- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
Over the past few weeks, there’s been enormous and varying conjecture on The Roar why the wheels have fallen off the Michael Cheika-coached, Stephen Moore-captained Wallabies, after reaching the Rugby World Cup final and finishing 2015 as the second ranked nation in the world.
Since then, the Wallabies have been whitewashed in three Tests by England, and hammered 42-8 by the All Blacks, their record score on Australian soil.
The result has seen the Wallabies slump to number four in the world.
In the same period, the All Blacks have won their four internationals, England have been crowned Six Nations champions and are unbeaten in nine internationals since Eddie Jones took over to leap from eighth in the world to two, and the Springboks have won all four to be third.
A changing of the guard with the Wallabies the odd team out.
Is the Wallaby coaching staff to blame, or the Wallabies?
Let’s look at the staff:
Michael Cheika
An enforcer in the 1990s Randwick side that won seven premierships, the last two with him as captain, Cheika turned to coaching, winning the Celtic League twice with Leinster, and followed that with success in the coveted Heineken Trophy in 2009.
Cheika took the Waratahs to the 2014 Super Rugby title, the franchise’s first in 19 years, became Wallaby coach last year to win the Rugby Championship at his first attempt, and mentored the Wallabies to the World Cup final.
He ended 2015 with 11 wins from 16 internationals for a 69 per cent success rate.
An impressive CV.
Nathan Grey
Played a couple of games for the Reds before switching to the Waratahs, where he played 94 games and 35 Tests as a devastating defender and attacking centre.
He became defence coach at the Waratahs in 2014 when they won the Super Rugby title, boasting the best defence in the tournament. He became Wallaby defence coach last year, his influence highlighted by the inspirational defence to hold out Wales at the World Cup to top the ‘Pool of Death’ and stay away from the All Blacks and Boks in the semis.
Stephen Larkham
Originally a fullback with the Brumbies, he switched to flyhalf and in his 112 caps the franchise captured the Super Rugby title in 2001 and 2004. Add his 102 Wallaby caps, during which he won the World Cup in 1999, was runner-up in 2003, and competed in 2007.
His head coaching career with the Brumbies began in 2014, and became Wallabies attack coach last year.
Mario Ledesma
Was rated the world’s best hooker in the latter part of his 84 caps for Argentina, renowned for having one of the best scrums in international rugby.
Ledesma joined the Wallaby coaching staff last year as set piece coach.
Mick Byrne
Last, but by no means least, the former AFL ruckman played 167 games for Melbourne, Hathorn, and Swans, then switched rugby as a skills coach 13 years ago.
His claim to fame is the 11 years he spent with the All Blacks, winning back-to-back World Cups, 11 Bledisloes, and eight Rugby Championships.
So with a coaching staff like that, why have the Wallabies gone off the rails?
In the three-Test loss to England, the aggregate scoreline was 106 points to 75, with nine tries apiece. But ill discipline cost the Wallabies dearly, with England landing 15 penalties to five – 42 points to 15.
In all, 12 Wallabies were in all four losing Test squads this year – Israel Folau, Tevita Kuridrani, Dane Haylett-Petty, Bernard Foley, Michael Hooper, Sekope Kepu, Stephen Moore, Tatafa Polota-Nau, James Slipper, Scott Fardy, Nick Phipps, and Rob Horne.
Five Wallabies were in three squads – Rob Simmons, Scott Sio, Dean Mumm, Nick Frisby, and Christian Lealiifano, before he was hospitalised and we wish him a speedy recovery.
And five were in two squads – David Pocock, Ben McCalman, Matt Toomua, Samu Kerevi, and Rory Arnold.
That’s 22 Wallabies, the bulk of whom were in the World Cup squad, who have worn gold this year among the four losses.
With a highly qualified coaching staff, one of the best in world rugby, and the bulk of Wallabies this year having been among Cheika’s 11 wins from 16 Tests last year, the reasons for the wheels falling off the Wallabies this year rests squarely with the players.