You know an organisation is in trouble when jokes about it start making the rounds, like this gem from New Zealand that mocks the ructions that have rocked the Wallabies in recent weeks.
The Queensland police reported this on Sunday morning: ‘Many people are reporting a robbery at Suncorp Stadium last night. Sorry guys, we have no jurisdiction to investigate.’
Boom! Boom!
There is an old adage that is relevant for the Wallabies: ‘If you can’t beat them, then join them.’ And in an article in The Australian headlined ‘ARU must adopt All Black coaching model‘, Wayne Smith has argued just that.
Smith wants the Wallabies coaching staff to emulate the All Blacks set-up. He nominated Michael Cheika as head coach, with Michael Foley (forwards) and Stephen Larkham (backs) as his assistants.
There are obvious problems with this arrangement.
Would Foley and Larkham continue as the head coaches of their franchises, the Western Force and the Brumbies? Or would they come on-board after the 2015 Super Rugby tournament ends? Would this arrangement be in force only for the 2015 season? Or a continuing one?
In the end, Larkham announced on Tuesday that he wouldn’t be part of a Wallabies coaching set-up. Given his lack of experience as a coach, this is the right decision.
Smith makes two other suggestions for the coaching panel that deserve further consideration.
First, he wants an outside selector; an Australian equivalent of Grant Fox, the third selector for the All Blacks. Smith suggests Bob Dwyer or John Connolly as “the best judges of rugby players around”.
My feeling is that there is a better solution than this.
That solution embraces Smith’s suggestion that a “man of stature” be added to the Wallabies camp. He instances John Eales or Nick Farr-Jones as “golden greats” who could travel with the team as a “living embodiment of its standards”.
Sir Brian Lochore did this for the All Blacks. And Grant Fox is currently filling this role for the All Blacks, as well as being a third selector.
The current equivalent of Fox in Australian rugby would be Rod Macqueen. He was not a great player like Fox, but he is the most successful coach the Wallabies have had. Macqueen has the sharpest rugby brain in Australia and would make an excellent selector.
Macqueen should be co-opted as a selector and as a sort of father figure, in the Sir Brian Lochore mode, in the Wallabies camp. It is the role that Bob Templeton of blessed memory played in Bob Dwyer’s Wallabies that won the 1991 Rugby World Cup tournament.
There is more to the All Blacks success than just the team’s coaching and selecting structure. Here is the All Blacks management for their northern tour, in the order of its listing: Darren Shand (manager), Steve Hansen (head coach/selector), Ian Foster (assistant coach/selector), Grant Fox (selector), Gilbert Enoka (assistant manager), Mike Cron (forwards coach), Mick Byrne (skills coach), Brian ‘Aussie’ McLean (analyst), Alister Rogers (performance analyst), Dr Tony Page (doctor), Peter Gallagher (physiotherapist), George Duncan (manual therapist), Dr Nic Gill (strength and conditioning coach), Katrina Darry (nutrionist), Kevin ‘Chalky’ Carr (logistics manager), Joe Locke (media manager), Bianco Thiel (team services manager).
All Blacks support staff: Don Tricker (high-performance manager), Jason Healy (performance analysis manager), Mike Anthony (high-performance player development manager).
Managing this All Blacks camp of 54 people must be an extremely taxing and time-consuming job, so it is noteworthy that the first name in the management group is Darren Shand, the manager.
The New Zealand Rugby Union lists Shand as follows:
Darren Shand took on the role of the All Blacks Manager in 2004 after four years with the Crusaders during which the team made every Super 12 final and won the competition twice. He served as manager of the Canterbury Air New Zealand NPC side from 1999 and also managed New Zealand A during their tour of France, Wales and Romania in 2000. He previously served as Marketing Manager with tourism pioneers AJ Hackett Bungy.
I am not trying to be controversial (or unduly so!) with this next statement, but reading this CV you can’t help but wonder at the difference in experience with rugby teams that Shand had to go through before he entered the All Blacks camp with appointments made recently to the Wallabies camp.
Another point of difference is the very clear differentiation of the roles within the All Blacks camp. And the order of seniority. Moreover, there is an organisational clarity here that works.
This sort of clarity in the roles of the various members of the management and support staff has been obviously missing in recent times in the Wallabies camp.
Having a clear differentiation of roles means that head office and senior members of the All Blacks camp, especially the manager and coach, can get a line on how effective each individual in the management and support staff is in their role.
So in addition to the Wayne Smith notion of copying the coaching structure, the ARU needs to be far more thoughtful and effective in setting up the Wallabies management structure. There should be a clearly defined list of responsibilities and tasks within the management group for each member.
This goes back to quality of administration, something that has been lacking in the ARU in the last year or so.
There are two other matters that deserve noting. The New Zealand Rugby Union has allowed Steve Hansen to take an extra player on the tour, Luke Romano, “to bring him back into the group and up to speed with the All Black strategies and skillsets”.
