While reading David Campese’s book “The Last of the Dream Sellers”, I came across the name Geoff Mould, who I had either forgotten about or was not totally familiar with.
After delving into his history, I learnt more about the man and his rugby coaching philosophy. I had discovered a kindred soul who shared my belief in running rugby and scoring tries.
“I’m not into the kicking business, rolling mauls and repetitive scrums. It’s boring, all the teams that I’ve coached, and there’s been a lot of them over the years, have stuck very much to the pattern of play that I demand and that’s running rugby,” Mould told the Daily Telegraph.
Campese’s book describes Mould’s coaching of Mark Ella at Matraville High School, influenced by the “father of running rugby” Cyril Towers. Ella recalls; “we played a close-quarters support game, standing flat as well as close, so all we had to do was hand the ball to each other, performed at pace with simple passing to each other”. Ella noted, “many of the backline moves that the Australian team used at Test level in the early 1980s… were moves that we had used back in the Matraville under fifteens, we just took then with us as we moved up the ladder”.
Wallabies legend Mark Ella. (Photo by Getty Images)
Geoff Mould coached the basic principles of the game at entry level – handling, tackling and running and when they made it to the elite level, they have all the basic skills and fitness. You can see in today’s Wallabies the lack of basic skills hampering their performances. In Mould’s philosophy it was indoctrinated that you attack from any position on the field with supreme fitness and team support.
When Mould coached the Australian Schoolboys on their memorable tour of England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales and France in 1977/78, the boys were told that if they kicked unnecessarily, they would be dropped. Their theory was simple – run and pass at speed with unlimited support.
Another stipulation of Mould’s is that those who train will play. Imagine if this criteria was preached to today’s schoolboys and the difference it would make?
So, who is Geoff Mould?
He was born in 1934 and spent his childhood in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales. Geoff played rugby and cricket at school and represented Australia in baseball. As with his father he was a renaissance man with combined interests in art and rugby. “I was a bit of an anomaly,” he explains. “The bohemian, arty farty life, doesn’t really mix with sport.
Dual international Michael O’Connor also learned under Geoff Mould. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)
The life of an artist was not quite financially fulfilling, so he became an art teacher before finding his true calling as a Physical Education teacher, enjoying the interacting with the children. After running school sport in New South Wales, he started coaching schoolboy rugby teams. The 1977/78 Australian Schoolboys team was one of the great school teams and produced great players including Michael O’Connor, Michael Hawker, the Ella brothers and Wally Lewis.
Remarkably, ten Wallabies rose from the tour. The team won 17 of 17 encounters and established Geoff Mould as an innovative coach.
After retiring from teaching he became a globetrotter, plying his trade around the world including New York, New Hampshire, South Africa, Argentina, New Zealand, Fiji and Samoa. A split with his second wife prompted his move to Sawtell in Coffs Harbour, where he coached the Coffs Harbour Rugby Club. He returned to coaching the Australian under-21s but retired in 2009.
At the age of 76, Mould was enticed to coach the first-grade side again and they won the competition in 2011. He planned to retire at the age of 79 but was still getting offers from around the world, but by then he felt he was too old.
It is quite apparent that great players do not always make great coaches, but excellent people managers do. The great player finds it difficult to understand the failings of inferior players, but a person-manager will bring out the best in a player and give them confidence to become a valuable member of the team.
A priority is getting to know the individuals and establishing the leaders of the group. Teachers are well equipped to become efficient rugby coaches, with Geoff Mould no exception. Taking a class and building a harmonious group that excels and returns good results is like the role of the rugby coach.
