In a RWC year, what are Cheika’s future-proofing obligations?

I caught a 1st grade colts game with SD defeating SU last season. Only got down there for the 1's though so am not aware if there had been a 2nd grade on earlier or not. Had to explain to my 8 year old nephew who plays for Burraneer that we weren't cheering for the blue and gold (same as Burraneer colours) but rather the Southern Districts candy stripes! Was a great day, got to sit behind a mate who was coaching them (he's involved with the 1st Grade set up now) and was really interesting hearing the messages he was sending over the radio via the water runners. They've come a long way since my junior days and were more on par with what we are seeing in 1st Grade up here in HK.

Yeah given his Parra Eels involvement, I'd love it if he was aligned to the Two Blues.

He has zero. He has been hired to win this RWC. After that, it is the next coaches problem. Future-proofing is the executive's teams problem, not the current head coach.

Jez, ''The new NRL guy Moeroa is apparently going to play centre.'' Let us hope & pray that NSW heavies don't allocate him to SU. Parramatta or West Harbour would be better for an attempt at equalization, which both the NRL & AFL leave Rugby far behind. Worried that R.Davis is worried that SU won't win Club Championship for 16 years in succession.

Jez, Easts, Randwick, SU, Norths, Gordon Warringah colts (and Grades) are going OK. Our NSWRU CEO & Chair need to show some leadership. West Harbour & Penrith (culled) also forfeited 2 nd grade colts as well.

Scary - especially when you consider that just across the golf course Colleagues are running two Colt's teams. Means there are five in a very small area but the main clubs aren't going that deep. Although I can recall about 15 years ago when Easts told their 3rd grade colts they weren't wanted and a big group of them walked across the golf course en masse. Sounds like they've added them back in again. As someone who started in 4th grade Colts at Southern Districts and eventually had a few runs in 1st grade Colts and later one glorius run in 2nd grade Grade it strikes me as pretty short sighted not to run as deep a set of juniors as you can.

I agree with you, keen to see the young guys given a shot rather than parachute someone in. Donaldson played 10 when Harris sat out the U-20 semi final but his RA profile has him listed as a Fullback https://www.rugby.com.au/players/ben-donaldson#Junior-Wallabies Reports are that Beale will likely sign back on so playmaking fullbacks in him and Donaldson with Mason and Harris given their shots at 10 sounds pretty good to me. The new NRL guy Moeroa is apparently going to play centre and they'll have Foketi and the negotiations with Hunt continue.

mzilikazi, very interesting weekend coming up. Rassie announces the team late tonight, and whatever he says, it's a B team. The top 13 players will travel to New Zealand. Pieter Steph Du Toit needs game time, and I predict one of the A team Bok backline players (Le Roux or Kolbe) will also be on the bench. This is the team I predict the Wallabies will face. 1. Steven Kitshoff 2. Bongi Mbonambi 3. Thomas du Toit 4. Franco Mostert 5. Lood de Jager 6. Francois Louw 7. Pieter-Steph du Toit (c) 8. Rynhardt Elstadt 9. Cobus Reinach 10. Elton Jantjies 11. Makazole Mapimpi 12. Frans Steyn 13. Jesse Kriel 14. Dillyn Leyds 15. Warrick Gelant 16. Trevor Nyakane 17. Schalk Brits 18. Vincent Koch 19. Marvin Orie 20. Marcell Coetzee 21. Herschel Jantjies 22. Andre Esterhuizen 23. Cheslin Kolbe

I saw this also and I think it is a very positive development. I hope the Tahs do not recruit an experienced 10 (not much available on the market anyway) because I reckon the young guys already signed have to be given a go. One question ..... isn't Donaldson more of a 15 then a 10?

I agree Brett. Hanigan does not do a lot wrong and is an 80 minute player. I hope to see him bigger and better in 2020. What I do hope to see for him is being selected in one position .... 6 or 8 ..... I reckon he would make a pretty good 8 .... but whatever Tahs need to select him in one position and let him make it his own.

Yes he wont have a lot, but there's something about a bare cupboard that makes that all exciting. Still find it weird though. When you visit and travel through Oz the place is so big, several large cities with lots of people. In a sporting mad country I still think there should be a higher quality and number of young men that would do well in a professional sort like rugby. Sure they play other sports but to the point that there's only a couple of hundred max capable of playing at Super rugby level? And even then you could probably half or quarter that to get upper S Rugby or test level quality. 30-50 top level players is not a lot for a country of nearly 25 million ready to pay good money with the only condition being that they're good enough.

I think Brown's hat choice makes him a serious person these days Tman.....Rennie would fit Aus rugby I think. as its going to be a full rebuild after all the experience is gone post WC

Good points, from memory Cheika went all out to win those titles where SA and NZ experimented, held back a little, or played players in (Dagg in 2011 in SA for example, a perfect example of a long term injured player returning who must prove himself- did, and was the best on the field in the semi). Theyre both doing that this time as well and so far, no sign Cheika won’t play his best side available..from the squad he selects that is. If he does that he really is a now is everything type of coach. Development is a concept only but how he plays the debuting players might hint at that. I honestly believe he thinks that winning the BC/ RC is key to his sides World cup confidence. Generally that would be the case, but this close to it?

