Dave Rennie treated the rugby community in Australia with respect, intelligence and some hard truths in his first interviews as the coach of the Wallabies.
This commitment from him was impressive: “We’ve got to earn respect through how we behave and how we interact with communities, then how we perform.”
What a change to have an adult in charge of the national side after four years of all of us, including referees, administrators and coaches from overseas, having to endure the petulant and self-serving harangues of Michael Cheika.
Rennie did not resort to platitudes in his interviews, thankfully. He created plenty of real rugby news with his comments.
He wants the Wallabies, and by implication the Super Rugby sides, to be fitter than they have been for some years.
Rennie talked a lot about ‘conditioning.’ And by this he implied that the conditioning he had in mind involved physical and mental strengths:
“Just having a positive mindset around how we use the ball, then defensively we need to be well conditioned to bring line speed and try to slow their ball down to get in front and go again.”
The fact of the matter is that in the last few years Australian rugby sides have rarely snatched unlikely victories after a poor start. They have rarely been able to adjust to changing circumstances in the ebb and flow of a game.
There has not been a serious Super Rugby title challenge in that time and last year the Wallabies had one of their poorest years, in terms of results, ever.
Rennie said in interviews that he would pick on form.
How do the Wallabies rebuild? (Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
There are two things to like about this statement.
First, the coach should really be the final arbiter of the team he is supposed to coach to (hopefully) some success.
It is fine to have selectors to give a wider perspective, perhaps. But the person who carries the responsibility for the results of his team should also have the right to make the ultimate decisions about its composition.
Second, given that it is a new era after a Rugby World Cup tournament, and that the Wallabies have a new coach and coaching team, form rather than past achievements or potential must be the standard.
This standard allows the new coach to see the playing talent through a new lens, his eyes and expectations.
If Rennie is true to this commitment we could see significant changes in many of the positions, with previously favoured players being replaced by better players, who were somehow overlooked for reasons that did not equate with their performances on the field.
Rennie’s shutting down of the Giteau Law, with its 60 Tests, seven season restriction, is to be applauded.
His reasons for wanting his Wallabies to be playing at home are compelling:
“I think what’s really important is that we are picking guys from here,” Rennie said.
“We’ll have more influence if they are playing in a Super Rugby competition which we know is really strong. So I just think it’s important if you want to be a Wallaby, you need to be playing your footy down here… otherwise the fear is that you will have a lot of guys chasing the pound or the euro instead of plying their trade here.”
Rennie is insistent, as he should be, that the Super Rugby tournament is the best tournament to prepare players to succeed in Test and World Cup rugby.
“For us to have control over their development and conditioning and so on, they really need to be back here.”
Of course, the record of the Super Rugby countries at Rugby World Cup tournaments and overall in Tests against Six Nations teams suggests that an immersion of southern hemisphere rugby leads to the creation of the best players and teams.
There is the argument, too, that Rugby Australia should not be in the business of strengthening rugby tournaments in the northern hemisphere that seek to diminish the appeal of Super Rugby, on and off the field, by making it easier for senior players to become overseas Wallabies.
It is my contention, too, that these Giteau Law players rarely come back as improved players, especially after the grind of the European seasons played in the wet and cold.
The interesting aspect to Rennie’s attack on the Giteau Law is that Rugby Australia’s director of rugby Scott Johnson is undertaking a review of it.
Johnson is under pressure from player agents and managers to water down the Giteau Law.
Scott Johnson has a huge task on his hands at Rugby Australia. (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)
But Rennie’s Law, ‘If you want to be a Wallaby, play at home,’ should be now be respected by Johnson in his review.
Mark Evans, the boss of Andrew Forrest’s Global Rapid Rugby Competition, argues that any relaxation of Giteau’s Law would result in a “free for all” in which rugby “will end up like soccer and every single elite rugby player will play in Europe”.
This, of course, would be heaven for player agents and manager, but a disaster for Australian and world rugby.
Rennie also talked frankly about the captaincy of the Wallabies and the situation of the long-serving skipper Michael Hooper.
Hooper announced some days ago that he was going to stand down from the captaincy of the Waratahs.
Some of the rugby commentators suggested that this was done to ensure that he was fresh when the Test season started and, in turn, they presumed that he will automatically resume his captaincy role with the Wallabies.
But, again, Rennie revealed some refreshing clarity on the captaincy issue when asked about Hooper’s announcement:
“I’ve had no real thoughts around who’s going to captain or when we’re going to decide that. The key thing for me is earning the right. All those guys are going to have to play really well to make the team and then we’ll decide who the captain will be.”
Dave Rennie (AAP Image/SNPA, David Rowland)
Here are the designated captains of the Australian Super Rugby sides for 2020. They are, presumably, the possibilities to captain the Wallabies this year, along, of course, with Michael Hooper:
Allan Alaalatoa, the Brumbies prop and an obvious Wallaby selection, is the new captain of the Brumbies.
Dane Haylett-Petty is in his second year as captain of the Rebels and is not a must-be-selected Wallaby candidate – let alone a captaincy candidate.
