With the Wallaby squad leaving on Friday for their last chance to trial themselves in European conditions before next year’s world cup, it is extremely important we get the most out of them and the tour.
We need to think about not making the same mistakes we have made across the past 12 months. So where did it all go wrong?
Dublin. Plain and simple. Well with a few extra complications of course.
It had always bothered me how that went down. Conflicting stories about whether the players actually had a definitive curfew. Whether they had indeed been told it was okay to have a couple the night before a day off.
These are questions that were never fully explained.
The strangest thing for me was how publicly the stick was wielded by Ewen McKenzie for what I felt was a trivial misdemeanour. It was almost as if he was using the media to flex his power over the players. It was not a good sign because respect is earned. It does not come from wielding a stick – especially through the media.
When later a photo was leaked of the players in question enjoying a game of pool at a quiet Dublin pub with smiles on their faces, all I saw was some well-dressed young men enjoying each others’ company. It looked suspiciously that something was being made of next to nothing. The players had a few drinks the night before a day off.
Say what you want but the players suspended were clearly angry about their treatment. Rightly so, I believe. It was at this point that McKenzie lost the dressing room.
Let’s not forget that weekend they played arguably the best game of McKenzie’s reign. It was not a performance related problem. It was an insecure coach striving for respect through the wrong channels.
McKenzie turned a mole-hill into a mountain through the media. Poetically this happened again almost 12 months later – but this time to his undoing.
Interestingly, it has been reported that the Dublin suspensions may directly be related to the squad confronting him in Italy on the growing role of Di Patston, something McKenzie was defensive about.
Did Mckenzie opportunistically throw half his squad to the lions only to have it come back to bite him a year later?
By and large McKenzie treated grown men like school-boys and that is always unwise. This is made far worse when the grown men are so driven that they can reach the pinnacle of their sport and profession.
If we compare this stance with what Michael Cheika has publicly said about the Waratahs and his approach, it is much more functional. It is much more in line with European expectations.
I am paraphrasing but I have heard Cheika say that he has not had to give curfews or instructions on alcohol intake to his players. There is just an understanding that if you misbehave you won’t get selected. When dealing with adults this is the only approach to have.
For this to work it is up to the rugby fans to take a European viewpoint on player behaviour. We should turn a blind-eye to muck-raking stories. A couple of years back there were a few stories on the Wallabies treating the European tour like a Contiki tour, largely because the players had a few days off to tour a non-UK city.
This was simply an exaggeration of the facts because there was no story to report. Players had been to museums and churches by day and yes they went out to enjoy themsleves at night. If there was outrage every time a Premier League soccer player went out there’d be more stories than newspapers had room to print them.
Players ought to have some time off and see the sights while in Europe. All work and no play etcetera. The calls by some Roarers last year that tours should be completely dry goes against the framework of reasonable expectations on players as human beings. They are rugby players – they are not politicians. They are role models – they are not monks.
Happy players are going to play better. Look at the influence the fun-loving Darren Lehmann has had on the Australian cricket team. All of a sudden a side that had internal strife has begun winning. They seem happy on and off the field.
Players need to be nurtured and coached. They are not school-boys to be disciplined. If they don’t put a shirt on at a managers request they should not be chastised. They should be politely asked once and if they respond negatively nothing should be said publicly there and then or in the media. It should be dealt with internally in due course. If that means missing a week they’ll soon learn.
If Michael Cheika had’ve been on that plane I don’t think the Beale – Patston saga would ever have happened. Beale may not have been selected but that is probably all we would have heard about it.
Cheika certainly wouldn’t have abandoned his team to drive somebody to the airport. I also think if Cheika asks for a shirt to be changed on the quiet, the shirt would simply get changed. No fuss. No drama. Respect.
Now we can all sit in our arm chairs and link a lack of respect for coaches to player power.
The fact remains that the players will always have some degree of power. So they should. They after all are the men tasked with making the tackles and making the metres on our behalf. We shouldn’t fear player power we should recognise it, embrace it and respect it.