The presumption in this, and the record proves that the presumption is correct, is that Romano will benefit greatly from being with the squad for the tour.
Compare this confidence in the All Blacks camp, improving players coming into it, with the worrying comment that Clyde Rathbone made recently that Brumbies players came back from Ewen McKenzie’s training camps bewildered by the fact that they got less out of them than in similar camps with the Brumbies.
This gets us back to an essential point. Yes, copy as far as possible the All Blacks set-up. But don’t think that this is the essential change to be made. The key element in the success of the All Blacks is more about culture than structure.
And the key to the strength of the All Blacks culture, on and off the field, lies in the mantra that the team comes first!
The task for Cheika, with whoever his support coaches and staff may be, is to create a similar culture based around the jersey/team for the Wallabies.
This means cutting out the cancer of the me-first mentality that has diminished the Wallabies, on and off the field, in recent years.
RobC
Roar Guru
No one is driving it, Ross imo There are various vested interests. Some shared, some not. I dont think NSW wanted to lose Chieka to the WBs. They just dont want to lose Beale. I certainly didnt either - until the nature of the problem was revealed, and the NSW media coverage. Many believe he's critical to the Tahs future success, which I disagree. But he's seems critical to their team spirit, which is apparent
Bernie
Guest
Another fine analytical article which tries to assist not just denounce Aust Rugby.
Stin
Guest
Small side subject, but Australia should do everything they can to get Mick Byrne into the Walls set up. Cheika tried to get Mick Byrne to Tahs but just missed out timing wise. He should try again with Walls. It bugs me that perhaps the best skills coach in the world who's an australian has never coached in Australia.
Kirko
Guest
I've stated similar selections myself niw.....Similar to Carlos, Cooper can be hit or miss, when he's on there's only 1 better 10 in the world (you could say the 3 top choices for the AB's but...) but he's not consistent enough to be considered a certainty, so you use a horses for courses approach. To take a cricket term and apply it, Foley is a quality Shield cricketer...and Connor - on your goal kicking comment, whilst I agree its been terrible for years for Australia, but Foley is not as good as CLL thus we need not rely on him for that. The shocks and awe from the locals (I live in the UK) on the tour last November when they realised Oz had a kicker was hysterical!! Back to horses for courses, so whilst you've got your 10's & 12's in a pool to choose from (& Connor I agree with you on the pool basis - particularly given the lack of distinct standouts in most positions) who you choose depends on who you play. England and NZ will target poor old Quade from the 1st second, so there's no point starting him against them. With Toomua & CLL at 10/12 they will have to rethink their points of attack (the AB's will manage this, England will struggle) then after 60 minutes of not being able to execute their game plan, you bring Quade on to wreak havoc. Some might argue Wales too, but they are that scared of Cooper the playmaker, you could throw him in at the start to get them worried about what there defence is going to have to do. Similar for Ireland & the others. Our number 1 challenge is the GEN Y aspect that most of us are probably too old to understand why they're such d1ckheads at times. Phipps is the form 9, so until Genia shows us what we all know he can do, he starts, but I think we're all clear now that Genia is on the bench rather than White. JOC is playing some great rugby & I believe learning some good life lessons....he is without doubt one of the great talents & hopefully he's learnt that there's more to life than being a twat. Let's hope he has because his talent is best placed in the Wallabies....& whilst you've got him at 15, I think he can cover 12 too as well, obviously as wing.
Air
Guest
I don't understand when people complain about how there weren't many Reds in the squad in 2011 and it was Waratah dominated. It really wasn't. In the All Blacks in the RWC 2011, the match-day team was: 1 Sekope Kepu (Waratahs) 2 Stephen Moore (Brumbies) 3 Ben Alexander (Brumbies) 4 Dan Vickerman (Waratahs) 5 James Horwill (c) (Reds) 6 Rocky Elsom (Brumbies) 7 David Pocock (Force) 8 Radike Samo (Reds) 9 Will Genia (Reds) 10 Quade Cooper (Reds) 11 Digby Ioane (Reds) 12 Pat McCabe (Brumbies) 13 Anthony Fainga'a (Reds) 14 James O'Connor (Force) 15 Adam Ashley-Cooper (Brumbies) 16 Tatafu Polota-Nau (Waratahs) 17 James Slipper (Reds) 18 Rob Simmons (Reds) 19 Ben McCalman (Force) 20 Luke Burgess (Waratahs) 21 Berrick Barnes (Waratahs) 22 Rob Horne (Waratahs) Force players - 3 Brumbies players - 5 Waratahs players - 6 Reds players - 8 The Reds got a fair crack at it and people did get behind them
s.t.rine
Guest
If Wallabies copy the All Black's mantra of NO box kicks, I shall be happy S T
Good Game
Guest
Well put. How about the forwards though. That's where the majority of the (on field) problems lie.
