As the dust settles from the British and Irish Lions tour, the word on everyone’s lips is how the Wallabies move forward from a series loss.
The sacking of Robbie Deans and the appointment of Ewen McKenzie is only the first part of the restructuring process.
What went wrong for the Wallabies?
Well judging from the third Test, more or less everything.
Should have we selected Quade Cooper?
Easier said than done.
Had of Kurtley’s last two penalties from the first Test been successful, maybe we would have been on the other side of the ledger.
The series was always going to be decided on the team that was most accurate and clinical. The Lions were ferocious at the breakdown and more clinical in executing their game plan.
It begs the question: If the Wallabies knew what was coming at them, why weren’t they good enough to stop them?
A start would have been changing O’Connor at ten for the first Test, that’s all Robbie may have had to do, and could have potentially saved his career for the meantime.
From my brief and limited spell for The Roar I have argued that Robbie Deans was the man for the moment.
A coach who has done a lot of good for Australian rugby; this series was going to cement his legacy as either a successful coach or a failure.
I still maintain that Robbie has done a lot of good for Australian rugby, a lot of which is immeasurable and beyond the public eye in the re-structuring and recruiting of new and existing talent.
He has managed to get a the best of a lot of his players such as Genia, Horwill, Hooper, and Pat McCabe to name a few.
He got some great results in South Africa, France, England and Argentina; and the Wallabies played some great rugby under his tenure at different points in time.
His treatment of the likes of Quade and Giteau in their actions of petulance were warranted and fair.
His results against the All Blacks however aren’t so resounding (no other has managed to beat them recently for that matter), and it is very easy to draw some parallels in that he has made the same selection mistakes over again.
Every coach has their own methods of motivating their players; dangling the carrot in front of James O’Connor and gambling on his ability as a five-eighth to step up to the mark for a Lions series was an absolute failure.
O’Connor is the player who obviously requires a lot of positive reinforcement, and will require a lot more now that he isn’t a 10, not big enough for an inside centre and perhaps not one of the best wingers going around in Australian rugby given the competition for spots in the outside backs.
James O’Connor has some serious contemplating to do, and will have to ask himself some serious questions about his professionalism, attitude and aptitude.
The Western Force is the only Australian franchise likely to offer him a contract, and he would have to take a big pay cut as well.
Every dog has its day, and for ‘Dingo’ Deans, his undoing was that he had a bit too much faith in some of his key players and was therefore at times found wanting.
During his time the Wallabies were never able to master consistent performances, which is indicative of bad habits.
For everyone’s two cents, Robbie Deans was a good coach, just not the great coach we had all hoped for.
Ewen McKenzie will have a lot to offer, his experience speaks for itself and has a great record against the Kiwis.
He will certainly bring some fresh ideas that is much needed and for a long time has a good base of players to choose from. Israel Folau was a revelation and re-signing him is a top priority.
It is by no means the end of the world for Australian rugby.
For all the drama and as disheartened and disappointed as a lot of us are after this series, we can take some pride in what rugby and the spectacle a Lions tour has to offer, it was great seeing rugby in the limelight once again.
The 2015 Rugby World Cup is our obvious shot at redemption with England and Wales in our pool.
We have the Rugby Championship to look forward to, which will provide a good indicator where we really stand in world rugby.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.
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In 2007 he was inducted into the Australian Rugby Hall of Fame and in 2013 the IRB Hall of Fame, acknowledging his reputation as one of Australia’s greatest flyhalves.
