The Wallaby culture needs rebuilding and Ewen McKenzie has made the right call in standing down six players for the Test against Scotland.
There’s no denying that standards have slipped in recent years. Several players were given a pass and repeated infringements were not heavily penalised – see James O’Connor and Kurtley Beale.
This led to some fractures within the Wallaby set-up.
This will not be the case under McKenzie it seems.
He has come down hard but it is the correct decision. Standards need to be set, and if they’re broken, penalties need to come. No-one should be spared or given special treatment.
Five players – Nick Cummins, Adam Ashley-Cooper, Tatafu Polota-Nau, Benn Robinson and Liam Gill – will not appear against Scotland, while Paddy Ryan will miss the Wales game.
Five others – Dave Dennis, Kane Douglas, Saia Fainga’a, Bernard Foley and Nick Phipps – were handed written sanctions, while Scott Fardy, Mike Harris, Ben McCalman and Nic White received verbal sanctions.
This decision could cripple the Wallabies before their final two Tests at Murrayfield and Cardiff. The Australians seemed to be building some momentum after blitzing Italy and beating Ireland, but this could dissipate immediately.
But in taking the action he has, McKenzie has signalled that he won’t sacrifice standards and team discipline for results. He won’t go soft to make sure the Wallabies win. He is demonstrating clearly that the Wallaby jersey is an honour and those who wear it have to live up to certain high standards.
Are these standards too high?
That is the contentious issue. Rugby and drinking go hand in hand.
The game they play in heaven has long had a drinking culture and there is nothing unusual about a group of young Australian men having a few beers while overseas and experiencing the local nightlife.
No-one was arrested, no-one was assaulted, there was no incident or violence perpetuated, and they played well a few days later – so many will be asking, where’s the harm?
The thing is, professional rugby is not amateur rugby and this is the very top echelon of the sport.
Times have changed. We might not agree with them, but it’s a fact.
These players might have broken an internal rule, but it’s a rule nonetheless.
And if McKenzie hadn’t acted he would have shown to have been incredibly toothless.
In 2013 the Wallabies have been both sloppy on the field and off it.
Cleaning up the off-field stuff and improving the team’s standards will help improve on the park.
Follow John Davidson on Twitter @johnnyddavidson
Happy Helmet
Roar Rookie
KPM, I think you describe a possible scenario. We need to understand what the rules actually were. Apparently it was an unofficial or informal curfew. What does that mean? If it is an instruction from the coach or agreed upon team rules with sanctions attached, it is an official or formal curfew. So in what way was the curfew informal or not official? How can you get sanctioned by officials (EM - the coach and head official of the wallabies) since it is not their remit to deal with 'unofficial' matters? I sense confusion amongst the players about what was actually expected of them, as in the 'unofficial' or 'informal' curfew was a guideline, not a strict rule which would result in bans if breached. Either that, or McKenzie has been unable to earn the respect of a huge chunk of the playing group in that he gave them direct instructions about a curfew (how this makes it informal i have no idea) and the half of them deliberately defied him and stayed out past this strict 'informal' curfew. This doesn't make sense to me. Could it be they were told it was informal and then later they found out EM really meant it was a strict rule with the ban hammer attached? Puzzling.
Waikato07
Guest
The headline should read - McKenzie goes ahead with plan to run second string team against Scotland and uses this to come across a disciplinarian. Yes - I know, it's too long. But really - all receiving a one match ban the week of the Scottish test? It's a good opportunity to rest these players at the back end of a long season before a big challenge against Wales. Maybe just a cynic but it does beg the question, what information was garnered between Saturday morning and Sunday morning. without a cynical hat on this could be the best thing (along with the JO'C drop) for the Aussie team. I guess the real test will come if something like this happens just before a Bledisloe decider
Cannonballer
Guest
Like all good discipline the rules and punishment need to be set out in advance. When you do x, y will be the consequence. If this was the case, great. We knew where the line was and we stepped over it. I get the feeling that the consequences may have been made up on the run. That is not the way to build respect. I would love to see a contract to see how specific the wording is for these sorts of behaviours. The good news is that Link has drawn the line clearly and now it's up to him to follow through every time curfew is broken in the future. The consequences of not are disharmony and confusion. I also hope that management and staff are playing by the same rules, as leaders they should.
Mo
Guest
My issue is not with the punishment. Once rules are made in a team environment, infractions of these rules obviously need to have consequences, otherwise division amongst the group is likely. But it's definitely a bit nannyish to not allow players a bit more freedom on a night where the following day entails no physical commitments. How often do these young blokes get a chance to act the their age and enjoy the nighttime hustle and bustle of a foreign city? Team protocols may have been a bit harsh there. Punishment is fine, just change the rules.
Blinky Bill of Bellingen NSW
Guest
'If them's the Rules, then them's the Rules'. I say...well done Ewen McKenzie. Maybe it'll also make some of us fans respect the Wallaby jersey a bit more too. ;)
mikeylives
Guest
Yep. Well done Link. Lesson learned by the lads, chins up and back to the job.
Roscoe
Guest
Speculate all you want. As a friend of Link I believe he has done what he sees as right. He is the coach. Lose and he is at fault. Win and what credit does he get? fair dinkum, simply can't please everyone. Amateur days no more. You are on tour, well paid, everytjhing is laid on. They must have known there was a curfew or team rules in place. Take the punishment and get back on track. Even Quade knew better!
JamesinSyD
Guest
For all we know they may have had one light beer between the lot of them. Good on Link, but lets not crucify the players withoput some more facts.
Yousef Teclab
Roar Guru
It is a good decision by Link and shows that any infraction will be punished. Though what is interesting is whether Link would have done this if it happened prior to their World Cup group game against England or Wales?
kingplaymaker
Roar Guru
No no no....he has so little control that half the squad goes on a mid-week binge....then he implements a ban late to avoid it affecting the match with tough Ireland so that it only comes into affect for easier Scotland and ends in time for tough Wales..... He created the problem and is making it worse.
DougRedsfan1
Guest
I can't believe people calling Link harsh or harking back to some amateur era or Australian culture of drinking. Do you think the Springboks and All Blacks got to the top by boozing before games? No! Do you think McKenzie has really taken out 5 players as a publicity stunt for Scotland? No! Will drinking before big games help in the Wallabies preparation or ambition to go higher then mediocrity? No! If people can't accept that then they should be playing club rugby not Test Matches.
Harry Jones
Expert
Well, Link is certainly saying he is the boss. I think it's harsh, actually. How many nights ahead of the match were they drinking? Exactly how many beers did they have? Beer is food, you know. And with jet lag, it might help sleep. :)
messa
Guest
No! what has happened to australia..... players on tour are entitled to let their hair down once ina while... they are human beings WE PLAYED THE BEST ALL SEASON so it clearly wasn't a bad thing having a night out on a tuesday.... if so many were involved it sends the message they needed a good night out!!!!! Man management is important and we should eb asking what kindo of stressful environemnt are these players under that so many decided to let their hair down!