The issue for us should be, does the coach deserve the respect of the players and is the player power in healthy proportion?
Cheika certainly has the respect of the Waratahs players because of the fair approach he takes to player management. He treats them like men not school-boys. A coach earns respect in this way.
On the flip-side it is in the players’ best interests to have a strong coach to bring the best out of the players around them. The only player power to be worried about is if they aim to seek a weak coach. I don’t think international rugby players want that. I don’t think the Wallabies want that.
That’s why I think there will be a lot of very happy players this coming tour and I expect surprisingly good results under the circumstances.
The silver lining from all this nonsense is that the right man is now going to coach the Wallabies.
He won’t make the same mistakes as McKenzie. The respect is clearly mutual.
AlsBoyce
Roar Guru
Yes, I did forget about the Genia box-kick, which he just cannot do properly at all .. too slow to get it away, too obvious, a sitting duck
William Tell
Guest
There is a difference between the larrkin and the lout. Between spealking your mind and shooting off your mouth. Between being a wowser and showing respect for yourself and others.
William Tell
Guest
You must have forgotten Genia's serial box kicks that were charged down. That kick at the death of the last test was the result of panic and lack of fitness. Genia's contribution, had he been on the field, would have been a cool head and voluble directions to the pack. His authority would probably have pulled us through. But as he won't be in a starting side for the duration, we will just have to hope that Phipps can last a whole game and learn how to manage the team in tight spots.
William Tell
Guest
The Beale case sure is linked to Cheika - witness his comments on his appointment: let the inquiry take its course. Here was a chance to set some standards - the proverbial line in the sand. Nothing. Beale will be back. It will be a mate's pack of selections for the Wallabies now.
William Tell
Guest
Behave more like entitled prima donas than grown men and cop it sweet.
William Tell
Guest
Border ran the Australian Cricket team as a bunch of tough professionals - with standards. Who can forget that memorable scene at a training session when Border pulled McDermott up with a real Clint Eastwood challenge - do that again and you'll be on the first plane home. And did the McQueen Wallabies need to be a "boorish, ugly pack" to pull off their record of successes. There is an almost desperate air about the justifications for Beale and the related switch to Cheika. It is just cr@p to say that coaches need to chuck tantrums as a their modus operandi to be successful. Occasional demonstrations of passion, sure - buit as an operating rule? Never.
William Tell
Guest
Let it slip??? He all but made a bloody announcement! It is clear who is running Australian rugby now - it is Cheika. And good luck with that joint coaching role contributing to Wallaby harmony. It's gaaaawn! My money is on Cheika seeing himself as the equivalent of Lehmann - riding to the rescue of the Wallabies. Ashley Coooper's appearance at the team photo wearing cricket playing costume said it all. Hope the Warratahs can make a good Wallabies team.
In Brief
Guest
I agree with a lot you have written. It interests me how much Austraila society and values have changed over the years. For most of our short history, being anti authoritarian and individualistic have been qualities that defined our nation. In The Naked Island Russell Braddon gives an anecote of soldiers who have returned to Brisbane after years of slave labour at the hands of the Japanese. An Australian General gets the men to march around the compound where they are recovering in Brisbane in full uniform. Half way along he looks back and realises the men have gone - they are back at the river having a swim. We have the ANZAC's famous disregard for Authority, Dad and Dave's ignorance of city etiquette, and of course Paul Hogan who worked as a 'spirit level for the Council'. Where are we today? Judging by the majority of comments on this site, we have replaced the larrikin with the previously much despised wowser. We are holier than though corporate men who believe there is no greater crime than to speak your mind or ignore a petty rule of regulation. Interesting.
Chan Wee
Guest
@ Red Kev : If the new coach makes the same mistakes the old coach did, then he has to be really stupid not to learn from the previous mistakes. if the new person keeps repeating the ols mistakes this hiring & firing process will never end. evryone will make mistakes ; it is about minimizing the mistakes and minimizing the impact of the mistakes that will keep one in the job.
