The Lachie Swinton debacle is the reason fans will keep pulling their hair out over the TMO and over-officious refereeing.
The reason for having touch judges in the first place was to catch the BIG stuff… stiff arm tackles, dangerous spear tackles, blatant high shots with the shoulder and so on.
The TMO was an extra layer to make sure culprits were caught.
Fans have every right to be irate. Every pernickety movement in the game is under scrutiny but you can’t pick up the big stuff like Swinton flattening Jake Strahan with a lummoxy shoulder?
Don’t just call out the TMO. What about the touch judge? Vision shows him looking at Strahan kicking the ball. Surely, some instincts must have twitched when Strahan didn’t immediately get up.
Some might see the upside as Swinton now not giving away a yellow card at a crucial time at the World Cup.
Restful Wallabies
There was a time when Australian clubs moaned about Kiwi sides heading to these shores without their top line-ups.
That moan can never go up again. The ACT Brumbies sent an under-strength side to Christchurch when they rested a number of Wallabies.
The NSW Waratahs are doing the same for Saturday with Michael Hooper, Lalakai Foketi and Mark Nawaqanitawase taking the game off for workload reasons.
Without that trio, it’s pretty well impossible for the Waratahs to beat the Blues at Eden Park no matter how much effort is put in.
The Brumbies were 18-point losers to the Crusaders in March. The Waratahs will be lucky to get that close.
Reds’ coaching race
The race to replace coach Brad Thorn for 2024 has one less runner with Queenslander Tim Sampson committing to the Melbourne Rebels until the end of 2025.
The Rebels assistant coach is one of the few contenders that the Reds could have canvassed with previous head coaching experience in Super Rugby because of his time at the Western Force.
Exactly what does the race look like?
Well, the NSW Waratahs infatuation with Kiwi coaches Daryl Gibson and Rob Penney leaves no legacy on the Shute Shield or Australian Super Rugby scene just a few years later. They are not now giving back to a lower level of the game.
It’s fine to have all these high and mighty ideas about canvassing the world for the best coach.
At some point, Australian coaches have to be given the reins of Australian teams. That’s a lasting investment.
Kiwi Vern Cotter might be a top coach but he collects clubs and moves on. Forget him.
Former Wallabies coach Robbie Deans has connections and an understanding of Australian rugby. The Reds can’t come close to matching what he commands in Japan.
(Photo by Charlie Crowhurst/Getty Images)
Finding someone with head coaching pedigree is important. The Reds of 2024 will be at a far more mature stage of development than the babes of 2018 when Thorn was also a rookie coach learning on the job.
Coaches like Rod Seib, current assistant coach Mick Heenan and Japan-based Zane Hilton all have strong Queensland roots but without head coaching experience at Super Rugby level.
It will be fascinating to see which way the Reds go.
Shopping spree at the Force
You have to hand it to the Western Force. They are doing their best to find and sign players who can make a difference.
Signing former Wallabies backrower Isi Naisarani will definitely boost their forwards stocks. He’s a workhorse ball-carter and lineout winner.
Openside flanker Carlo Tizzano throws huge energy at a game and a good deal of it is productive. Since his Waratahs days, let’s hope he’s learnt not to break manically from scrums and leave the inside channel open for the opposition.
Winger Zach Kibirige, centre Sam Spink and halfback Gareth Simpson have all been quality signings from the English Premiership.
If the Force are to fire a shot in this second half of the season, it has to start on Saturday night at Perth’s HBF Park with knocking off the Highlanders without Aaron Smith.
Bliksem
Roar Rookie
I hope the TMO who missed the Swinton hit will be demoted but I won’t hold my breath That is the point, the officials seem not to be accountable for obvious mistakes in open play. It was a game changing decision that favoured the home side and all the referees including the TMO got it very wrong. Not good enough at this level.
East Coast Aces
Roar Rookie
To be fair, Styles wasn't even given 2 full seasons as heach coach to fix issues from Richard Graham. Thorn was given more time then basically any other coach and I don't think his stats stack up very well. Even if you include the 2 years of Covid Super Rugby AU
East Coast Aces
Roar Rookie
Either head coaches don't want to have assistant coaches below them that threaten their future job security or experienced coaches don't want to be assistant coaches in Aus.
East Coast Aces
Roar Rookie
The bright side of Swinton suspension is for the tahs who can't pick him now. The downside is people who still think he's a good player will have a lot less games to see him play and how mediocre he really is. I'd love for Deans, Laurie Fisher or Mckenzie to coach the Reds. A kid can dream. My next picks would be Matt Taylor or Jason Gilmore.
