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Fresh from delivering the worst year for the Wallabies since 1958, Michael Cheika is reported to have a roadshow with Rugby Australia’s high-performance manager scheduled next week to visit the Australian Super Rugby franchises.
The 37-18 thumping Eddie Jones’s England dished out to Michael Cheika’s Wallabies at Twickenham seals a record number of successive wins by England over Australia, another dubious record that Michael Cheika has collected as Wallabies coach since 2016.
With the break in the test season this weekend, I decided to take a YouTube trip down memory lane and watch the Brumbies host the Crusaders in Canberra in the 2004 Super Rugby final.
Michael Cheika has repeatedly told the Australian rugby community about how much he cares about the Wallabies, and with the commitment and passion he displays in public, there is every reason to believe him.
I’m sad to see Perese go, he was a true talent ball in hand and the most aggressive winger I have ever seen. I still remember the “thump” that reverberated into the stands in the Tahs game last year, when he hit 123kg Taquele Naiyaravoro under the ribs and sent him off. It’s probably for the best that he is going to do what he wants to though and it will be great to have Sef Naiavalu in the team, he was impressive on the spring tour and the reds will definitely be above to use him.
Australian rugby dealt massive blow with Izaia Perese set for shock code switch
Oh well, having been gifted a near Wallabies squad from other states, I am sure that the Rebels will be satisfied at the opportunity to send one of their own products in the other direction.
Australian rugby dealt massive blow with Izaia Perese set for shock code switch
Yeah sorry Brett, I didn’t take it that way but my post this morning might have come across a bit irritatable. Goes to show that I shouldn’t write about the Wallabies before my second cup of coffee.
I disagree with your assessment of Super club self interest though. They are separate enterprises that have responsibilities to their own fans before the Wallabies.
The only way resting Wallabies could happen without killing our super team’s chances against the foreign teams, would be to only rest players during Australian derby matches, cancelling the disadvantage out, but then fans would be paying Super Rugby prices to watch a glorified NRC. That is a big ask at the best of times but with no realistic chance of a payoff with the Wallabies? I think you will find that a lot would say “forget it”.
Cheika is only having to deal with exactly the same challenge that every other more successful Wallabies coach has had to in the history of the professional game, he shouldn’t expect to be able to just demand that the clubs rest players. He certainly didn’t as Tahs coach in 2015, even though he was moving into the Wallabies gig that season.
Like I alluded to in the article, I would support more cooperation if it was being led by somebody competent for the right reasons. By a losing coach who looks like he just wants to save his own bacon and shift blame, irrespective of the consequences?
Forget it.
Australian rugby can turn this corner, but only if it wants to
“As long as a balanced, equitable, and staggered approach to resting players can be found – and that the resting is done early in the season, not on the eve of finals – then the greater good needs to be put before self-interest.”
Who said anything about self interest?
The entire premise of my article was that the greater good will be served in by promoting that part of the professional game, which has a chance to succeed next year. That part isn’t the Wallabies under this coach, there is a massive weight of evidence supporting that, the Super Rugby teams are where the game will be rebuilt.
If you want to call out self interest in Australian rugby, I would suggest you start with Cheika and whoever is keeping him in the job. Because it is unfathomable that they are doing what they are doing for the greater good.
Australian rugby can turn this corner, but only if it wants to
Ben, I suggest you read up on the “sunk cost fallacy” and then reflect on the “rabbit hole” comment.
As I asked another poster who said something similar in response to my article, how do you see resting a few players fixing the Wallabies scrum, the lineout, kicking, breakdown work, handling and defence? Because none of those things were working this season and they have very little to nothing to do with fatigue management. Cheika isn’t going to turn things around Mate, he just lacks the ability to do so.
Cheika should rest players. Here's why
“Without the Wallaby top ups the Super Rugby teams would lose their Wallabies to overseas.”
Without the players having a Super Rugby club the Wallabies would also lose their players overseas. I suppose some could be played under Giteau’s rule, but I doubt the likes of Mourad Boudjellal would be keen to rest those players either. Rugby Australia needs the Super Rugby clubs as much as the vice versa and in this case, they hold all the cards. Plus votes to sack RA Board Members, as Alan Jones keeps reminding us lately.
The Aussie Super Rugby teams should not ruin the 2019 Super Rugby season by resting Wallabies
Congratulations on your first article Ben but I respectfully suggest that you are writing about a different issue to the one I covered in my article. If the Super Rugby coaches want to rest players to give new ones a run then that is their business. What I object to is them being pressured to sign up to a 20% reduction in playing and training time for Wallabies at Cheika’s behest. They should also not be giving away their Wallabies for Cheika’s proposed 10 day pre season camp, that is their time to get their teams humming for the Super Rugby season.
With the Wallabies being irretrievably woeful under Cheika the Super Rugby teams should be focused on giving fans a good Super Rugby season, because next year that is the best we can expect.
