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Scott has been a rugby contributor with The Roar since 2013. After taking some time out to pursue other roles in the game, including coaching Premier Grade with University of Queensland and the Wallaroos at the recent World Cup, he’s returned to give us his insights. You can follow him on Twitter @ScottA_ to hear more from him.
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With the Wallabies unbeaten in seven matches, Bledisloe 1 in early August seems like a distant memory. The team's defensive performance in the first…
Last week I wrote about the Wallabies' continued struggles with their basic skills. There were some really interesting comments on that article but unfortunately…
I hope so but some comments from Michael Cheika this week worry me. There are very few successful organisations in history that haven’t had…
Mark Ella is a legend of Australian Rugby and when I picked my best Wallabies team for The Roar in 2014, I chose Ella…
Michael Cheika was sure they didn’t when he was interviewed early in the second half of the recent Test in Canberra against Argentina. When…
The first match of this year's Rugby Championship, in Sydney, was one of the most painful I've watched the Wallabies play – the performance…
Hello everyone at The Roar – it's been a while since you've heard from me! No, I haven't been writing anywhere else, but I…
And so ends 2014 from a rugby point of view in Australia, and what a tumultuous year it was! My first experience of rugby…
As coach of the Waratahs, that is. Not because I believe that Michael Cheika has any conflict of interest in coaching both teams - purely…
While the Wallabies suffered another loss against Ireland, it was their best performance on this tour. In all areas, apart from the scrum and…
I didn't think the Wallabies could take any further steps backwards - but against France they somehow managed to do so. One of the…
It was always likely that the Wallabies would struggle in their first Test under a new coach, particularly given that the coaching change came…
When Robbie Deans was shown the door after the British and Irish Lions series in 2013, Ewen McKenzie had two weeks with the Wallabies squad to…
Ignoring what happened after fulltime in the third Bledisloe Cup match between the Wallabies and All Blacks, it was a pretty good night for…
Kurtley Beale will face an independent code of conduct tribunal next week over ARU allegations he sent "highly inappropriate and deeply offensive text messages…
This week I had the pleasure of going back in detail over the Springboks match against the All Blacks two weeks ago - it…
I don't think the Wallabies loss to Argentina on the weekend was as bad as those against Scotland and Samoa in recent years. The…
After the Wallabies loss to the Springboks on the weekend, let's examine what constitutes a good outcome - should it be judged on wins and…
In a positive sign for the NRC, Brisbane City have defeated Queensland Country 29-13 in front of a very strong crowd at Ballymore. The…
A couple of weeks ago comments on one of my articles moved to the topic of how to balance selections in a team based…
Absolutely – love the coaching side of the game
FAREWELL ROAR: Bickering a symptom of troubled times
Thanks for all your comments in support.
Just to clarify, I’m not going anywhere else to write – I am retiring.
Best wishes for the holiday season everyone and go the Wallabies in 2015.
FAREWELL ROAR: Bickering a symptom of troubled times
Thanks – just like to make a point that I have no issues with anyone remaining anonymous.
Just a dig at those who use that anonymity to make comments most reasonable people wouldn’t if their identity was known.
FAREWELL ROAR: Bickering a symptom of troubled times
Simmons going off made a huge difference with no experienced caller left to run the lineout.
Michael Cheika must resign after a poor end of year tour
You’re right Wal – that the players are being allowed to continue with this poor technique is alarming and damning!
Michael Cheika must resign after a poor end of year tour
Sorry to cause so much trouble 🙂
Michael Cheika must resign after a poor end of year tour
Yep, I think that’s a definite possibility.
What surprises me is how everyone jumped on the position of Marler, as though it was some dastardly thing to do, without noticing the angle Kepu set up on to set the whole sequence in motion.
Michael Cheika must resign after a poor end of year tour
Combesy – Paraka isn’t a tight head option.
If they find no-one else it will be between Talakai and Fa’agase to fill a bench TH spot with Slipper starting there.
Michael Cheika must resign after a poor end of year tour
I should of expected someone would do that and made adjustments before I submitted 🙂
Michael Cheika must resign after a poor end of year tour
You seem unable to distinguish between the roles of a head coach and a set piece coach.
Foley is an excellent set piece coach.
Michael Cheika must resign after a poor end of year tour
See further down the page in comments for the solution.
Michael Cheika must resign after a poor end of year tour
I agree with this response. They are just hanging on at scrum time until Healy returns and then they will be okay.
Like Australia, Ireland have a real shortage of quality props.
They were so short in 2012 that they parachuted Michael Bent (a TH) in from New Zealand in October and one month later he played two tests for Ireland!
The fact that they have gone form 8 or 9 in the world to 2 since Joe Schmidt took over as coach is remarkable.