OJP
Guest
Hi Connor, regardless of Bobbie Dwyer's comments re Beale, I don't think he can consistently hold down a wing spot because he appears to lacks top end pace. Sure, he is 'fast' and very explosive off the mark, he has nifty feet and good vision, but a burner his is not. I also think that opposing teams would bomb the hell out of him and he isn't super under the high ball. As a player, Beale is best suited to being an inside back, unfortunately he just isn't a great tackler. Those are my thoughts anyway, based on the 'eye test' ... it would be interesting to see some actual stats on this stuff. NB - I'm deliberately ignoring the code of conduct / off field stuff.
Shane D
Roar Rookie
I think we have moved past the "she deserved it" ploy as a reasonable defence there Maxxlord. How exactly do you tie in her CV / appt to a 25 yr old man sending the texts that Beale allegedly sent?
Common Sense
Guest
Jose?
Chan Wee
Guest
@ Old Bugger : not sure how NZ rugger works, but from a cricket point of view the team manger's responsible for player discipline and logistics and media whereas the team coach is responsible for selections with the other tour selectors. this maybe one reason the OZ setup had issues , becoz of lack of clear guidelines. noramlly in cricket the manager is not involved in selections, whihc is the domain of coach captain and selector on tour. also the team manger is the principle disciplinarian and even the coach is under the manager for that aspect. thus coordination and cooperation is a must between the two to ensure a smooth operation. also there is clear distinction between core services and suppoert services. core srevice is the coaching and health aspect. support service is the managerail logistics and media aspect. but that is in cricket :)
Chan Wee
Guest
that is correct and to add to that , this is also a fact finding (spying) mission as well. the additional staff will assess analyse and report of all the thngs they comeaccross - the facilities, the hotels, the pitches , the transport, the fun activities, the opposition , the media, the food , etc etc. once they have first hand knowledge then plans will be made to compensate for any shortcomings or emergencies. modern sports is like a war, where preparation is the key to victory. having the biggest guns count for zilch, if u dont know the terrain (as USA found out in Pakistan and Afghanistan)>
Chan Wee
Guest
the simple reason of being a hand-picked team with very little preparation. the names are high profile but i guess only yhe Blues players have played together under SJK. always a hard task to get structures in one week , using players from differnt rugger cultures and styles. also they lack a genuine 8.
BBA
Guest
I would say that if the off field was being blamed then that most likely would have been the blame from people outside the organisation. The 2003 and 2007 teams failures in my opinion was not back room related and rather on field related. The AB's back office army takes away some of the excuses that off field matters are distracting players and that there is a lack of resources being committed to assisting players giving their maximum focus on the game. However this is not to say that the back office will help you win games on the field. May help you to be more consistent though.
alex
Roar Pro
hahahaha sorry BBA im a kiwi too yep lets hope they continue going the Australian way lol ;) its been working very well for us
Connor33
Guest
First up, I'm unsure whether you have 10 players despite saying so. Second, what I wrote is based on the past, present and future. The ten players in the backline may not have the purported talent of JOC and Cooper, but they have leadership potential and proven track record of no ego. That's what makes great teams. Dare I mention the kiwis. And please, VC for Cooper last year, an aberration. This same guy thought it was tough to push McCaw in the head while he was on the ground, back turned. And we all know what happened at the WC in 2011. You must be mentally tough. Cooper's not. The 2011 WC proves it. Third, JOC, do you really think Moore, Pocock and the Snr players are going to let this clown back into the team, and you have him at full back before Folau. Extraordinary. But you make a fair point with Beale. It's Cheika's call or door as you say. Not mine. But if Cheika wants him, he must play on the wing consistent with Bob Dwyer's recent articles because his front on tackling is not good enough. He's not in my team based on the factors I've laid out.
Old Bugger
Guest
Absolutely - Cruden's stand-down has Shand written all over it but everyone credits Shag & Co with the decisive action. Not the case perhaps....mind you, I'm sure there would've been some serious discussions between Shand, Shag & Co on Cruden's outcome.
DanFan
Guest
The All Blacks Are taking 20 support staff on this particular northern tour as a dress rehearsal for the World Cup. I don't think they normally have that many on board. The World Cup is something of a logistical nightmare so you have to be well-prepared. England are leaving no stone unturned and would be aghast that Cheika will be coaching another team in between now and the Cup. I hope the level of plan i g for the World Cup by the ARU is well underway - they are going to need it. Lost luggage, anyone?
BBA
Guest
Drat, guess he has to go, Hanson as well and the Board of the NZRU. Hell lets get rid of McCaw and everyone from Canterbury as well in the team as they no doubt have been manipulating the system for too long to get all their players into the team. A judicial review needs to be called for, how long can this ineptness continue for?
redbull
Guest
I would like to see the Organisation Chart on the NZ team. If the Team Manager is the head honcho and everyone called "Manager" is a direct report to the Team Manager as well as the Third Selector, Head Coach and Doctor then that is 10 direct reports. Not onerous but getting to the "too much information to properly synthesize".