Ewen McKenzie has had a very successful coaching career. The Queensland Reds won their sole Super Rugby title with him at the helm and before Michael Cheika and the Waratahs won their first title this year.
He also brought NSW to their only Super Rugby final appearance, and he’s the longest serving Waratahs coach.
But despite his impressive resumé at provincial level, his impact on team performances is questionable.
It might seem harsh to some people, but McKenzie is the rugby equivalent of Ricky Stuart.
Stuart also had a successful coaching career in the NRL, taking his teams to three grand finals and winning a premiership in the process. But he has been labelled as a ‘myth’ of a coach, as many believe his 2002, 2003 and 2004 Roosters teams would’ve gone that far in the NRL regardless of who was holding the clipboard.
Do you see where I’m heading with this?
Yes, McKenzie has won a Super Rugby title. Yes, he’s made it to the big dance three times. But I’m fairly confident those teams would’ve made it to the final regardless of who was in charge.
Robbie Deans, who I still regard as one of the best coaches in rugby, was sacked after a disappointing Lions series and losing the support of his players. The Wallabies spot was open and there were two logical choices – Jake White or McKenzie.
It was a one-horse race. And it wasn’t decided on who was a better coach, and better for the Wallabies, it was decided on nationality. McKenzie’s Aussie, and after the failed experiment of having a Kiwi in charge of the Wallabies, the job was going back to an Australian.
I understand why the ARU did it, but they missed a great opportunity with White. His two seasons at the Brumbies were far more impressive than McKenzie’s years at the Tahs and the Reds. He brought a struggling football club to the brink of glory in just two years, developing future Wallabies in the process.
McKenzie inherited two underachieving teams and made them click. An excellent effort, but less impressive than developing raw players into Wallabies.
The Brumbies finished in 13th place in 2011, followed by players like Rocky Elsom, Adam Ashley-Cooper and Matt Giteau departing the team. Despite this huge losses, the Brumbies finished in seventh in 2012, and then were beaten finalists in 2013. They were also the only provincial team to beat the Lions on their tour in 2013.
White had more of a claim to the Wallabies job, but missed out because he wasn’t Australian. Simple as that. And since Deans’ departure, the Wallabies have hit a new low under the reign of McKenzie.
They are yet to beat the All Blacks and have well and truly dropped below the Springboks. I doubt we will make it out of the pool stages of the World Cup next year.
Was McKenzie the best choice for the Wallabies? No. Was he the only choice? Yes.
graeme
Guest
England is already number 3.
fernando marzano
Guest
Totally agree icky47.
fernando marzano
Guest
Hi Bennelong and dear friends There is a question that is very difficult to solve in all sports, either in Rugby, at Soccer in Tennis, and more. "Trust" when a team or player has fallen into the low confidence, what he can do, is up to the coach to talk much, try to lift the self-esteem, motivate him or them. Honestly i don´t think New Zealand have better players than Australia have, your countrie have many players who provoke the envy of others. How many teams can have talent like Folau, Hooper, Beale, Genia, the strength of AAC, Kuridrani, Toomua, Simmons, and even as a great prop Sekope Kepu. The task of the coaches have to be a good game plan, and to work on the mental part, convincing players they have all the weapons to beat the AB's, that this is not just a wishful thinking, to me is something real, is not a an impossible mission. Maybe chances for what I said (loww confidence) are 70 to 30 in favor of the AB´s, but their chance is still there. The WB's made a ta tremendous game against the Boks, 70 minutes of great intensity, and where just lacked scoring more points for not having to suffer at the end. I am positively sure that the WB's are able to resurrect themselves before next weekend. You people should be encouraging your national team, starting from the National Anthem, to make them feel their closeness, that you trust in them, in their strength. And even though, if they lost, continue supporting them, remember that "whenever it rained stopped" and this streak of the black men will end one day, and it will be a past history. In Argentina we waited three years without being able to win a game, but we the fans, were still hoping, we knew that the team was on the right track. Good luck and blessings. I'll be supporting WB's.o
single malt
Guest
Spot on Bennelong. Objective and balanced.
Bakkies
Guest
The Brumbies never lost 92-3
Rugby Tragic
Guest
Thats the key..... winning!
Rugby Tragic
Guest
"Deans was no mug but I recall his Crusaders team had about 14 starting ABs in the line up"... Just a point Canterbury was a nursery for developing All Blacks (to some extent, still is). Not all had there beginnings there but were poached in by coaches and performance managers..