Michael Cheika must resign after a poor end of year tour
They have until 31 January to fill the final spot in the squad and it will be a prop. Who that is will be determined based on pre-season work and trials unless an experienced TH suddenly becomes available from somewhere in the world.
Michael Cheika must resign after a poor end of year tour
The Wallabies can either keep complaining to the teacher that they are being bullied or they can do something about it!
Michael Cheika must resign after a poor end of year tour
Yes, Fainga’a was a bit of a passenger in that scrum. His right shoulder pooped up as Kepu rolled in and was just holding on but had no base to drive forward. Hard for a hooker to hold the TH down though so problem starts at TH side.
Wallabies had a great opportunity with this scrum to be the dominant scrum and then they would have received the penalty.
Instead the Wallabies scrum was weak and the English dominated them. Dominant scrum rewarded with the penalty. Move on – no need to slow the game down with a reset. No need for referee involvement – let the forwards sort it out.
Wallabies just need to be stronger with better technique and tactics so they don’t get dominated legally or illegally.
Michael Cheika must resign after a poor end of year tour
Agree. I’d hate to be the prop that packs with Hooper behind him.
If that side goes backwards so many blame the prop but miss the contributing factor of the middle row not doing their job as shown in that clip.
Michael Cheika must resign after a poor end of year tour
The All Blacks have him well and truly locked up.
Michael Cheika must resign after a poor end of year tour
Overall, it would be Michael Foley because he is very, very good with both the scrum and the lineout.
But that won’t happen because no-one leaves a head coach role to go back to an assistant coach role you’ve done previously. And we can’t have part time coaches in my opinion.
Don’t know who’s actually available so can’t really comment.
Michael Cheika must resign after a poor end of year tour
100% – it is actually pretty simple and would have led to the Wallabies dominating.
Simple tactical changes like this is why fixing the Wallaby scrum is not as hard as many are suggesting.
Michael Cheika must resign after a poor end of year tour
Freddy – see my response earlier up the page and the link to the clip that has been posted.
Kepu could have turned that situation into a major advantage for him and the Wallabies could have been dominant in those scrums. That would have stopped Marler angling in very quickly.
Michael Cheika must resign after a poor end of year tour
Yep, I am in touch with him through UQ and he’ll be coming down to help me next year with our scrum when he has time.
Last time we spoke about Wallaby scrum he just shook his head but haven’t asked him about it in last couple of months.
Michael Cheika must resign after a poor end of year tour
The LH bores in to get the opposing TH to roll in, like Kepu does in the example in the link.
Once the TH isn’t straight he can’t transfer any power from behind him and it’s game over – the TH will go backwards as happened in this scrum.
When the LH stays straight he pushes on the outside of the opposing TH and yes, his hooker pushes on the inside of the opposing TH. So, yes they work together in that scenario and they then have a 2 v 1 on the opposition TH, which is very powerful.
There are a myriad of different tactics that can be used. These are just two examples.
In the example scrum in that link, Kepu works with Fainga’a to try and shear across the English toward the English LH side. They are using a tactic of trying to get the English to spin around and convince the referee it is the English who are at fault.
That is a tactic the Wallabies have been using for a couple of years.It’s no wonder Cheika talks so much about opposition scrums wheeling illegally.
Michael Cheika must resign after a poor end of year tour
Lack of flexibility is Alexander’s biggest problem and I don’t think that can be taught.
Michael Cheika must resign after a poor end of year tour
The Reds let Kite go – he’s down in Canberra to play club rugby and try and break into the Brumbies that way.
Michael Cheika must resign after a poor end of year tour
Thanks again – I’m overwhelmed by the responses.
I originally planned a lone paragraph at the end of yesterday’s column announcing my decision but the guys at The Roar asked me to go into more detail in a separate article. I’m glad I agreed.
I must say that the deterioration in the standard of the discussion I wrote about is not in relation to any one site. In particular, The Roar has maintained higher standards than many. I read many sports sites all around the world and the same issues exist everywhere – it’s just the way things are in the online world.
To juggle the time demands of family, work, coaching and writing is hard. That should be the order of priority as far as I’m concerned but has not always been the order I’ve put them in with family and work sometimes suffering due to my elevation of the latter two ahead of them!
In trying to have a more balanced approach, the one I’ve been enjoying least is the one I’m dropping. That doesn’t mean there hasn’t been enjoyment gained from writing – just not as much and less so as time goes on and the bickering increases.
Finally, some of the best discussions I’ve had on rugby sites is with people I don’t know and who are posting anonymously so I don’t see that as an issue.
FAREWELL ROAR: Bickering a symptom of troubled times