There is no doubt Stephen Moore is the Wallabies’ best leader, but Australia needs an 80-minute captain.
Looking forward coach Michael Cheika must find an answer to this dilemma – and fast, especially given that there appears to be a lack of leaders when Moore is off.
More of the wash-up from Wallabies vs England
» Pulver not happy with AAMI Park surface
» Nine talking points
» Match report: England clinch the series
» DIY player ratings
» Roar Forum – what changes should the Wallabies make?
» WATCH: Highlights from the match
Though he has captained the Wallabies several times, Michael Hooper is not captaincy material.
Cheika needs to start grooming an 80-minute captain. David Pocock looks the goods when he is injury-free.
Rugby coaches and analysts all over the world repeatedly say tight matches are won in the last quarter of the game. It has become a cliche.
But too many times Moore has come off and sitting in the stands during that period when the match is still in the balance. Think the WRC final, again in the Test against England in Brisbane, and again in Melbourne.
In all those matches the Wallabies crumbled in the last quarter due to a lack of leadership.
In Saturday’s Test he came off with 24 minutes still left on the clock and Australia were trailing 13-7. The game was still 50-50 and could have gone either way.
But from that point, Australia looked leaderless. None of the senior players stood up to take responsibility into their own hands. Hooper tried – like the moment when Australia were awarded a penalty right in front of the posts.
He opted to turn down a certain 3-points to kick for touch and go for the rolling maul. That gamble (and I mean gamble in the true sense of the word) back-fired. For crying out loud – there were still eleven minutes on the clock. Had they taken the kick the score would have been 13-10 with plenty of time to score again.
If England had a three-point lead in the last ten minutes, they would have felt enormous pressure and Australia could have capitalised. With pressure comes wrong decisions, dropped balls and silly penalties at crucial moments.
England won the crucial moments during the closing period because they were still in a comfortable position.
A six-point buffer is far better than a three-point lead because at that point the Wallabies still needed a converted try to win. And given Foley’s form with the boot a seven-pointer wasn’t a given if the conversion was from the sideline.
All the pressure was on the hosts.
Had the Wallabies scored a try with that decision, Hooper would have been lauded as an inspirational leader. And this may have been playing on his young mind. If that was the case then it was an absolutely foolish decision.
When we talk about inspirational captains in the last 20 years, we think John Eales, Francois Pienaar, Martin Johnson and Ritchie McCaw. None of them would have come off in the last quarter if the game was still tight.
Why? Because they are all 80-minute players – fit and still humming along until the final whistle.
New All Black captain Kieran Read plays the entire game and that’s how it should be.
When we think of 60-minute captains, the name John Smit of South Africa comes to mind, especially during his later playing years. The Springboks used this strategy after the 2007 WRC and up to and including the 2011 tournament.
It did not work for South Africa then, and it sure as hell won’t work for Australia.
Kitch
Guest
Name the 'several good captains' then please? ...bc 'good captain' and 'don't usually play 80 min' seem contradictory!
AlexG
Guest
I don't agree with that. Many of a good captain's qualities are the sort that permeate the team even when hes not on the field. If its a matter of tactical decision making, a team should have more than one.
stillmissit
Roar Guru
I thought Fardy might be captain a couple of seasons ago but now I wonder how many seasons he has in him. Moore is it for this year and I am comfortable with that, assuming that there is a VC who could run the game as an international and not a super rugby game. Maybe TPN takes over captaincy when his turn to play comes around.
Fin
Guest
Do you want to grab yourself another name.
dontcallmeshirley
Guest
I would like to introduce a new rule. Whenever anyone says "get tid of xxx" they must say who they would select instead. That is the hard part after all and the problem the selectors face.
Camp David
Guest
I agree totally with your assessment Frontiers
Fin
Guest
Not a current captain candidate obviously but I beleive once he cements his place Sean McMahon will become a future long term captain of the Wallabies.
Pete
Guest
The RC in its shortened version ... Had they had to play ABs and Boks away likely no trophy as we seen what happened at Eden Park
Garry Edwards
Guest
One of the betters statements I've read today comes from "Stillmissit" basically get rid of Phipps, and, double quik time a suitable replacement is Frisby he has, more skills better basic skills and is a more dynamic package. And while I'm at it rest Foley. As for "Go Away Stephen" sorry he aint no captain he's a pain in the a**e ask any referee and as a consequence draws the heat. So we must find a eighty minute captain NOW. And the sooner MC stops banging his head against the brick wall hoping it'll cave in (the wall that is) the better. You cannot possibly continue on in the same vein with the same mentality expecting to win games against an opposition who know we are represented by a sixty minute, aging, whinger, lack a spirited halfback and flyhalf combination that don't have basic skills and fail to keep the opposition guessing. C****t we're a walk over. The replacements are out there some are in the current team squad the question is, are the coaching staff lateral enough to use some CDF? Probably not. However the time is now we've lost the series and soundly beaten by a better coached side and it'll be a whitewash - no doubt (if changes aren't made) so, suck it up, regroup and look to the RC.
