at the Reds but now we get to see if he hide out back in defence In fact, this will be Links big test Everyone is now saying the ARU didn't like Deans softness with two of the "amigos"but will they tolerate Links' man love for the "third amigo"? Wll Quade man up or will he be targeted by the AB's and crash?
KiwiDave
Roar Guru
Ironically most of the players with disciplinary problems came from sides McKenzie coached or currently coaches. Will be interesting what sort of environment he has and what measures, if any, he will have in place.
bennalong
Guest
A rookie bet McKenzie is a conservative at heart. What he did at the Reds and what he does at national level will be very different and two playmakers is not likely
niwdEyaJ
Roar Guru
I'm backing McKenzie to pick Quade and Toomua and use both in tandem or in different games depending on the conditions and opposition. That would maximise our flexibility in style and gameplan...
niwdEyaJ
Roar Guru
He clearly stated he was committed to the Brumbies until 2015 an was not even considering the national role at this point but would be interested after his stint with the Ponies.
AdamS
Roar Guru
I would have though a boss with any organizational or management skills would have had one of him many assistants whose job it is to help organize the team go around banging on doors and, well, organizing them. Even a kontiki tour does that.
David
Guest
Johnno enough mate I think you've posted about 7.5 times about why White should have been coach and now that he hasn't it seems that he is destined to adopt the same negative attitude as yourself and ditch coaching the Brumbies...thankfully he is not as big a sook as you. Reasons why you are wrong: 1. White vs Mckenzie is not as simple as 1 world cup vs 1 super rugby title, it goes beyond pure results as the verdict. 2. McKenzie has expanded the game dramatically in Qld: This is not obvious to anyone south of the border but before Link, Qld was dying, $3million in debt, average crowds of <10,000 and a team sitting on the bottom of the table, for several seasons. McKenzie is clever enough to realise that simply winning doesn't bring back the numbers: it is engaging in the community, getting rugby back on the agenda, doing the grassroots stuff, developing links with local business, all simple things that had seemingly gone missing for years..combined with a team playing good rugby, eventually winning rugby. THIS is what Australian rugby needs.. and for all of Dean's attributes as a coach he was fucken boring at a press conference and had about as much personality as a fish. 3. No Johnno it is not strictly about nationality..but it invariably is. As mentioned in other articles today despite best intentions there might just be cultural differences as to why coaches like Deans do not get the best out of Australian players with the comparative example of Mickey Arthur...yes a long bow and White has shown very good stuff at the ACT but a potential risk: yes. 4. Wimpy decision..no, just the correct decision. Here's a coach who has been at the helm of the 2 biggest rugby states in Australia achieving moderate success with NSW (with KB at 10) and obvious success with Qld..and he's from Melbourne: if anyone understands the state of the game in Australia it is McKenzie. In saying all of this I wouldn't have been unhappy with White, but certainly with a Qld bias and a love of QC I think Mckenzie is the correct choice. As for some other BS comment above by AdamS about the coach not being involved with discipline / being out until 4am etc clearly mate you are deficient in any knowledge of team sports...it is not PC to suggest someone to pull their fucken head in when you are being paid $700K in the biggest series of your rugby career after an ordinary performance missing 2 match winning kicks, recently out of rehab after hitting a team mate while drunk and injured and never being able to catch a fucken high kick despite it being a fundamental skill (I've chosen to pick on KB but this rant could easily apply to JOC as well)
Garth
Guest
Did he even want it?
maxxlord
Roar Rookie
Deans failed. Get over it.
Garth
Guest
Did White even apply? If not, I don't blame him.
Garth
Guest
I think the Aussie media IS expecting miracles, especially that lot from Queensland.
S and M
Guest
I heard a story some years ago (won't vouch for it's authenticity) when McKenzie took over the reins of the Reds and a couple of players turned up a few minutes late to a session. His response was to send them home telling them the session didn't start at 5 minutes past the hour but on the hour. Apparently lateness was never a problem after that. Perhaps that is what Heckyll and Jeckyll require.