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The more I hear and see from Michael Cheika, the less enchanted I become. It appears to me the Wallabies do not have a coach.
Instead, they have a motivator. Cheika said over the weekend that the Wallabies could beat the All Blacks this year. On the evidence of the last three Wallaby Tests his assertion is risible.
If more proof was needed, just watch a replay of the Lions’ game last night.
What coach in his right mind decides two days before a Test match to play a fullback at inside centre? That is what Cheika did before the Fiji game when he named Karmichael Hunt at 12. Does a coach worth his salt not tell his attacking coach about it and discuss it with him? By all reports Stephen Larkham found out after Karmichael did. I hope the reports are wrong but am assured they are not.
As it happens, Karmichael has made a fist of it (more strength to his arm) however that is despite the coach not because of him. That positional switch should have been months in the planning with the assistance of Queensland, not on a whim before game day.
Cheika cannot settle on his Test line-up. To name but a few, why on earth would you change captains in mid Test series? Who is our best front row? Who is our best number 8? You would never guess from either their selection or performance. The selection panel resembles more a revolving door than a group of men of conviction. It would appear Cheika is neither a good coach nor a good selector.
And as for showing loyalty to Bill Pulver (his statement after the Scottish debacle), what drivel. That man and the various members of the board over a long period have proved to be incompetents. There were a lot of German officers after World War II who came to the swift conclusion that blind loyalty was not all it was made out to be.
Cheika’s loyalty should be to the game, not any individual. Having said that, I have no doubt he is loyal to the game but to suggest he should be loyal to Pulver as well reeks of sycophancy.
(AAP Image/ David Rowland)
Why is our national coach saying that our players are not fit enough? How can that be? Rugby is all that they do. Do the franchises not arrange for proper training for their players? Clearly that cannot be Michael’s fault.
However what is his fault is that he did not ascertain the lack of fitness in time to do something about it. He had an ability to bring his considerable influence to bear during the course of the season to ensure those failings were spotted and rectified.
All one need do is look at his reactions in the coaches box to see he is not up to it. He reacts like a biased fan, not a rational, thoughtful coach. A classic example was on Saturday night when the Wallaby scrum was penalised.
In the coaches box, he ranted that the ref was wrong. Even Greg Martin, perennial one-eyed commentator that he is, accepted that the decision was fair. Passion is god but it only gets you so far. The proper approach is to calmly make note and remedy the fault during the game.
In short, it would seem that Cheika has been asleep at the wheel as much as the ARU have been. He did a great job motivating the players at the last Rugby World Cup. A good motivator can do that during the course of a short tournament.
He clearly did well for New South Wales when they won the Super Rugby title. So he must have some talent. I’m not sure he is showing much of it at the moment.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.