Rob Simmons will captain the Waratahs, replacing Hooper, but is an unlikely starting Wallaby.
Liam Wright, an openside flanker like Michael Hooper, will captain the Reds for the first time. Wright is a rising champion who could challenge Hooper’s selection in the Wallabies as a starting player.
Here we get into the problem that Hooper as Wallaby captain poses for Rennie.
Throughout Hooper’s career openside flankers who were potentially better players than he has been had to leave Australian rugby (Liam Gill) or leave the Waratahs (Will Miller) because Hooper was the captain.
Australia’s full back Dane Haylett-Petty (R) celebrates with Australia’s flanker Michael Hooper (ODD ANDERSEN/AFP/Getty Images)
Hooper’s captaincy record hardly supports his automatic selection as an inspirational captain.
And it may be that Wright plays so well during the Super Rugby tournament that he becomes the number one openside flanker.
But even if this is the case, I believe Rennie would not hand the captaincy to someone new to the starting side as a permanent selection.
At this early stage and subject to performances or injury during the tournament, Alaalatoa could be a possibility as a new captain.
He is a world-class player and an established Wallaby prop. He has been a member of the Brumbies leadership group for some years. He has a presence about him that is impressive.
In a sense, he has been predestined for leadership. His father named him after Allan Border, a captain he admired.
The Brumbies players embraced the meme by giving him the nickname of ‘Captain Grumpy,’ even before his appointment as captain.
And his selection could help salve the feeling of some of the Pasifika group of players in the Super Rugby teams and the Wallabies who have been upset by the treatment of Israel Folau.
Dave Rennie (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)
Finally, Rennie revealed that even though he will be in Scotland throughout the Super Rugby tournament, he and his selectors will be picking a Wallabies team each week.
The emphasis from Rennie will clearly be a form-led revival of the Wallabies.
But this hope for a form-led revival of the Wallabies presupposes an improvement in the performance of the Australian Super Rugby teams.
Can we expect this given the average records of these Super Rugby coaches in previous seasons here and abroad?
Some but not all to this question will be revealed when the opening round of the 2020 Super Rugby tournament starts next Friday with a block-buster match-up between the Brumbies and the Reds.
This will be an early test of my fearless prediction for that the Brumbies will be the standout Australian Super Rugby team this season.
Tooly
Roar Rookie
Spot on. Nor should Cheika’s exiles be culled. We want the best we have ; Roosters not feather dusters.
Ex force fan
Guest
It would be incredibly stupid not to consider Force players for Wallaby selection. If a player shows potential he should at least get a good look in and should not have to move to a Superugby side before they are considered. If we can pick Wallaby players from Brisbane or Sydney club rugby level then surely GRR is good enough. It isn’t very likely that your provincial champions don’t have a single player worth considering for the national side. However the Clyne led RA have a track record to make some spiteful decisions when his ego got in the way of what is best for rugby. Maybe this will change now that he is leaving - a couple of years too late. I still predict that the quality of GRR will improve while Superugby will continue to slide as funding for Superugby dries up.
Paul D
Roar Rookie
"About the same as the Force then" Nope. Only two of the Force's starting 15 were new at the start of the NRC. Pama Fou and Byron Ralston. Maybe another 3 on the bench (Hardman, Grant and Strachan). A couple joined a few months before NRC and had been with the Force Squad for a while even if they didn't play GRR (Placid, Tuatara-Morrison) The Vikings had about 10 rookies in the 23. So thats 10 rookies to 5. Not the same. Not a bit the same.
JSJ
Roar Rookie
You said "Sign somebody who is remotely likely a walk up Wallaby and we’ll see." I thought you were somebody with influence! Anyway "a walk up Wallaby" should not exist. Whether he is an Australian playing well in some overseas competition. Or some high flying NRL convert who we drop straight into the Wallaby team before they have played much Union, like we have done in the past. Or even a current Wallaby on a 5 year million $ PA ++ contract with the RA.
Paul D
Roar Rookie
What do you need my support for? Are you a phantom potential Wallaby thinking about signing for the Force? What purpose would my support serve? I’m not a selector.
JSJ
Roar Rookie
You say "Sign somebody who is remotely likely a walk up Wallaby and we’ll see." Can I look forward to your support then? I am a Wallaby fan as well , so I am not just batting for the Force and their players. I am tired of seeing the Wallabies perform poorly each year. There has been a lot else wrong with Wallaby selection process in the past and I was hoping it would the appointment of Scott Johnson and Dave Rennie would change things.
Paul D
Roar Rookie
If the Force had signed JOC for example to play GRR this year, would he have been dropped straight into the Wallabies last year as he was? Sign somebody who is remotely likely a walk up Wallaby and we’ll see.
JSJ
Roar Rookie
You say "" I think the path to the Wallabies is still likely to necessitate moving to one of the Super franchises."" That my gripe exactly Drew. So if DHP moved back home to be with his family and their business, he would likely not get another game for the Wallabies. The Wallabies have picked players coming back from playing in overseas club competitions before they had played a single Super game. If the Force had signed JOC for example to play GRR this year, would he have been dropped straight into the Wallabies last year as he was? I doubt it.
