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Joined April 2017
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I am a man on a mission to save Australian rugby.
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Last year, Australian rugby was in the midst of its worst debacle in recent memory. Results were horrific, clubs were at loggerheads with administrators and a path for resolution was as clear as mud.
Of nine games the Lions have played at home this year, they have lost only twice – both times to New Zealand opposition – and the Waratahs have actually never won a finals game in Johannesburg.
Ever since Michael Cheika took the reigns at the Waratahs in 2013 he has strived to build a clear rugby identity for his teams and players.
The Melbourne Rebels have had an up and down year but their weekend win against the Blues in Auckland will go down as a definite high point.
At the start of the season among all the obligatory predictions and rankings of sides I noticed a trend. Everyone was playing it safe.
In last Saturday’s win over the All Blacks, the Wallabies’ back row stood tallest.
In two years’ time the Wallabies will be in the midst of their campaign for the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
After an expected 37-14 victory over Fiji in front of a dismal crowd turnout in Melbourne the Wallabies now face their toughest test of the June internationals. Make no mistake about it – it will be tough.
In a Test match, players sometimes aren’t able to hear calls or broken play may see traditional structures abandoned. In these moments, combinations stand out.
The Wallabies’ challenge before the 2019 World Cup is turning a group of players from grossly under-performing Super Rugby teams into a dynamic, world-beating unit.
Last month I wrote the first of my two-part article on the solution to the shambles that is Australian rugby with hopes that there would be more clarity around which Super Rugby franchise will be cut by the time I released the second part. There hasn’t been.
For months now, Australian rugby has been a whirlpool of speculation, finger pointing, rhetoric, confusion and anger. I for one am sick of it, mainly because there has been some fantastic Super Rugby on display.
Yep that is the risk that just comes along with being a coach. People believe in Thorn because, well, its Brad Thorn. He is still learning as a coach but he had to take a risk anyway with this Reds squad so why not just go for it?
Australia's Super Rugby culture conundrum
Thanks mate, yeah I do like what Gibson is trying to achieve, most of the time it is just execution that let the Tahs down. Early in the season though so we will see.
As for the Reds I think it takes real guts to be as bold as Thron has been and I am very interested to see how his strategy works out over the long run.
I really like Wessles as a coach and he was building a great culture in the Force before they were cut. He is doing the same in Melbourne which is good to see. Another one to watch for sure.
Australia's Super Rugby culture conundrum
Hi Tom, yeah i definitely think that Australian teams have improved but watching the Super Rugby final just shows that in order for us to consistently overcome the best teams (and particularly NZ teams like the Crusaders) the Aussie teams needs to show a lot more improvement. It will be interesting to see how things go next year but i believe we can at least definitely put the Aussie conference up a notch or two as i see a lot of future growth (especially in terms of defence, tactics and discipline that can be achieved). consistency is key.
Has cutting the Force been worth it?
Yes i would much prefer to still have 5 Australian teams in the Super Rugby set up and it is such a shame that the axe fell on the force. My argument wasn’t that this was the right call but that the remaining four teams have improved year on year, the problem here is we don’t know how it would have panned out in the long run if the Force were still included. Growing the game in Australia is a definite priority and no one commenting here thinks that it should shrink, we are all passionate rugby fans and want Australian rugby to be as good as it can be.
Has cutting the Force been worth it?
Hi Deborah, the stats in my article are specifically for Australian teams and not the Sunwolves. I did not include any stats against the Sunwolves in my calculations as I wanted a fair assessment of where our teams are at versus SA and NZ teams.
Has cutting the Force been worth it?
Hi Jules, yes I was certainly in the corner of continuing the five franchises or even if a team had to be cut maybe cutting the Rebels as they were the worst team in Super Rugby last year. What we will now never know is if we pushed through with five teams would this actually foster more Super Rugby level talent in the long run.
Has cutting the Force been worth it?
Cheers Mzilikazi, yeah I am looking forward to it too. Such a tough task for the Tahs but a win would rate as one of their all time best.
Waratahs vs Lions: By the numbers
Great stuff Baylion, and as much as I do dump on Foley’s kicking out of hand his conversions and penalties have been very much improved and because of this he is rightly the point scoring leader in Super Rugby this season.
