Dave Wessels’ decision to remain in Australia and coach the Melbourne Rebels shows the measure of the great man that he is, and should put him front and centre to succeed Michael Cheika as Wallabies coach.
Wessels certainly owed the ARU no favours. He is a South African and only moved to Australia under Jake White to work as a coaching consultant at the Brumbies in 2012.
After being appointed head coach of the Western Force this year, and inheriting a seemingly perennial struggling team, Wessels turned the team around in less than a single year. He had them in a position where they could easily have topped the Australian conference.
Were it not for a silly late hit by Ross Haylett-Petty on Joe Powell when the Force played the Brumbies in Canberra this year, the Force very likely would played finals.
Despite turning the team around Wessels was kept in the dark about the Force’s and his own future, and, upon the Force being cut it seems to be assumed in Australian rugby circles that he’d simply have to accept whichever Australian Super Rugby team was offered to him.
Unsurprisingly, foreign clubs were also interested in a good man with a good track record of coaching. Wessels was and is immensely respected in Canberra, where he worked as a coaching consultant for the Brumbies for a number of years under Jake White.
The players at the Western Force obviously greatly respect the man too, given it has been reported in the media that they were refusing to decide their own futures until Wessels had decided his path, with many looking to follow Wessels.
Wessels was courted by Munster, one of the most prestigious clubs in Europe. Munster is an extremely good team, having just lost in the final of the Pro 12.
In addition to Munster being a very good team, primed for success, unlike the Rebels, who finished last in Super Rugby this year, from what I have bene told coaching salaries are higher in Ireland than in Australia, the IRFU is a very well run organisation.
Finally, it should be noted that Joe Schmidt has been coaching Ireland since 2013. It seems unlikely that he will continue coaching Ireland after the 2019 Rugby World Cup. If Wessels continued his good coaching form with Munster then it would seem likely that he would have been next in line for Ireland’s national coach.
Ireland’s prospects look far sunnier than Australia’s right now, just as Munster’s prospects look far sunnier than the Rebels’.
Instead, Wessels decided to coach the worst team in Super Rugby, and is keeping all of his great coaching expertise and qualities in Australia. Along with his obvious coaching abilities and the respect the commands from the players and fans, this shows the mark of a honourable and good man.
(Photo by Kai Schwoerer/Getty Images)
If Wessels continues his good coaching form at the Rebels then he should be appointed the next Wallabies coach after Michael Cheika departs.
I am a great Stephen Larkham fan, as perhaps the most one-eyed Brumbies fan in Australia, but while Larkham has done better the Brumbies than some of his critics allege, Wessels has demonstrated more at the Force.
I believe that one day Larkham will make a great Wallabies coach, but based on their respective performances and coaching experience Wessels should be offered the job first. I hope Larkham remains as assistant coach, however.
Robbie Deans faced hurdles coaching the Wallabies due to his New Zealand nationality. However, unlike Deans Wessels did not play professionally for opposition, neither was he a longterm coach of a foreign Super Rugby team, and, finally, he did not seek coaching in Australia as a second option after failing to become head coach of his own country’s team first.
For all of these reasons, I believe that the unfair treatment that Deans often received for his heritage will not apply to Wessels. He is almost an honourary Australian.
Tim Rogers
Roar Rookie
By the way Wessels thanks your service a team the Force I wish you the best in your future endeavours!
Tim Rogers
Roar Rookie
By the way Wessels thanks your service a team the Force I wish you the best in your future endeavours!
Tim Rogers
Roar Rookie
Now there is a lot of water to go under the bridge and years of development ahead for rugby. My question is as a Force fan who lives in hope! - if the IPRC was to succeed over time. Could it be possible like I heard Rod kaffer say be a second level club comp to Super rugby with a relegation and promotion component something like happens in the EPL? Therefore working on a formula of bottom teams being relegated to the IPRC and the top teams being promoted to the super rugby comp. It would create more interest and be incentive for all teams to fight for their position on the ladder both at the top and bottom. It would probably see lots of player movement and create incentives in the IPRC for clubs to invest in players who could get them into the promotion zone. The whole thing would be more cut throat as teams fight for survival. 15 is a good number in this scenario the only down side is finance. As i’m not sure how it would work with a conference system. Unless you play each other once and your conference teams twice. Look - I know this could be pie in the sky stuff but if it worked I think it would add a lot of interest to spectators and broadcasters with so much at stake. New broad cast deals are required in 2020 would that be a game changer for sponsors, broadcasters and alternative broadcasting avenues like streaming? Any thoughts ? Especially positive ones would be nice :)
Crazy Horse
Roar Pro
Wessels has only been lent to the Rebels for Super Rugby. He retains his job as Western Force Coach for the IPRC.
ScottD
Guest
Add another one. Highest amount of wins in. a season for Rebels is 7. Force beat that twice andfone year failed to get into the finals by the result if tge final Brumbies game that year. Rebels haver come close to being considered finals contenders
ScottD
Guest
TWAS face it He was doing his job and they wouldn't have left if they felt the Reds were worth staying for. Every employee has a right to take their services to the organisation of their choice. You have been vocal in defending the right of Wessels to go to the Rebels (and I agree with you) and yet attack a new Team for recruiting from other teams. You seem to apply different standards to others when it suits you - it's called a double standard or hypocracy
ScottD
Roar Guru
Yet another partial fact TWAS. You must think everyone on this site has forgotten about the tens of millions in financial aid that were provided to the Rebels. And more will have flow as the VRU still doesn't have a viable business plan. Omg hang on yes they do. It's lose money and ten get tge ARU to bail us out! Works every time.