JSJ
Roar Rookie
You say "but 5 were new to the setup at the commencement of the NRC. " About the same as the Force then. We are talking about the NRC grand final, so those 5 had played up to 8 NRC games for the Vikings by then. The Force players looked a lot fitter than the the Vikings and ran over the top of them in the last 15 minutes in their round 4 meeting and the grand final.
Drew
Roar Rookie
@JSJ, as others have highlighted and I originally said it is very hard to truly compare. I also think you might be a little myopic in focusing on the one NRC final game. The Force was dominate across the tournament, no doubt but they were not miles ahead of some of the other teams. The games against Brisbane City were very close and NSW Country had a pretty dominate win over them. These were teams that had, had a lot less times together with a lot more players in an out. Not to mention players probably getting paid a lot less than The Force squad. The gap between NRC and SuperRugby is still not insignificant unless it evolves into a more professional venture as AndyS mentions. Until things change I think the path to the Wallabies is still likely to necessitate moving to one of the Super franchises.
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
Indeed Andy. It certainly is the standard to aspire to.
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
The Rebels do. Other states just signed them also. There's Melbourne produced players at every Super Rugby team and the Force (such as Kitione Ratu). That's how professional sport works. This was definitely a poor year for the Rebels in 20s. But it's peaks and troughs. WA has had many poor years in that regards (e.g. 2019, 2018). It's also not necessarily 6 members. Byron Ralston for example is a Queenslander signed to the Force. Maybe they've got their development right and it's a sign of things to come.
Paul D
Roar Rookie
Just looking at the final. 8 of the starting 15 from the Vikings were not part of the Brumbies all year. A few joined mid season but 5 were new to the setup at the commencement of the NRC. Looks like most of the bench were new also. So about 10 of the 23 were new to the Brumbies at the start of the NRC. Nearly half. Not on any planet did any NRC team, including the vikings, have as much preparation and time together as the Force.
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
There was still a handful of Super Rugby quality players that didn't play so there is some depth around (Ainsley, Uelese, Magnay, English, Louwrens, Tuttle, Hardwick, Wilkin and Semisi Tupou). Some were injured so that's life, but some are just back from Japan and some of those injured players would play if it was a meaningful game. Could be a struggle with their depth, but what we do know is a number of those bench players won't feature in the 23 even once this season. I'm not writing Deegan off for not dominating, but it's not like he looked class and composed but just couldn't do much with lack of opportunities. I think it indicates he's a Super Rugby 23 standard player - not starting standard. Wessels treated the trials as a joke except for 40 minutes against the Brumbies. Poor form from him really. Even the 25 that played that Brumbies game had 3 uncontracted players on the bench and another development player.
JSJ
Roar Rookie
So TWAS how is your Rebel development squad going.? From memory you had just one U20 squad member against six from WA. Why cant you develop your own players instead of signing all these ex-Force players.?
JSJ
Roar Rookie
TWAS, the Rebels were very poor in the second half in the trial game against the Brumbies when they put all the reserves on, especially in the forwards. As you say Deegan wasn't poor, but it would be hard to shine as a flyhalf, when your forwards were getting smashed. I did not see their previous trial game against the Reds, but read the report that said they were flogged playing mainly their newer/younger players. It could be a long hard year for the Rebels if they get a few injuries to the top players.
JSJ
Roar Rookie
Paul, The Vikings were almost all part of the Brumbies squad and trained together all year and played up to 14 Super games before the NRC comp started. It was only their Brumbies Wallabies at the World Cup that were missing from the Vikings. The Force had 3 players at the World Cup, who did not play NRC. Both sides had a few new faces in NRC filling in for injuries.
Phil
Guest
Well put,Cam.It's good to let the players know there are no favourites and if you are performing well then you have as good a chance as the next one.But I also think he would not discount history of a player with the Wallabies either.For example,it could be that Wright and Hooper both have a fantastic SR season,so who would you pick?Bring on the Hooper knockers now!I am sure Hooper's experience with the Wallabies and RWC form would come into the final selection decision.
Old Bugger
Guest
I suggest in his early years as WB coach, Cheika had minimal contact with the respective SR coaches. It was a realisation that his WB record was failing to produce any positive results combined with what was happening in the other Sanzar nations between the national coach and SR coaches (eg SARU and NZR), that Cheika saw the possibility of player and strategic improvements for his chosen national squad(s). I also suggest with Johnson's arrival, that Cheika had no option but to improve his communication with the SR coaches and I think, this was very much to his disappointment and possibly one reason why he came out after RWC 2019 saying his relationship with both Castle and Johnson, was virtually non-existent. Rennie was right to comment that communication had improved because it was an aspect that Johnson whole-heartedly pursued, once he became RA's Director of Rugby. But hey, who cares - thing is Rennie has a couple of seasons in my reckoning to get the WBs to be not only a competitive rugby nation but also, a winning rugby nation. I just hope it's against everyone else and not, my ABs.
AndyS
Guest
Indeed. Gives an idea what teams in a professional NRC might look like, if such a thing were ever to eventuate.