NSW Waratahs stalwart Dean Mumm has backed their coaches and says the onus has been on the players in a disappointing Super Rugby campaign.
The retiring Wallaby lock’s last home appearance for NSW didn’t go as he hoped with Argentina’s Jagaures crashing his party with a 40-27 win in Sydney on Saturday.
Mumm will play his final game for the Tahs next Saturday against Western Force in Perth.
NSW have endured a wretched 4-10 season, but Mumm says the players had to take a lot of responsibility for the poor campaign and stressed they still believed in the coaching panel headed by Daryl Gibson
“Absolutely, without a doubt,” Mumm said.
“I think from the top down we’re very happy with what’s going on and a lot of the onus of that comes back to the players.”
Mumm views next Saturday as a second swan song as he thought back in 2012 he had played his last game for NSW after agreeing to join English club Exeter.
‘It’s sad but in one way I’ve kind of done it once before,” Mumm said.
He returned home shortly before the end of the 2015 season and played two more years, swelling his Waratahs cap tally to over 120, putting him sixth on their all-time list.
“It felt like I was sneaking a little bit of cake that I shouldn’t probably have got previously,” Mumm said.
His last game in 2012 was a 32-12 loss to the Queensland Reds In Brisbane.
“We didn’t have a successful season that year either,” Mumm said of the Tahs 4-12 campaign in 2012.
Saturday’s game was also the last home appearance for centre Rob Horne, who is heading overseas.
It followed the trend of many others this season for the Tahs, conceding plenty of first-half points on their way to a fifth loss in seven home games.
“That period in the first half from 10 to 30 minutes, we always sort of leak a few points and it makes it very tough when you play a catch-up game,” Mumm said.
“I don’t doubt what we can do as a team when we get things right, we just don’t get it right often enough.”
Bakkies
Guest
Went to the Sharks got injured left after a few months to the Bulls. Got injured again
Bakkies
Guest
Horrendous no wonder the fringe players went to the Force, lost Moore and Barnes and struggled with recruitment for a number of years.
Marto
Guest
Coaches over last 30 years John Connolly (1989–2000) Mark McBain (2001–02) Andrew Slack (2003) Jeff Miller (2004–06) Eddie Jones (2007) Phil Mooney (2008–09) Ewen McKenzie (2010–13) Richard Graham (2014–16) Matt O'Connor & Nick Stiles (2016) Nick Stiles (2016–)
Link
Guest
Rubbish Eaglejack, Are you saying if no players in the other 4 franchises are putting their hands up a Waratah gets a Wallaby jersey by default ?
Hoy
Roar Guru
I could have the wrong end of the stick, but that is how I recall the issues at the time...
double agent
Guest
I wish the ARU had persuaded Potgeiter to become a permanent Aussie. What happened to him?
double agent
Guest
Agree
double agent
Guest
Good call Crazy.
bigbaz
Roar Guru
Well Bakkies that probably sums up the talent identification of Aussie rugby .
Bakkies
Guest
I don't get the fuss about Mooney. He didn't take another head coach role at that level after. Wasn't even considered for the Brumbies after Rea and Friend got the boot.
riddler
Guest
never heard that one hoy about slack.. link was one of the big recruiters of graham.. a small detail which the rose coloured glasses brigade of link's reign gloss over.. jones was not a good fit with the egos we have in qld.. go back and have a look at all the coaches nsw went thru while tempo and knuckles were in charge of qld.. we have always got rid of coaches after 1 or 2 years if not up to mustard.. even dwyer got shifted out of the tahs.. now it seems as though the money/contracts/nationalistic/regional pride is driving the maintenance of very, very average coaches..
riddler
Guest
agree bigbaz.. 100% agree
bigbaz
Roar Guru
Mooney should have been a ten year coach of the Reds then on to the national side. a crucifiction
Hoy
Roar Guru
They went through every Tom Dick and Harry, because the one bloke they chased to the ends of the earth to coach, Slack didn't really want to do it, so after sacking Knuckles, despite going well, they then had to hire McBain to fill in, while they convinced Slack, who then took it up for a brief period, before again, saying it wasn't for him, so they were left with no one. Miller took it up because no one else would... then they stupidly hired Eddie Jones who was terrible for them, on a 3 year deal, who left after 1, then they hired the previous Aus under 20s coach, who had great success there, in Phil Mooney, gave him two years, and just as they were picking up under him, usurped him with McKenzie, then stupidly hired Graham for no good reason whatsoever to replace Link... then they REHIRED Graham after a worldwide search, only to sack him after a pre-season and 4 games into the year, to hire dual coaches in Stiles and O'Connor, to have another worldwide search only to hire Stiles again... So about 10 years ago, they started rewarding mediocrity in QLD... Which was about the time they started rewarding it at National level as well I think...
stillmissit
Roar Guru
Jack: at the base of any sport you must have players who want to play the game and play to win. We seem to have a group of players who are somewhat disinterested in playing the game - rather it's a source of lucrative income and they have to perform to a base level (ie better than some other player) to ensure they get paid. The focus and motivation of the majority of Australian players at this time is WRONG. How we get back to the need and enjoyment in playing I have no idea but watching those Tahs wandering around and watching the few who do put in, I find more than slightly depressing. NOTE: This does not contradict my pervious statements about the poor state of coaching, player skill set and understanding of the rules when they get to higher levels.
MH01
Guest
Yeah saw that. The bias in oz rugby is disgusting . No wonder it's dying fast
MH01
Guest
The reality is that the worst defensive coach in the competition just made fulltime coach in the wallabies . This applies to waratahs making the wallabies. Even if he Brumbies were on twelve wins...same result. You are just lucky that the data this year hides the bias, though not grey....and that is pathetic sign of what is happening
riddler
Guest
this is a recent development hoy.. we never used to reward average.. you were given short shaft quickly if not up to scratch.. here in qld when went thru tom d1ck and harry after tempo and knuckles before link came up to build on the great work of mooney and mckay.. the tahs went thru a turnstile of coaches while tempo and knuckles were in charge,.
riddler
Guest
it is ej.. but the tahs are easy targets for the blinkered and biased..
Hoy
Roar Guru
The issue is that the ARU can't hardly do anything about the Super Form. What they can do, is not hire Grey and Larkham... But we in Aus rugby, like to reward absolute mediocrity with either selection OR a new national coaching role... It really is too much for me now... to reward Grey for absolute rubbish part time work with the Wallabies, and terrible, fulltime work with the Tahs, just beggars belief for me.