ScottD
Roar Guru
Yet another partial fact TWAS. You must think everyone on this site has forgotten about the tens of millions in financial aid that were provided to the Rebels. And more will have flow as the VRU still doesn't have a viable business plan. Omg hang on yes they do. It's lose money and ten get tge ARU to bail us out! Works every time.
Train Without A Station
Guest
There were provided with concessions the same as the Rebels at the time...
ScottD
Guest
Fionn There is no way that Wessels will get the WB gig in front of Larham unless Rebels win SR AND Larkham turns down WB gig and states he wants to work under Wessels. Sorry but the old boys club is grooming their favoured son and the result is already decided.
ScottD
Guest
Yes guys. Wessels confirmed this morning that a condition of his 2yr contract with the Rebels is that he also available to coach Perth in new competition. I guarantee tgat all player contracts for Force transfers will include same Perth clauses
ScottD
Guest
Yes guys. Wessels confirmed this morning that a condition of his 2yr contract with the Rebels is that he also available to coach Perth in new competition. I guarantee tgat all player contracts for Force transfers will include same Perth clauses
ScottD
Guest
Yes guys. Wessels confirmed this morning that a condition of his 2yr contract with the Rebels is that he also available to coach Perth in new competition. I guarantee tgat all player contracts for Force transfers will include same Perth clauses
ScottD
Guest
Which were belatedly provided and were miniminiscul. compared to what was provided to the Rebels. If the Force were even provided with 50% of the players concessions and the extra funding that the Rebels were given they would have satisfied.
ScottD
Guest
Nothing at all like that TWAS and you know it. It's not the first time you've tried to drag people into that rubbish argument though so I am not surprised.
Rugby Tragic
Roar Rookie
Kirky, Rennie already has International Coaching experience ... By that I mean, other than the success Rennie has had at provincial, Super Rugby level, he has coached in the International Coaching Academy and well as the NZ U20's. He in fact won 3 U20's World Cups between 2008 and 2010. He was undefeated at that level ... Coupled with his other achievements, I think Rennie is 'well qualified' to coach the AB's. If he is unable to get that gig, I'd love to see him coach in Australia ...
mzilikazi
Guest
Answer to the first question re Link...yes, I would have him back right away. But I doubt if he would want to return to rugby...just gut feeling..no evidence of a concrete nature. I live in Toowoomba now,but have lived further north in Charters Towers and Bundaberg. I am most interested to hear of the thesis you are writing. What is that related to ? If you publish it, I would love to read it...good luck with it. Actually had lunch with that Ella team in N. Ireland when they came up to play Ulster...they were in the next town to Bangor, and my head coach was an Ireland Schools selector...so I got to tag along. One of the Aussie lads had a shoulder injury that the coaches wanted a medical opinion on, so I got to take the lad along to the Ulster team Doc, who also practised in Bangor....the lad was Wally Lewis !! They beat Ulster fairly well, though I don't recall the score...but wonderful to watch...found them inspirational.
The Neutral View From Sweden
Roar Guru
As said before, the word is that Sunwolves are gonna sign 4-5 foreign marque players (orders from Sanzaar). If they get that right, they will be a proper rugby team in SR I reckon. And mind, new boys Micheal Leitch and Ayumu Goromaru are not included when counting foreign star players. With the less travel, they are also gonna trim their squad from 56 players to 40. In so many words, JFRU's plan to use the Sunwolves solely as a breeding ground for the Cherry Blossoms is over, now the focus will be on high performance in SR. I am so curious about the news that Sunwolves are gonna sign foreign star players, especially since Sanzaar is behind the strategy. Will NZR, ARU, and SARU help them out? So far there has been no word about that, but could this be the first opening in SR where will we will see NZ, OZ and SA players playing for a foreign SR side and still be eligible? We don't know of course, but it does not feel entirely impossible if Sanzaar is serious about growing the game in Japan ahead of WC and maybe cash in big time when the new TV-deal is signed. Because there is no way around the fact if SR really gets a strong footprint in Japan, that will be very good for business. I have to take a step back on one earlier statement about Sunwolves. It is not yet decided that they will play all their games in Tokyo the coming season, but if Sanzaar is serious about helping the Sunwolves it should be a no-brainer. But Sanzaar has messed up straightforward decisions before, so I take a step back until it is confirmed. I think we both can agree on the Wallabies gig is one the top five jobs in the rugby world. One thing we might have overlooked is that if Wessels does a great job in the Rebels, he might pop up on the Springboks radar too.
Taylorman
Guest
Im actually getting mixed up with Peter Sloane. Schmidt didnt take over till 2004 and had a semi best result before he left for Ireland. I actually credit Henrys involvement after returning from Wales and before taking up the AB post for 2003 and it helps when you have a stunning backline and a freak in Rupeni Caucau at his best in the side.
Oblonsky‘s Other Pun
Roar Guru
Thanks Ridler. Maybe I am overly enthusiastic :D