Joe Schmidt has locked down the world’s top scrum guru, Mike Cron, as part of his Wallabies coaching team.
The Kiwi, known as the ‘scrum doctor’ has been an assistant at five men’s World Cups and one women’s tournament and was most recently World Rugby’s set-piece consultant at last year’s World Cup where he worked alongside referees, analysing every scrum decision.
His technical nous and standing in the game are a massive boost for the Wallabies as they try to rebuild after Eddie Jones.
Cron, uncle of Western Force coach Simon, will join defence coach Laurie Fisher in a pared back coaching team where Schmidt is expected to have responsibility for attack. It’s believed that Schmidt is looking to fill just one more role – a lineout coach.
Mike Cron. (Photo by Kai Schwoerer/Getty Images)
That’s in contrast to the Wallabies under Jones, who had respected Neal Hatley as scrum coach, rugby league’s Brett Hodgson and Jason Ryles, and former scrumhalf Pierre-Henry Broncan as a maul coach and Dan Palmer on lineouts. The reduced number can be linked to the overspend on the failed World Cup campaign.
But Schmidt has clearly opted for quality over quantity. Cron has been coaching for more than 30 years, and was an assistant with the All Blacks for more than 200 Tests.
“For me, it is a magnificent launching pad if you do it correctly. You need the cattle and the right attitude,” Cron said of the scrum in an interview with the Irish Examiner last year.
“The biggest thing, the scrum should be seen as a positive thing not a negative. A chance to attack. It is where the characters of the team usually are, even if they are scallywags. It can be something great.”
In the same interview he gave an insight into his approach to coaching.
“At the elite level you are finetuning, one or two percent. Think of the golf coach, educating and coaching one of the best players in the world. Every day he goes out you are looking to make sure he doesn’t develop a slice or hook.
“You fix that technique before it becomes a problem or a habit. Your job at the top level is to educate and continually improve them. Sit there and analyse the biomechanics at training. You identify if something is off and fix it. You never get to a stage where you sit back and say job done.”
Cron is a believer in innovation.
“I look at other sports really to try and upskill myself,” Cron told NewsHub.
“In the past I’ve been to sumo wrestling in Japan or in America, the New York giants, Knicks, Yankees, Pittsburgh Penguins.
“This year I went to the Royal New Zealand ballet for their lifting and I went into cage fighting on the Gold Coast, looking at activities, how to get off the ground quickly, those sort of things.
“Every year you have to be better than last year otherwise you shouldn’t be here, so that’s the first thing.”
Meanwhile, the Wallabies also announced Chris Thomson has been appointed as team manager in a key backroom appointment.
Thomson joins the Wallabies from the ACT Brumbies, where he has been in the role of General Manager of Professional Rugby and Pathways since 2022 and he replaced Chris Webb in the role.
He was previously employed at World Rugby as the High-Performance Project Manager for Pathways and Player Development and before that was the General Manager of the Fijian Drua, departing after the team won the 2018 National Rugby Championship.
Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt said of the two appointments: : “Mike has added tremendous value in every programme he has been involved with and brings a wealth of knowledge to our coaching group.”
“Knowing Chris from his time at World Rugby, he will work extremely hard behind the scenes to make sure we are well organised from an off-field perspective.”
LeftRightOut
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Yes Jimmy!
Tom G
Roar Rookie
Eddie was probably the only coach that the Hamster had ever heard of and therefore he saw him as a silver bullet. You could tell by the swagger and arrogance at the appointment… tge clown though that he’d won the lottery.. He bought into Eddie’s fever dream of winning the RWC on a smash and grab mission. :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: Such a dope that bloke
Busted Fullback
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Understand your reasoning Rolando. I’m thinking that the WB coaches should be spending genuine time with SR coaches and community coaches and wonder if that would leave the amount of time Gilmore would need.
jimmy jones
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Lancaster was looking at schools for his kids in Brisbane, he was that close to signing! I thin he wouldve done well here
Jacko
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I think its his own production team. No one would cast that bad lol.
Rolando
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He took the Aus U20’s to runners up in U20 World Cup and winners of Oceania U20 Cup. In 2022 Gilmore coached Aus A to 2nd in Pacific Nations Cup. He hasn’t been OS. I don’t hold his credentials in high regard next to other more experienced coaches but I’d like to think that the Aus A coach can be somewhat mentored by the WB’s coach.
Busted Fullback
Roar Rookie
That’s it. Once the side is picked, and the players don’t do that themselves, it’s up to us to get behind and support them. No one goes onto the field intending to come second. Let’s hope RA take the same attitude. Go Wallabies!
Short-Blind
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Sure, but that's what opinion sites like this are for mate. BTW I'm a busted old fullback/10 as well. :stoked: Good luck to whoever gets a run and go Wallabies!
Stu
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Correct mate. I didn’t say I disagreed.. just didn’t understand.
Micko
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I think everyone has acknowledged that Schmidt is an excellent coach. Rennie was harshly dealt, but it seemed the former Chairman McClennan had a personal agenda to get Eddie Jones in as coach, and it backfired horrendously.
rusty
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In Vegas for sure !!
Sage
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You'd have to think it's a given. Pretty low bar
Sage
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Agreed. That was so wrong. Horrible miscasting
Sage
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Incredibly humble grinners though...
Wig1
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Multi skilled in the modern age
Wig1
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Hey stu you didn't have a general comment to the article I see, just nitpicking is it
Wig1
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That's 100% true. And we can be thankfully for that and I'm not being nasty, And the reason is obvious you have to come though playing on frozen paddocks as a youngster the nz way, unfortunately Australia needs top coaches if they kiwis they are, can they save the wallaby's that's probly 50/50. Will the fans like it ? Many don't and the knives will come out
Wig1
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Ken oath
Jacko
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LOL Just not the Tom Cruise version......
Decoy
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For the first time in many years I am truly apprehensive about the Wallaby coaches. If these guys can't lift them to competitive levels no-one can.