Suggested questions for Rugby Australia's end-of-season review

Would love for these to be asked, as I think the time for a purely diplomatic line of questioning has long since passed. I suspect we'd just hear aggressive replies though.

Thanks for coming in Michael. Our first question is: What were you doing in the video that Mumm, Phipps and Foley are blackmailing you with? Okay, we understand. That is pretty embarrassing. But really...what is worse? Being known as “Cheika the goat fu*%er” or “Cheika the Wallaby fu*%er”?

Why is it that Pocock is not the starting 7? Hooper on bench. We had two very good 7s with George Smith and Phil Waugh and they tried to accommodate both, it never worked. Start with Pocock and build around him. Genia 9, Beale 12, Folau 15, build around them. Those 4 players are world class.

This has nothing to do with raking over the coals, and everything to do with accepting, both at the Board and Coaching level that what is being implemented now is not working. Nothing we have seen from either suggests they are there. If the Board is to drive change of any kind into 2019 then these are exactly the type of closed ended questions that will be asked on Dec 10.

I think they are horrible questions. They're all based on raking over past coals and axe grinding. Not demonstrating why the future will be different. As for number 7. What does that matter? We aren't picking the best in the world. We are picking the best from what we have. If nobody meets those supposed requirements in our pool there's nothing we can do about it.

Excellent, thanks for that

On performance this would be the wore or close to it Wallabies I have seen and I have been around for a while, Catchpole and Lisle in SA. Even when Tonga won in the 70s, there were other wins. Now we just seem to be getting badder and badder. I don't put a lot of blame on the players, we have some players excelling in Europe. It is how they are coached is the problem. Cheika has to go along with Grey and Larkham. Cheika's only plan appears to be to do the same and hope for the best. Lovely bit of satire on the fox Sports site on this: https://www.foxsports.com.au/rugby/wallabies/comment-inside-michael-cheikas-sales-pitch-to-keep-wallabies-job/news-story/bbb312fe7e943e329d405ae6f89b1187

Q. Michael, do you ever take on board your Assutants views on player selections and positional selections. Give us 3 examples of that happening (over YOUR selections) ?

No substitute for speed Hoy. Simple and very effective. Look at Dmac and the smallest winger in south africa carving them up.

I didn't like the way you phrased question 2 but here are three others; a) Can you please list the best 5 Australian players in each position position currently playing rugby anywhere in the world; and b) Of those that left the country, why did they leave; and c) As sole selector what did you do to ensure they knew that they were in the frame (or in the team) to play for the Wallabies. d) As sole selector what have you done to make sure they know that if they come back they are in the frame for the Wallabies? e) As sole selector, please provide a list of the contacts that you or the high performance director have had with each of the overseas players (or their managers) on list (a)

Yes - as long as the negative comments come from a constructive frame of reference - for example, suggesting alternatives or ways things might have been done better - the criticism can be swallowed and digested... First of all you have to confront the way things actually are however - not they way you imagine them to be - and that does take some guts... Results show where you are more directly than anything else ofc :)

Q. Why do you carry on like such a disobedient child in the coaches box and press conferences, always whinging about how you’ve been hard done by ? Q. Why does Nic Phipps have almost 70 Test caps yet you’re not prepared to give Scott Higginbotham more than 50-60 minutes in a one-off Test Q. Why do you purposefully try to make flyhalves like Quade and Toomua bad by playing Foley at Inside centre for their only starting test audition Q. On what planet are Dean Mumm and now that useless wet rag Hanigan deserving of a Test jersey Q. Why have you refused to give players like Joe Powell & Tom Banks a fair go? Q. Why do you compromise the whole balance of the forward pack and play the best player in the team out of position to guarantee a starting spot and Captaincy for a failed leader and limited player

How about “What is the criteria you use to select players in each position”? Or “what makes you believe that selecting players out of position will bear fruit”?

Are you aware there are letters that follow 'A' in the alphabet namely 'B', 'C', and 'D'? The idea is to attach these to gameplans...

Nice one, like the approach

Thanks Nick I presume that over the years you have been part of both positive and negative season reviews and from a rugby perspective would know this better than most.’ It’s the negative ones that can really make you think about what you are doing. ( survival presumed) The RA board have Corp CVs that would allow a robust review if they so choose, and if they knew the questions to ask, it could actually help the coaching team. But courage appears in short supply.

One day, Scott Fardy, Nick White, Quade Coooer and a few whistleblowers from amongst the ‘anointed’ perhaps may tell all as to what has been happening in Wallaby Camp between Test matches over the last 4 years. The one question that matters, and does not require Mr Cheika to answer, is “Has it (whatever the strategy has been) worked?” The answer is sadly, no.

Good point Hlander. I meant to add qualification, like ‘a 10 likely or hopeful of creating world class attack’. I mean, I played 10 in the U/8’s and U/9’s but any old 10 wont do.

Haha - those Q's are far too penetrating (and the grammar is far too good) to stand a chance of an answer H'lander! Good stab though :D

Gold!