Waratahs vs Lions: By the numbers
Agreed Paul D, should be a high scoring game and maintaining possession is key. If the Tahs win the midfield battle and can then get the ball quickly to the likes of Naiyaravoro out wide then they can run over the top of the Lions wingers. The Lions will be looking to do the same thing though and their wingers have the pace to cause some real havoc.
Waratahs vs Lions: By the numbers
Thanks Craig, yeah i though the same thing when looking over the stats. Both teams don’t have a great defensive records but its their attacking stats that really save them.
Waratahs vs Lions: By the numbers
thanks CJ, yeah it certainly will be tough and even if they make it through it will be tougher again next week, especially if the Crusaders win and the final is in NZ.
Waratahs vs Lions: By the numbers
Cheers for the advice Mrs. Bradbury. Grammar is definitely not my strong suit but I always appreciate some constructive feedback.
The Wallabies and their kicking game
Thanks Bigbaz. Good to see Cheika back the same team two weeks in a row and the lineout is indeed still in progress.
The lineout is such a key indicator for a hookers confidence and it seemed a little like the occasion got the better of Brandon Paenga-Amosa at times. Deserves another crack this week.
The Wallabies and their kicking game
Thanks Rhys. I think the keyword for the Wallabies kicking game is balance. It will take a while for the Wallabies to know when to use the kick and when not to. Their skills will sharpen in time but Foley particularly needs to get better with his kicking game.
The Wallabies and their kicking game
Thanks Waxhead. You are spot on about needing to be able to execute skills to suit your conditions and having a range of options.
As for Phipps I do take your point, there are a range of half backs out there for Cheika to choose from but he is basically just banking on Genia never getting injured.
I feel Phipps is just there to bring energy and experience towards the end of games so Genia can get a rest.
There haven’t been too many Aussie halfbacks really making the position their own this season but i still think a dark horse like Ruru may be preferable.
The Wallabies and their kicking game
Thanks Tom, yes he is the most underrated player in Australia rugby in my opinion. Hopefully he gets a chance to prove his worth in gold sometime soon.
The forgotten Rebels
Cheers! Yes the opportunity was there to select English and Ruru, especially Ruru as the halfback stocks aren’t as deep as the centres right now. I thought that Cheika would give Ruru a go over Powell but he has obviously identified Powell as a future starter and likes to stick to his guns.
The forgotten Rebels
Thanks robbo999! You can bet your bottom dollar that the Irish will be sending plenty of traffic towards the centres over the June series. Meakes and English are miles better in defence than Kerevi and Beale, although they are still no enforcers. Lets hope Cheika isn’t ruling out re-evaluating his option in mid field for the Rugby Championship and Spring tour.
The forgotten Rebels
Meakes certainly does work hard and has good hands – he is a great option for 12 in my opinion but Beale is ahead of him in terms of pace, kicking game and x-factor. Meakes should be considered for a bench spot though. I think these last few games after the June break will be crucial for him and his Wallabies hopes.
The forgotten Rebels
Good point Fionn, it is strange that we can produce so many awesome 7s but 6 and 8 always seem to be lacking. You may be right in that all these players are snapped up by league as that is the body type league scouts look for.
The forgotten Rebels
Thanks Sinclair, yeah Melbourne scoring either side of the half was key and Meakes certainly had his best game of the season. Hodge still looks like a centre being squeezed into the playmaker role and doesn’t have the slight of hand or long passing ability required of a top class 10 yet. I feel his best position will always be in the centres though and he looks more like he is being played at 10 just because noone else is standing up than because of his playmaking ability.
The forgotten Rebels
Lol thanks Machooka, if the Reds are to get back to the glory days they do have a long way to go but they are just doing the basics really well this year and it’s a big upswing.
Are the Reds on their way back to the glory days?
I certainly do rate Wessels and believe him to be a very good coach, a better coach at this stage than Thron due to his coaching experience. The prize here are championships and until such time as either achieve this then they are really still trying to build a true winning culture.
The Rebels are certainly on the upswing though and are ahead definitely in terms of a skill and execution. Why I highlight Thron is because he has started really at scratch and has gone about it from a values and belief standpoint and now is just starting to build the skills and execution.
Australia's Super Rugby culture conundrum