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Heads will roll: Which coach won't survive the 2015 Rugby World Cup?

Roar Guru
21st September, 2015
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Heyneke Meyer was a brilliant club coach, so what went wrong at Test level? (AP Photo/Scott Heppell)
Roar Guru
21st September, 2015
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1071 Reads

I intended writing this piece prior to the first game of the Cup, thinking that the first round would not produce any upsets that would change the nature of this conversation.

More Rugby World Cup:
» SPIRO: Pumas good, the All Blacks very good
» LORD: No surprises in Wallabies team
» Wallabies team announcement
» Rugby World Cup Winners and Losers
» Rugby World Cup fixtures
» Rugby World Cup results
» Rugby World Cup highlights
» Rugby World Cup news and opinion

To our South African bretheren, please don’t take this as sticking the boot in, because it is most definitely not meant to be.

My question for the day is which coaches of the top teams will likely be looking for new jobs after the Rugby World Cup – and what would it take for them to save their positions?

First up is Steve Hansen who, like every AB captain before him, must go into this Cup feeling less than secure in his position. Like almost every unsuccessful ABs coach before him, he will be gone if he doesn’t take the trophy home.

In the case of Heyneke Meyer, the only conceivable way I can imagine him holding his position is if the Boks take the Cup home. Anything else will see him gone before even hitting South African soil.

Despite the fact that I still believe the Boks will top their pool, I also wonder if it is possible for Meyer to be gone before the end of the tournament?

I can’t find any rules to prevent it and despite the fact that it would be a crushing blow to the team, the knee-jerk reaction of SA rugby might just demand it.

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If the Wallabies make the finals, then Michael Cheika will be safe simply because he hasn’t held the job long enough to be to blame for all of the Wallabies problems.

Quite frankly, I don’t expect his job to be at risk provided the Wallabies advance past the quarters.

The Irish will have huge expectations coming into this cup and yet even if they fail to live up to them, it is hard to know whether Hoe Schmidt will be gone or not.

Do you kick your coach to the kerb for not delivering on the high expectations that he is responsible for you having? I suspect not.

Schmidt will be safe with a semi spot and perhaps even a quarters spot.

The Poms will have huge expectations based on the fact that they are playing on home soil, given the fact that they grow an extra leg every time they run out onto Twickers.

For this reason, I think that Stuart Lancaster needs a finals appearance to secure his role. Although, if a suitable alternative cannot be found, he might still survive.

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Warren Gatland is probably the safest among the top coaches simply because the Welsh will have overachieved simply to make it out of the pool of death.

If they do, Gatland is safe. If they don’t, he probably still is because he has been a really good coach for them over the years.

Its pretty hard to judge what Argentina’s expectations are going into this Cup.

They are a better side for having been in the Rugby Championship and can reasonably expect to make it to the quarters without much trouble.

However, at that point they will most likely run into Ireland or France. The Argies could upset either of these sides, but whether their fans can reasonably expect it to be the case I’m not sure.

I suspect Daniel Hourcade will not feel safe unless the Pumas progress into the semis, which they may well do.

With the French, I cannot even begin to imagine what their expectations of their team are. Nor can I really imagine what my own expectations of the French team are because they are so unpredictable as many All Blacks side has discovered over the years.

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As for the Scots, with both Japan and Samoa in their pools and each looking dangerous, the Scots would do well to even reach the quarters.

At this point, they would run smack into the winner of the pool of death and be swallowed whole.

If the Scots make the quarters, Vern Cotter might be safe but otherwise I suspect he will be a gonner.

As for Japan, Eddie Jone’s position as coach is secure now regardless of how the Blossoms go. However, if they manage to make the quarters I suspect the Japanese will knight him, or whatever the Japanese equivalent is.

Samoa will be content to get into the quarters, especially with all the political rubbish going on in the background.

What do you think, Roarers? Who is safe and who already has their head on the chopping block?

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