Rugby Tragic
Guest
Simple .... I love to be entertained by watching 'running rugby' ... I love it better watching 'my team' prevail ...
mpm
Guest
A draw is not an achievement.
icky47
Guest
Crowd numbers improve with winning Rugby!
icky47
Guest
Absolutely Fernando! It's about supporting your team through thick and thin/win or lose, help them build. It helps too if you don't win the game before kick off, and over puff your players. The real "Australian Way", is "The Blame Game" to find a "Scapegoat" and sacrifice it to the "Rugby Gods"
icky47
Guest
How come all the brilliantly gifted Australian Rugby Union players are all "Trouble and Troubled", and it seems to become necessary to tear these young men from the "Team" and throw them onto a smouldering garbage heap to repent their sins, before they are able to crawl back humbled to the fold. Perhaps there is a Toxic culture, that over puffs these young men, and when they react to this they have to be "brought to heal" or "be put down" These are very sensitive young men, and the evil ingredient is usually "Booze". Perhaps the coach needs to knit a closer team of brothers, each ready to sacrifice his ego for "the Team". McKenzie is too influenced by the very loud and critical voice of those ARU Old Boys, who all know exactly how the modern game should be played. " The players, just need to throw the ball around, run through the opposition, and score many tries!" ........ It's apparently called "The Australian Way" .....apparently it was the way they used to play it.
RobC
Roar Guru
cheers Pirates
Alex L
Roar Rookie
Jake White is just not an option for the Wallabies, as good as he is (and he is good) he really coaches one way of playing that the Wallabies just don't have the players to pull off. If you look at the Bok forwards in 2007 it's hard to imagine a better set of forwards for a power and set piece heavy game, the pack weight of that Bok team was gigantic and the lineout with Botha and Matfield in their primes could win on the opposition throw an alarming percentage of the time. The Wallabies, especially with the local selection policy, simply don't have the personnel. A lot of the criticism of McKenzie fails to account for the fact that the Wallaby scrum is awful right now, and it's because the Wallabies are having to pick C tier hookers due to injuries with Moore, TPN, and Charles are all out injured. The only real mistake I think he's made (besides the Beale at 10 debacle which was corrected and worth a try) is putting the captains armband on Hooper who is not only clearly not ready for it, but arguably not the best 7 for the Wallabies (with Hodgson a stronger presence at the breakdown) but that has been equal parts forced by injury to Moore and loss of personnel due to the local selection policy meaning Mowen is unavailable (this policy also sees a number of the better Locks and Loose Forwards unavailable -- Mowen, Smith, Timani, Salvi, and Douglas are all eliminated and all of those 5 could find a place in the Wallaby side, some on the bench, others starting).
Kane
Roar Guru
Two titles have been won by a team with Wayne Smith in the coaching staff and the other with the Wallabies
ChanWee
Guest
Kane : the same former champions have not won since Deans left , so does it makes sense to say he had a hand in their championship qualityt?
ChanWee
Guest
LOL, Reds were lucky to face a travel weary NZ team who literally lived off a suitcase. That year the Crusaders played for those stricken by the earthquake ; as Brad Thorn said their tiredness is nothing compared to those who lost it all ....
PiratesRugby
Guest
What the heck is Zavos on about? If a player supports the coach, he is doing out of self interest and the team is divided. If the players support another player then that too is somehow "me first" and the team is divided. If the coach takes a member of staff to the airport, then the whole house of cards is supposedly coming down. It couldn't be that the players are just not keeping up their end of the bargain by playing well on the pitch? Could Horwill be right about that? Could the Tah's captain just possibly not be up to the job of WB captain? Could the injury toll and lack of depth in Australia's 4th football code be matters beyond the coach's control (given he's only been in the job 15 months)? Whatever question Spiro asks, the answer is always: sack Ewen. Well, let's say they don't sack Ewen, what's your next suggestion? After all, we all want the Wallabies to succeed. Don't we?
PiratesRugby
Guest
RobC, well thought out.
Martin Deligasi
Guest
yeah both coaches had success recently at super rugby level but the reason they should have chosen white is because he is a proven coach at the international level with the Boks winning the world cup and being reborn after ralph straulie had destroyed their team with his petulant and abysmal coaching in 2000-2005.