Thanks Brett for article which points out the problems confronting Rugby Australia the Wallabies etc. Still trying to understand Cheika's selection planning and why players like Fardy Higgers White etc have effectively been cut out by him. To me Fardy has been a huge loss for the Wallabies in terms of his breakdown and lineout work along with his ability to link and read the game. So in 2011 Wallabies won the TRC in 2015 they won the RC . I was going to pick them to win this year's RC but Argentina could put a dent in that scenario. All Blacks focus seems to be Bledisloe then RWC then RC. The thought of SA having 2 squads one for the Australian team in SA and 1 for NZ in NZ shows their belief in having depth in preparation for the RWC. Where is the Wallaby depth and who do you think the Wallabies could ill afford to lose to injury? To me it seems like the current squad and depth have a low skill base and so to replace players who get injured with other low skill base is really an indictment on coaching across the board in Australia. Personally would think Cotter would be a better coach for Wallabies then Rennie. Allow time for a clean out to occur and the introduction of skilled and passionate players with a team first mindset. Come on Wallabies I want you to produce the rugby I believe you are capable of and not the rubbish we have been subjected to for past 4 seasons.

Speaking for Brumbies at least, they tried but had retention problems with Toomua and Lealiifano both ahead of anyone who would essentially be a 3rd string flyhalf (Zack Holmes, Lionel Cronje). CLL's leukaemia diagnosis threw their succession planning completely out, and they had similar problems TWAS identifies with many of their scouted players just not really developing to the required level for the next step - Jooste, Hawera, Jackson-Hope. Having experienced players inside/outside a young flyhalf definitely helps with development and succession (Giteau had Larkham inside, then Lealiifano had Giteau outside, Simone this year had Lealiifano inside, etc.) but is still not a guarantee that they will make the required step up.

Jez, Good to see that NSW NRC is seemingly getting itself into gear. I am a member of an Eastern Suburbs club and happy to see their involvement, but one of the important bottom tiers is currently being eaten away, I refer to 3rd-grade colts. Memo Roger Davis & Andrew Hore, Last weeks results, 3rd grade colts, ''Sydney University 19 v 35 Eastern Suburbs Woollahra Oval- 12/7/2019 06:00 PM Northern Suburbs 0 v 0 13/7/2019 00:00 AM Gordon 28 v 0 Eastwood Forfeit to Gordon- 13/7/2019 12:00 PM Randwick 38 v 10 Western Sydney Two Blues Coogee Oval- 13/7/2019 12:20 PM Warringah 28 v 0 West Harbour NO MATCH- 13/7/2019 12:20 PM Manly 28 v 0 Southern Districts Forfeit to Manly- 13/7/2019 12:20 So former powerhouse Eastwood, Southern Districts, West Harbour, & Penrith all forfeited, only 2 games out of a possible 6 were played ???? Can you believe that? A serious leak in the boat of Rugby in Sydney, an extremely unhealthy situation for the sport.

I'd say it's a combination with those factors, and just that some groups of players aren't as good. We are only not potentially seeing if the changes during the Pulver era will have the desired effect. I say potentially because it may be an anomaly. But my point really is there are no short term solutions, it's long term fixes. If there's errors in the structures it takes years to become apparent, and then a couple to determine if they are errors or anomalies. Then it takes just as long to fix. And that's if you have the solution to immediately implement.

And when that happened our Super Rugby teams were stronger. You have admitted this. To not consider the relationship this has with Wallaby success is laughable. In Deans era we did not often beat the All Blacks. We won 3 of 18 contests against them. That included 39,10, 33-6, 48-29 and 22-0 losses to them. Cheika has won 2 of 12 contests vs the All Blacks. He actually has the same winning % against them as Deans did. The good old days you hark back to were before Deans. You must be the only person with no complaints then. Richard Brown as regularly criticised. No back up 7 for 2011 was. The selection of Burgress copped plenty of flack. The use of McCabe at 12 did also. He absolutely showed favouritism himself to certain players. Rob Horne at 13 was another one. Then there was the odd selections like Kepu at LH and Alexander at TH despite playing all season in opposite positions. You can blame Cheika for the loss of those players. But had they stayed otherwise would be lost and we'd be in the same position where a greater portion of our playing pool is unavailable, and even if we wanted to select them, they are less available.

Good to see you back chirping after an England win again fb. True to form, disappear fir over a year after englands 2015 failure, now back telling us all how things are. Some things never change huh? :-)

...add Ford and Lawes to England and Carberry and Ryan to Ireland. You could even add Russell and Gray for Scotland and Nakarawa of Fiji is one of the best locks in the world.