Is there a place in today’s rugby for a coach like Geoff Mould to earn their stripes in schoolboy rugby and build a career peaking on the international stage? I certainly hope so, with running rugby the goal.
sheek
Roar Guru
Peter, I've been looking for this comment to share with Roarers. I had it tucked away somewhere, just had to find it. Way back in 2003 the Wallabies could still play rugby well & had a very good backline, ie: Rogers, Sailor, Mortlock, Flatley, Tuqiri, Larkham, Gregan; backups: Latham, Turinui, Burke, Herbert, Roff, Giteau, Whitaker; there's more: Staniforth, Tune, Grey, Cordingley. Phillip Derriman wrote an article in the SMH where he detailed Johnnie Wallace's attacking philosophy then sought out Geoff Mould's thoughts on the current (then 2003) Wallabies backline play. This is what Mould said. They diverge from (Johnnie) Wallace's mantra (captain of 1927/28 Waratahs) in 3 ways: 1. They tend to run at an angle instead of straight. 2. They are often barely moving when they receive the ball. 3. Instead of working closely together & transferring the ball with short, 'sympathetic' passes they tend to stand far apart & throw long passes. And this was the c. 2001-03 Wallabies who could play decent rugby! It seems the more things change the more they stay the same. I don't think rugby is that complicated. But too many rugby folk complicate it by letting their dreaded idealogy or confirmation bias get in the way. Just stick to the basics.
Peter Darrow
Roar Guru
Thank you Sheek
Pickett
Roar Rookie
Peter Darrow, Great article. I've always had a theory that if you want to learn/develop your leadership, you should become a high school teacher. Here you have to lead kids (especially boys) who don't want to be lead. You have to lead recalcitrants by persuasion and not by sanctions such as thereat of sackings or promise of promotion etc. It's no coincidence that there are so many NRL coaches who used to be high school teachers - off the top of my head, Roy Masters, Warren Ryan, Tim Sheens, Des Hasler, Daniel Anderson come to mind, but I believe there were many more. In RU, successful coaches include Alan Jones and Graham Henry who were school teachers. Vince Lombardi was also a high school chemistry teacher who taught chemistry with as much intensity and attention to detail as he did when coaching the Green Bay Packers. It is such an important profession and it's so important to have more male teachers who will not just be chemistry teachers, but teachers of life and being role models especially for young men who don't have many examples to look up to.
sheek
Roar Guru
Peter Darrow, Outstanding article. These kind of historical throwbacks are becoming rarer on The Roar.
sheek
Roar Guru
Daffyd, Haberecht is correct.
Daffyd
Roar Rookie
Me too! at the TG Milner
K.F.T.D.
Roar Rookie
Interesting!
The Late News
Roar Rookie
Yep that's what Robbie Dean's said after the first wallabies training run. Slow and no skills!
Don
Roar Rookie
I'm with you TLN. Rather than "running rugby" or the other stuff that has gets reminisced over from that schoolboys side through the Ellas era - which is great fun, we need to accept it mostly wouldn't work today. The lesson we should be taking out of our successful eras is that when we were consistently able to beat the best sides it was because we played smart and / or innovative Rugby. We ran more when other sides kicked more, we focused on improving our defence when other sides were giving attack and kicking priority etc. Ask most Kiwis and Saffas watching rugby in the 90s - 2000s and they will almost universally tell you they believed their sides man for man were better or at worst the equal to the Aus side. They were regularly frustrated by Aus because we rarely gave up easy scoring opportunities, we were solid without being the best in all areas, were not easily picked apart, and importantly, we played clever attacking rugby that found ways / put us in position to win games. Today? Well, over the past decade we've tried to be innovative and overly complicated without first being competent at the core elements of the game. Discipline, scrum, line out, defence, kicking, defending in position, ruck, maul...get these elements rock solid (does not have to be world's best) and then you can build some attack from there. And FFS, if a player cannot pass well on both sides at full pace without breaking stride, under pressure, they are not a 10, centre or fullback. They are barely a wing today so can we please stop selecting them...
Daffyd
Roar Rookie
Busted, when I was at school it was the same, schools ran and grade rugby rarely - few teams ran, they mostly played percentage rugby as did test matches. This is one of the reasons the BarBars V All Blacks of '73 was so brilliant. Rep rugby just wasn't played that way. The generation of Oz schoolboys of 77/78 - (from both Qld & NSW) resulted in a team that was typical of schools rugby, but with the extra magic the Ellas provided. (Sometimes I wonder just how much that single BarBars game influenced that generation of boys who were playing U13 & U14). I was fortunate (maybe unfortunate :) to be part of that generation. And then, they 'graduated' as seniors to the test arena of the 80s which was arguably Australia greatest ever era. Certainly the depth of players we had then has never been repeated.