CUW
Guest
read this from sir clive. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion/article-3648660/Sir-Clive-Woodward-Eddie-Jones-turned-England-around.html
CUW
Guest
@ sheek : FARDY as skipper with Foley as VC. FARDY is one player who does the traditional job. Hooper for example is not a traditional 7 so it is difficult for him to captain , while roaming around. Pocock as u say can be but then he is kind of glassy :) there is noone else among forwards who can command presence and play 80+. but increasingly moore is becoming the smith of auzzy. smith played on when everyone knew biz was the better man. he lost a lot of respect for that and then trying to stay on as a prop.
abdul
Guest
Foley is not captain material. He hasn't shown enough leadership as it is to direct his players around the field as the fly half. Without Beale there to do the playmaking I think he has become a bit overwhelmed at having to be more involved. Not a leader.
pjm
Roar Rookie
Moore isn’t a leader, he’s just the captain. I have never seen him lead his men, all he does with his captaincy is complain to the referee that achieves nothing.
pjm
Roar Rookie
Moore isn't a leader, he's just the captain. I have never seen him lead his men, all he does with his captaincy is whinge to the referee and get them offside to the detriment to the team.
taylorman
Roar Guru
Surprised at that reasoning Sheek. Traditionally your best team is selected and from that the captain is selected. If Moore is not the best hooker in Australia, he shouldn't be starting. If you don't have a captain, then make one. Fitzy, McCaw on our side weren't natural captains to begin with. Because they were first picks they grew into the role, Australian rugby does tend to ignore traditional thinking, perhaps out of some necessity but in playing lesser players in positions, playing players where they don't fit the role fundamentals must be part of the current problem.
taylorman
Roar Guru
In terms of leadership the change from a Lancaster/ Robson combo to Eddie Jones/ Hartley has been nothing short of sensational. Only Jones would have been cheeky enough to select a rough as guts liability ridden kiwi to lead his side...I wonder if Jones would have been asked to coach had he said that was his intention. England have responded to this very brash style of leadership. Two very inspired appointments.
James Manchip
Roar Rookie
Interestingly it was Hartley that many said was a bad choice as Capt for Eng due to his many well publicised on pitch infractions and that it was a matter of time before he had a mind fart and got sent off. It seems to me that he is thriving as Capt under EJ and has shown a lot of maturity this season. I wonder if it is the way that MC deals with the WBs Capt that is the difference between the two hookers? MC is an explosive and surly individual, I think this is clearly rubbing off on Moore.
Alexander Clough
Roar Pro
I think comparing and contrasting Hartley and Moore is a fair way to analyse Moore's captaincy on the night. Constantly, when Moore and Hartley were called to speak to Joubert, another Aussie would come up having a chat and would have to be sent away by Joubert, whilst when an Englishman did it - Hartley shushed him away and essentially said "I'm the captain, I'll do the talking". This was especially highlighted at the end of the first half when a penalty was awarded on the goal line to the Wallabies and there was a bit of chat from the English forwards and Hartley turned and said "shush boys". Instantly there was quiet. This allowed Hartley to talk with Joubert more and probably garnered a little bit of favouritism - although I hesitate to call any referee biased. Does Moore command this same respect? I'm not so sure. However, does anyone in the Wallabies team currently? Maybe out of left-field Fardy would, I mean - who would mess with that magnificent beard? Moore was also drawn into the niggle constantly, which a captain never should, whilst Hartley seemed to back up his teammates but never instigated or inflamed incidents. That shoulder charge from Moore was just ridiculous and really unbecoming of a test captain. Both are not 80 minute players, and operate in the front row though - and this is where the similarities lie. They are both at the heart of the scrum and able to discuss this vital area with the ref along with breakdown infringements and the little things that often go unnoticed unless you're right in the heart of it.
sheek
Roar Guru
On another thread Peter K had TPN as his hooker & captain. I hadn't given much thought of a straight swap between Moore & TPN, not only as hooker but also as captain. Considering Hooper's brain explosions & Pocock's proneness to injury, TPN is probably the only other reliable alternative. Someone else mentioned Foley, but I have my doubts about Foley as a leader. TPN does appear the best alternative. But the problem Cheika has is that he's invested in Moore for the year. Dropping the captain, even if justified, would send massive ripples through the team. The unknown is how this would disrupt the team morale, & to what extent. No-one should sack their captain without giving it a great deal of thought. There's so many 'unintended consequences' to consider. If I was in Cheika's shoes, I would try to make the situation work (retaining Moore) as best I can for the remainder of this year. 2017 would then provide a new opportunity for change.
Nugget
Guest
Moore seems the best option at the moment, which I say without unbridled enthusiasm. He leads from the front, but for me, he spends too much time arguing with the ref and too little time mustering the chooks. We need someone who's constantly aware of where we are in game and making strategic decisions, and dare I say it, changing the approach when necessary. I love Hooper's enthusiasm and kamikaze approach, but as a captain - no way. He has enough on his plate anyway. Passing up those three points in a game like that is plain dumb. Of course it'd be Pocock if as someone has already said, he didn't have too many other interests. Foley? I dunno. He's a good flyhalf but if a great one comes along, he'd be backup. Seems to me we have too few players with a strategic sense of the game. Look at the way NZers can kick strategically, and know when someone else is likely to. Even the forwards play lovely tactical rugby. We really don't have someone who can say 'this is where we're at, this is how we're going to win this'. And as yet, we don't have a team with that collective nouse. But time and practise might change that yet. And please, someone, send us a goal kicker