Red Rob
Roar Rookie
Yes it gets a bit chicken and egg, I guess.
Filstrup
Roar Rookie
I think Winton got the wrong rugby code, he should change codes and go with the NRL heavy hitters.
Jacko
Roar Rookie
I would have thought that all these Kiwi coaches or any other OS coach would be having assistant coaches mainly from Aus so I see that as the place where Aus coaches should be developing. Sadly those guys seem to get moved around etc too. Look at what D McKeller thought was going to happen.
SDRedsFan
Roar Rookie
The point about QLD not being able to afford Robbie Deans is the main issue, isn't it? If we can't afford to pay for an experienced coach then what's the point in moaning about it. I dare say that's why the appointments come from the Ballymore carpark, because we can't afford to cast the net any wider. As Perthstayer says, more money needs to come out of RA for coaching (as in a whole system). Personally, I'd prefer to see $1.6m p.a. thrown at our coaching system rather than one player from another code.
Bobby
Roar Rookie
Thanks Jim. Interesting that you don't mention the most likely candidate, Matt Taylor. Highly thought of at Ballymore, a QLD lad with some intl experience ( as an Assistant). Believe his son goes to school on the Goldie. Little "noise" about him, so he IS the Chosen One.
woodart
Roar Rookie
but those players would go straight into their n.p.c. comp. oh....
Big Dave
Roar Rookie
If it was 4 teams then you'd have 7 teams with nothing left to play for aleady....
Perthstayer
Roar Rookie
Good Force summary. Need to win our games (and spark declining attendance). A problem with hiring Aussies is hoping the problem solves itself. Fresh ideas are needed. Maybe RA could fund a coaching program, or an academy with top o'seas coaches to come for 2 week camps, or even get NH clubs to employ Aussie coaches and RA shares/pays their salary. Perhaps Eddie should have a few Aussie coaches in camp as observers! RA will have some money in coming years, and coaching needs to get some of it.
Tooly
Roar Rookie
The Reds might be able to get Eddie back if they wait till after the WC .
Red Rob
Roar Rookie
Yep, (and apologies for continuing to bring up NRL egs) a google of NRL Dolphins assistant coach Kristian Woolf shows he has vastly wider and deeper experience, here and o/s, than most Aus SR coaching candidates. And he will spend 2 years under master coach Wayne Bennett before he sits in the big chair. That’s what Aus rugby should be aiming to replicate.
Noodles
Roar Rookie
Rob, your point is understandable. But Jim's point is strategic and applies across the board. RA and the States should be working to a strategy that cements pathways for players, refs and coaches in Australia. Everyone would like immediate results, but if we keep burning players and coaches with short term "fixes" (like the Rennie decision and the RL marquee spend) we will have no attraction to anyone.
Adsa
Roar Rookie
The development of rugby in Europe and Japan is rapid and the 'IT' from these areas far outweighs what is on offer from the Hospitals Cup. I hope the Reds employ a coach from outside the Qld Rugby. The best coach Qld have had was McKenzie and he was from outside the Qld rugby landscape.
KW
Roar Rookie
Restful Wallabies - this is the issue with this comp, its a top 8 which means a very average points at the end of the comp gets you in, so why fly all your best players to NZ, save them for the finals. Pessimistic yes, but if the comp was a top 6 or 4 then all games would count.
Jimbo81
Roar Rookie
The Reds should start talking to Andy Farrell ahead of Ireland's inevitable quarter final exit so that when he's sacked we get a great head coach.
LuckyPhil
Roar Rookie
It’s fine to have all these high and mighty ideas about canvassing the world for the best coach. At some point, Australian coaches have to be given the reins of Australian teams. That’s a lasting investment. Finding someone with head coaching pedigree is important. I'm confused. Do we give Australian coaches a go, or do we limit ourselves to only those with head coaching pedigree (of which there are really no Australian coaches...)?
numpty
Roar Rookie
I take your point re: coaches Jim, but is a SR head coach position the place for learning/development? To my mind, I think you could bring in an experienced coach for the reds with Heenan (or someone similar) underneath to learn from and develop (think O’gara at saders). There are more ways then being thrown in the deep end to upskill. Alternately, you can appoint a lesser experienced coach like heenan/thorn/coleman, but give them the right support in the form of experienced assistants which I think worked for thorn when jim mckay was under him. This way we ‘use’ the overseas talent for the benefit of Aus, just like the NH currently gets benefit from alot of Aus coaching IP. Scott wisemantel only lives a couple of hours away… Can’t help but think NZ handles their coaching roles, development and handovers so much better.