Cheika should rest players. Here's why
I agree that franchises should try out new players where possible Ben, but that should be on their terms, not because a losing Wallabies coach is imposing on them to save his bacon. We also need to be realistic that some franchises are low on real gamebreakers at present and just can’t afford to give them up. The flip side is that clubs like the Reds and Brumbies are giving lots of new players a go anyway, simply because they only have a few current Wallabies.
The Aussie Super Rugby teams should not ruin the 2019 Super Rugby season by resting Wallabies
Put it this way Waxhead, did the Wallabies scrum, the lineout, breakdown work, kicking, handling and defence all fail this season, because the players were insufficiently rested? I don’t think so, I just think the team was poorly coached and that isn’t going to change because a few “stars” are rested. We are flogging a dead horse trying to win with Cheika in charge.
The Aussie Super Rugby teams should not ruin the 2019 Super Rugby season by resting Wallabies
No, you miss the point. If Rugby Australia want to avoid the risk of the Wallabies getting knocked out in the pool stages, they need to hire a competitive international coach.
Any other half baked measure is a waste of time and not worth the Super clubs ruining their chances at improvement over. All that will happen if this happens under Cheika’s watch is that we will have two ruined seasons instead of one.
The Aussie Super Rugby teams should not ruin the 2019 Super Rugby season by resting Wallabies
True
The Aussie Super Rugby teams should not ruin the 2019 Super Rugby season by resting Wallabies
Mate, the only way that the Wallabies are going to make the final under Cheika, is if Suzy the Waitress makes a return to the World Cup and poisons the All Blacks, Irish, English, South Africans and probably the Welsh, Scots and Argentineans for good measure. Blowing the Super Rugby season for a dream is just not worth it.
The Aussie Super Rugby teams should not ruin the 2019 Super Rugby season by resting Wallabies
I agree that the SR games should be on FTA, but that is a different conversation to what the article was about.
The Aussie Super Rugby teams should not ruin the 2019 Super Rugby season by resting Wallabies
Horn fights better at middleweight than he did at welterweight, he looks far more ripped and powerful. I reckon he should stay in that division, it means his opponents won’t be quite as fast so it suits his game.
A fitting final chapter in the career of Anthony Mundine
Oh well, if “Aussie culture” precludes is from hiring coaching talent from overseas, we’d better get used to continuing to lose. Other patriotic nations like England, Scotland, Ireland has Wales aren’t childishly Tying their own arms behind their backs by refusing to employ foreigners, we would be stupid to do so while the Wallabies are in this predicament.
A role for White, but not as Wallabies head coach
Just a bit of tribalism there old chap ????
There is only one reason Cheika’s rival coaches want him to stay
As baz said, it isn’t about winning the World Cup, it is about the Wallabies doing as well as they can. At the moment they seriously have to worry about making it past Wales and Fiji in the pools, that is completely unacceptable.
Selection wise all they need to do is to choose hookers who can throw straight (Hanson, Paanga-Amosa), a proper sized 6 and 8 (Dempsey, Jones, Nasarini, Higgenbotham and others ), centres who can tackle (Hodge, Kuridrani, Kerevi if he is at 12) and a proper fullback instead of a rugby league winger (Haylet-Petty, Besle, Banks). Then it is a matter of the coach settling of a simple game plan and coaching the basics, set piece, breakdown, kicking and defence.
Do that and the Wallabies become much more respectable.
There is only one reason Cheika’s rival coaches want him to stay
Yeah I know that, but Hanson was interviewed and went along with what Paul said. The implication was clear, even if he let his favourite NZ Herald spear chucker do his dirty work.
Michael Cheika has a mighty chance to knock his knockers at Twickenham
You really need to read the context of Hanson’s comment, it was in an article by Gregor Paul, blaming the lack of challenge posed by Wallabies for the All Blacks poor form. I thought it was a weak and cheap thing to say, even if it is undeniable that the Wallabies are a train wreak.
Michael Cheika has a mighty chance to knock his knockers at Twickenham
Unless Cheika has a plan on the field himself and makes penalty decisions for Hooper, throws for Latu, tackles for Foley, passes for Phipps and hits the breakdown for Hannigan, I’d say the Wallabies are pretty well stuffed. Itoje will steal their lineouts and the mismatch between the back rows is like sending Quade Cooper to fight his mate Sonny Bill in a boxing match. It ain’t gonna be fun.
Michael Cheika has a mighty chance to knock his knockers at Twickenham
They have their own Dr Evil and that is exactly what they will do.
Pocock ruled out of England Test; new Wallabies team unveiled
*illogical. Crikey I miss the edit function.
Pocock ruled out of England Test; new Wallabies team unveiled
They probably need until Christmas to find some poor dumb fool to take the job of the assistant coach, who they are going to scapegoat to save Cheika. Who on earth would want that job, talk about a career limiting move.
Cheika survives Rugby Australia review - for now