OJP
Guest
one observation... I don't so much think its the 'fun loving' that Boof Lehmann has introduced that has got the Aussie Cricket back on track... its the return to the aggressive, intimidating, sledging approach that as so successful for Australia through the 70's, 90's and beyond. The team only really struggled when the 'spirit of cricket' was forced upon them and they tried to play nice. As soon as they went back to sledging and told Mitch to try and hurt people, results started flowing.
Chan Wee
Guest
the problem with these laws are that they are subject to interpretation. depending on the judiciary and loaction different interpretations are accorded. for example there was a case in USA where a doctor specializing in cosmetic surgery was sued by a woman who went to him for breast enlargement. she sued him for inappropriate contact and was successful. (the fault was the doctor's coz he did not have a nurse at examinations as required ). also there is a thinking that it is politically correct to be seen taking action even if the case is weak.
AlsBoyce
Roar Guru
Cheika has shown himself to be good at man-management at the Waratahs, as well as a coach with a strong desire to play the game the way he thinks is the way it should be played. So an attacking game it is, and as with the Tahs, the players do take a little while to get it quite right. Mid-season hiccoughs were overcome and the Tahs finished strongly to have the confidence to still attack at the death. Fortunately, the Wallabies under McKenzie have also taken the attacking route, but there are some lapses in confidence occurring with grubber kicks, the cross-field kick-pass (groan) and the fatal NIc White box kicks (Will Genia, please step forward). The Wallabies have work on ball retention and defensive alignment as well. Cheika takes over with the WBs actually in a pretty good place. The off-field dramas can be forgotten in Europe. The players can gain confidence and fine-tune their skills without the close scrutiny of recent times. McKenzie was man-management chaos, and in the end it killed him. Cheika is a good communicator with a strong value set and definite goals. Players are not in doubt as to what is required to move along and ahead with the team.
Chan Wee
Guest
LOL what did they drink for $ 3500 ? bottles of Dom Perignon champagne ? in that case wouldnt be so drunk :)
Bakkies
Guest
They weren't told to start clubbing at 11pm. Do you have any common sense mate ?
Hoy
Roar Guru
What if it had? Do we only punish them after a terrible game because they were on the turps that week? It is all perception, and it is a bad look no matter what actually happend during the night out. Same as the two tools being at HJs at 4am 4 days before the Lions test. How silly can they be? At the very least, look like you are doing all you can to get the win...
Hoy
Roar Guru
Is he a drawer? We had one of those this year as well...
messa
Guest
thanks for this comment. I too felt like a lone voice of reason during the Dublin scandal. it just seemed like it was all a publicity/political stunt aimed to favour the coach over the players. Now in hindsight it seems we were right.
Sandgroper
Guest
Red Kev, I hope you are right. I hope Cheika can take us to the next level. I heard him mention something in the press conference which was interesting. He mentioned the depth of talent coming through the states, and his role as a coach in bringing out their best. Music to the ears of us over in the West. My main concern in the current Wallaby structure is that we may have a bloke with the right amount of mongrel in the coaches box but not on the field. We have been out captained lately. Cheika's big job now is to find a couple of hard nut captains to do his bidding on the pitch. A couple because they get injured and it is always good to have more than one. When I look back to winning Wallaby teams we had smart coaching and a couple of on field leaders. Maybe rose tinted glasses, but some depth of on field leadership would be good. Go Wallabies!
mushi
Guest
Really? you need to look up on those shelves behind the bar
Rugby stu
Guest
I really agree, I think I was a lone voice amongst many when I came out with a similar view point on the Dublin incident but what your saying just sounds like common sense to me and good leadership. Knowing when to use the carrot and when to use the stick, when to let things go and when to drive the boot up the backside. The key word is respect one of those things hard to acquire but when you do is like gold. It is one of the few things that really drives a team culture, build comraderie, morale and motivation. I hope Cheika has this common sense approach let them be adults andhave fun but equally give them a spray when they mess up.