Australians were better and far more disciplined rugby players when the code was amateur.
The reasons were simple.
The vast majority had jobs, generally nine to five, others were uni students, they all paid an annual subscription to be a member of a club, they trained Tuesday and Thursday nights after work, played their competition games on Saturday afternoon, had a big big night out on Saturday, recovered on Sunday, and went off to work again Monday.
Very simple, very disciplined.
The best of them had to get time off work to play representative games.
It was even harder to get permission to tour overseas for three months.
Somehow they did it, thanks to understanding bosses, but it wasn’t easy.
Those were the days the Wallabies won the 1991 Rugby World Cup with Bobby Dwyer the coach, and Nick Farr-Jones the skipper.
Rugby went pro in 1996, so the bulk of the successful 1999 Rugby World Cup squad, with Rod Macqueen the coach and John Eales the skipper, were still disciplined from their amateur days.
I keep mentioning discipline because that was the key factor to juggle normal life with an international rugby career.
But that’s where Australian rugby discipline has dramatically changed since the professional era took hold.
Or to be more accurate, the lack of discipline.
The modern-day pro rugby footballer is programmed every day of the week by the head coach as to what they will do once they’ve slept in every day.
Be it train, be it gym sessions, be it tactical sessions, or doing something different away from rugby to stop going stale, the players are rarely thinking for themselves.
There’s no discipline in that, they’ve become robots of the coach.
And that’s the way Australians have been playing in competition – as robots with seemingly no Plan B.
If you took Israel Folau, Kurtley Beale, Will Genia, David Pocock, Bernard Foley’s boot, and to a lesser extent Michael Hooper out of the Wallabies, they would be lost.
(Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)
They are disciplined footballers, with Hooper’s biggest problem to decide if he’s a forward or a back.
The big difference is comparing Australian rugby with New Zealand.
In many ways that’s unfair, with rugby across the ditch a religion while Australia has to do head-to-head battle with AFL, NRL, and the A-League for media coverage and crowds.
And they are not winning, and never will until discipline returns.
The vast difference between Australian and New Zealand rugby shows up in the career stats covering 16 Tri-Nations, and six Rugby Championships.
The All Blacks have scored plus 1137 in points for and against, Australia minus 282, South Africa minus 334, and Argentina minus 520.
All Blacks and daylight.
It would be fairer to compare the Rod Macqueen and Michael Cheika eras.
Both played their club rugby as back-rowers in the amateur days, Macqueen with Warringah, Cheika with Randwick.
Both started businesses from scratch – Macqueen a point-of-sale merchandising business, Cheika a fashion house – and both turned into highly successful multi-million dollar businesses under their direct control.
But their rugby coaching careers differ due to discipline.
Macqueen won the 1999 Rugby World Cup, Bledisloe Cups, Tri-Nations Cup, and the historic 2-1 victory over the British and Irish Lions with the bulk of his troops still disciplined from their amateur days.
Besides, if any failed to show the discipline Macqueen demanded, he would be rapidly replaced.
Cheika made 2015 Rugby World Cup final, won the 2015 Rugby Championship, and the 2014 Super Rugby title with the Waratahs, ending a 20-year drought.
(Photo: Glenn Nichols)
But all his troops have been full-time rugby professionals from the moment they left school, none of them have been disciplined in the world of business, none of them have had to think outside the rugby square.
And unlike Macqueen, if current Wallabies didn’t show the discipline Cheika demands, there isn’t the depth to punt them.
Little wonder there have been times when Cheika has blown his stack at the ridiculous mistakes that are made at critical times.
But he may as well get used to it with discipline mighty hard to come by as a team factor.
Be it Super Rugby, or internationals, the rugby basics of passing, catching, support play, possession retention, and defending are far too often lacking.
The reason?
Lack of discipline.
Hazy
Guest
I think that the current generation of high level players are lacking in skills and respect. Respect for their coach, other players and the fans. Why are we importing players. We won a world cup with Aussies... we've had some magnificent Aussie players and incredibly talented Aboriginal players. We don't look after the young guns. Imaging Cooper, Beal and O'Connor running the back line. Our best super team can't beat New Zealand worst. I think that we need to forget about the Wallabies for a while.... and work on the U14s andU15s. Bring them through with great skills, passion, AND RESPECT. I've followed the Wallabies for a long time. My favorite team for the past 4 years has been the Hurricanes. Magnificent skills, teamwork and respect. I think that the Hurricanes or the Crusaders could beat the Wallabies.
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
And GAA total revenue (football and hurling) is only 25% above Rugby. It seems Rugby is more popular (or at least makes more money) than Hurling and Gaelic Football anyway.
piru
Roar Rookie
Had Folau ever made such a feeble attempt, he would have been chased out of Australia by the Roar’s vast army of rugby fans. Nah, we'd have had people dragging out stats and awards and telling us he's the GOAT and how dare we judge him on one move and he's allowed to express his beliefs or something
KiwiHaydn
Guest
The Pope roots? Surely not.