K.F.T.D.
Roar Rookie
I had Wayne Bennett on my team’s wing before he coached the Broncos. He is relentless and full on , but a good guy. Playing union in lower grades.
DaniE
Roar Guru
Great article Peter, fantastic to have the spotlight shone on Geoff Mould. Would also like to have his daughter Karen Mould noted as an influence in high school rugby in Sydney, successfully coaching Randwick Boys' High school teams and school rep teams in the 1990s and 2000s. She was an inspiration to me. I love that the family legacy is coaching expertise at the development and club level - where the impacts on the broad numbers of players are the greatest.
Busted Fullback
Roar Rookie
One of the things I learnt, I think it was from Barry, it doesn’t matter if the opposition know what you’re going to do, they still have to stop you. And, if a move works, keep using it until it doesn’t. Was lucky to play a social game with the following backline: 9 Mick Barry, 10 Geoff Richardson, 11 Frank Melloy, 12 Barry Honan, 13 David L’Estrange, 14 a young mate and15 me. What a learning experience. Talking of teacher coaches, Geoff Richardson at BBC then later at the Gold Coast as Head Coach of South Coast Region. They really improved under his guidance. Funny how the English introduced Rugby to all their colonies as a training ground for the future leaders that the Home Office would not be able provide.
Busted Fullback
Roar Rookie
The Valley, late 60s to ‘76.
K.F.T.D.
Roar Rookie
Wonderful person and coach- clear and concise- devoted to the running game. Would have made a great Aussie coach- imagine that -having the first female coach of the Wallabies. Pat Howard would come down and play 4th grade- he lifted not only his players, but every other team he played against. They all knew who he was and I think when the the game was over, there were 30 young players who learnt a lesson. He would call plays so everyone could hear, but the opposing side couldn’t stop them. If only other Wallabies would come back to grass roots and do the same. Cheers.
K.F.T.D.
Roar Rookie
So it’s true! He couldn’t swim. Did she swim at Langlands?
Busted Fullback
Roar Rookie
G’day Peter. Cyril Towers’ influence cannot be underestimated. His daughter, Marguerite, married Wallaby prop Jake Howard and was mother of Pat. She was a qualified teacher and colts premiership winning coach in Brisbane. She also coached North’s Premier grade side for some time. She went to Dublin, I believe it was Trinity College, with Jake and was his backs coach. Held the same position at UQ in Brisbane. The most creative, innovative coach I came across was my senior maths teacher. He was also a senior physics teacher. Unfortunately for me, I was never coached by him but he did become my coach mentor. He was also an ex-Wallaby and an Australian Schoolboy coach. He is Barry Honan. Unfortunately, I believe the opportunities for school coaches to advance further in Australian rugby have been severely reduced by the introduction of the academies into the SR franchises, where they want professional coaches, and schools looking to employ ex-professionals as their rugby coordinators and/or coaches. Schoolboy rugby, at least in Brisbane, has always been open, running... and entertaining. Funny how that tends to stop at the academy, the point of transition. Professional rugby has a lot to answer for.
Busted Fullback
Roar Rookie
G’day TLN. The problem as I saw it was not the idea of running rugby, that’s what the ABs do on counter attack, but the players’ lack of all the basic skills and fitness.
Busted Fullback
Roar Rookie
KFTD, Mrs Busted was coached by Joe King, an absolute genius of a coach and a wonderful human being. One year at the end of training, just before the Christmas break, he was light-heartedly thrown in the pool... and sank like small child who couldn’t swim. Suddenly the pool was full of people trying to save him. That’s how much he was loved by his swimmers.
The Late News
Roar Rookie
No disrespect here Peter but Cheika pushed the running rugby line. It's always the past isn't it? Like wingers throwing into line outs, and no replacements unless the doctor said they were finished for the afternoon. We need to be aware of the past, sure, but look forever forward to what might be. That's rugby. Always changing, never still.