Taylorman
Guest
Well the Grigg try was brilliant, the slick passing before it was better than anything you see from the Wallabies today.
Taylorman
Guest
Cant agree with that at all. You watch any of the four training sessions of the Oz franchises and you will no doubt see the basic skills performed to a very high level, with intensity, precision and pace. It is the execution of those skills when under pressure that makes them appear less skilful. Thats what NZ sides do at this level. They apply sufficient pressure on the opposition in a way that makes them ‘appear’ to lack basic skills. And when a sufficient number of individuals become under pressure the gameplan gets disrupted and they can lose composure when they need it most. Combinations get affected, confidence is lowered, all the necessary factors required to win get pushed to one side and it becomes merely a matter of survival on the scoreboard.
chris
Guest
Was speaking to an Irish lad the other day but both the GAA and Irelands Soccer are jealous of the support and media that the National Irish team gets alongside massive growth with the 4 pro sides at this moment of team so Irish Rugby is both 1st and 4th in popularity.
StuM
Guest
That's about the best comment I've read all day.
Harry
Guest
You are delusional if you don't think there is a strong drinking culture among professional rugby league and rugby union players in Australia. Their binge drinking is actually a real eye opener.
Harry
Guest
I have. Believe me, as a rugby union lover, it is great to be in New Zealand and see rugby as clearly the massively dominant code in the nation. A religion if you will. Completely different environment in Australia. To give some perspective, I would say in the southern states, AFL has as strong a hold in Victoria, SA and WA as rugby does in New Zealand. Perhaps more so.
julius
Guest
@ Lion Brown "The old ‘rugby is a religion’ line is absolute rubbish." It's surprising how often that nonsense is trotted out. Those up in Auckland must have all turned atheist if it were true. NZ has a community based rugby structure, and has had it for over a hundred years. In Auckland they let it fall into disrepair.The result of doing that is obvious.
rebel
Guest
Also there are many religeons to chose from.
Carlos The Argie
Guest
The pope is an Argie. He roots for the Jaguares.
Train without a station
Guest
I guess Eales must have been wrong then...
nerval
Guest
Roger Gould is the bloke that Sheek, apparently, would select ahead of Israel Folau! Look at his attempt to catch a high ball at the 7 minute mark and try not to laugh... Had Folau ever made such a feeble attempt, he would have been chased out of Australia by the Roar's vast army of rugby fans.
sheek
Guest
Thanks David, Really enjoyed this article. Yes, it seems Australian rugby has struggled to properly understand the needs of professionalism. I must say though, there were so many outstanding amateur coaches before professionalism came along. Teachers & fathers & uncles to the fore. I rate every one of the 6-8 coaches I had during my school years. And also most of those who coached me post high school. Some of them lacked intimate knowledge of the game, or weren't particularly good at selling their message, but one thing you couldn't fault, three things actually, were their passion, dedication & enthusiasm. When professionalism came, many of this fine amateur coaches walked away, believing they were being unappreciated & undervalued.
sheek
Guest
Bill Campbell was weeded out? I don't think so. He toured with the GS team in 1984 at age 23. In 1986, he became the regular partner of Steve Cutler. In 1990, he played his last test at age 29. 21 tests between 1986-90, with a one off in 1984. 22 tests in all. By 1991, Rod McCall, a young John Eales, Steve Cutler & Peter Fitzsimons were all ahead of Campbell. Hardly weeded out. Campbell's greatest asset was his height, during the era of no lifting in line outs. His workrate around the paddock, while earnest, wasn't in the realm of other slightly shorter, stockier, more mobile locks. Cutler for example, another giraffe, was nevertheless more rounded in his contributions, once pulling off a tremendous try saving tackle.
sheek
Guest
I think what David was alluding to is the fact that when players reach the Wallabies, they shouldn't have to be STILL taught the basics. They should have the down pat. i believe that was David's inference. As 'Aussie Huus' said a dozen years ago, when players arrive at the Socceroos, they must already possess the necessary basic skills, requisite fitness & intuitive understanding of the game. The job of the manager/coach is to lay out the overall strategy, the week by week tactics, & select the players who can play the manager/coach's game. i agree with this 100%. The great advantage Steve Hanson enjoys across the ditch, is that he doesn't have to spend time going over revision of basic skills.
Malo
Guest
Nez have a superb pathway structure ie clubs we don’t but did in the 90s. A lot of super rugby are cocooned from school straight to super rugby sitting on the pine and doing gym sessions instead of playing against men in grade rugby.
Train without a station
Guest
My only point was that people have different experiences and it’s likely only a reflection on the people you came across