Yes Australia like to be the underdogs, and the ABs have come out all guns blazing. Sure the Wallabies can put the ABs under pressure. The question is for how long can they sustain pressure and from where?

So what is EJs exciting game plan that is going to lift the 8th ranked Wallabies to take on one and defeat of the topped ranked teams in the world,

As a process of elimination it can’t be a defensive game against the ABs, I think we can agree on that their attack is fast intense so spontaneous and varied one will never be able to number up correctly.

It can’t be a kicking game, that just hands over possession and reverts to the defensive game – see above.

The only option it has to be a game where you hang onto possession and take it up the middle, and look to your fast men to find the gaps. Good luck with that too, as the Springboks tried this and they got belted in the first quarter.

The ABs are in great form, and one has to fight fire with fire and slow it down. It is impossible to compete with the speed and intensity the ABs are currently playing. One has to make them calibrate their defence to how fast or slow we want to attack. I would not be giving any easy possession to the ABs, and I would make sure I would be picking the biggest tight five I could to take it up the middle and to blunt their attack. Run the ball from everywhere, including from inside your own 22, if their is support, take risks. Hopefully the sports psychologist (do they have one?) get them really fired up.

A loss is the most likely outcome. As a Wallaby supporter all I want to see is the boys earn some respect and show that they really can be a dangerous opponent. If it turns into a cricket score I will be reaching for the remote, and all the negative thoughts that will go with that.

The sacking of Tom “chip kick on attack” Wright is a good call. He”s a good runner but seems to lack the necessary rugby smarts for test rugby. He was particularly poor against the Springboks, and against the Pumas he was exposed again. Time to plug the leak at 15. When he played for tte Brumbies I was never impressed, but had “potential”.

Who is EJ going to select to pull the 15 jersey in the footsteps of the fantastic 15s of the past. What an honour to try and duplicate any part of their talent.

Whoever EJ picks will indicate his game plan. If it was my decision. I would go for a fast running offloading fullback who can link up with support players, rather than a kicking fullback. Run the ball back to halfway off you can!

There is no point in kicking the ball back to the ABs, even to a line out as an exit strategy. Kick return at your own peril. Give them a lineout in your half and the ABs will come at you. I would even be inclined to tap the ball for a penalty if the line out is not functioning or kick for penalty goal, when a penalty is called rather than risk a line out, to make sure you retain possession so they have little to no chance of winning the ball back.

The dilemma is damned if you do damned if you don’t. So let’s go for broke, all in, nothing to lose, ball in hand, hand to hand combat, in the trenches, physical domination if that’s possible, create doubt, do a Mike Tyson “upset their good plan by punching them in the face”.

The Wallabies are definitely the underdogs, now ranked 8th in the world, and that’s selecting overseas based players as well, can you believe it? Yes that is confirmation if you had any doubt Rugby union is in the downward spiral and being hollowed out in Australia. A discussion for another day.

EJ talks a big game. Winning a World Cup from 8th ranking is a massive call, with a new coaching team, and a couple few games to sort out the kinks. it’s like a 100:1 at the Melbourne Cup. It can happen and the test against the ABs will indicate whether it’s a possibility or a fantasy.

Pass me the remote!

How you destroy clubs is to run them like sheltered inefficient unsustainable organisations with shrinking prospects with little to no future.
This is how rugby union is being run in Australia and unless there is a significant change in course it will become a hollowed out shell of its former self.

That’s easy, they’re 2nd tier, with the opportunity to knock off any laggards at the bottom of the table and get promoted. As it should be this is a commercial enterprise not some kind of government run subsidised workshop situation.

I’m proposing a professional domestic rugby competition which everyone is competing for income from sponsorship, fans and a share of the increasing broadcasting income.

If you’re from the investment banking world, which I am, this is how one builds value and efficiency.

Doctorbx,

If that’s the structure you think works best you have my vote.

As long as it’s a fully professional domestic rugby competition where they can recruit whoever they like from wherever they choose, meaning from anywhere in the world to strengthen their team. No limits. The only constraint is how much can you afford to pay or as little you can get away with.

This is a platform one can leverage and expand into the future.

Phil Waugh has a good understanding of the need to connect to the domestic rugby community.

What is needed is to fully professionalise a domestic rugby competition with a 2 or 3 tier system, with relegation, no caps on salaries or recruitment, with a draft on young talent.

RA’s job should be to broker as the introducer to bring the corporate money to the table to connect with the various tiers. It should be using its connections and marketing squad to help the domestic clubs with this.

They should be looking at at least 12 teams in the top tier, using the French or Japanese competitions as a form of boiler plate. You could use the 5 Australian super rugby teams as a base and add another 7 teams, or some other idea as long as it is domestic.

In turn the greater higher quality content would attract more money from the broadcasters to fund the larger professional competition.

This would cascade down to clubs, widen development paths for players, keep players participating domestically rather than head off shore, improve player combinations and trickle up to making the Wallabies and Australian rugby more competitive again.

That’s the model that should be adopted. It may be modest at the beginning, but you create a model that can be expanded with the potential to become valuable as income from the broadcasters expanded as the competition becomes stronger.

This is how you defend rugby union in Australia from both domestic and international competition.

Brett,
Interesting article.
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Is EJ still saying that most tries are scored after 3 phases, really? I guess it is true in certain instances, but it seems like he is cherry picking his statistics. Yes one does score off the back of a line out or a scrum near the opposition try line, within 3 phases, sometimes, but isn’t EJ overlooking the statistics and the tactics that led up to that opportunity?
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How about the sustained pressure through possession, multiple phases, penalty advantages, kicks to the corner, quick recycling and the list goes on. This was not within 3 phases, but via sustained possession and pressure, not coughing up possession, or chip kicking, box kicking to no where with no contest possible, all in the hope one will win the ball back and they make a mistake. This might work at a more junior level, but we’re talking about test rugby. Yes, it’s ok to mix it up with some tactical kicking, to break up the defence, but none of that rubbish that we saw against the Springboks.
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It would seem the EJ 3 phase scoring most tries in 3 tries statement is not correct. If he is basing his coaching on his belief that this statistic is correct then in my opinion the Wallabies are in real trouble and he is not the right coach.
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Why are the EJ coached Wallabies sides after 2 test matches having to tackle, tackle and tackle some more, much more than the other side? Does he think the “rope a dope” strategy he used to play against Michael Cheika’s Wallabies is the correct strategy? The only reason why I see the current Wallabies having to tackle much more than the opposition is because the other side has the ball more and they are on attack the whole time. Don’t you score more tries when you have the ball? In fact you can only score a try when you haver the ball, so possession is the name of the game, right?
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So the other question being considered is what is the Australian way of playing rugby? Do we copy everyone else, or do we have our own style?
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The answer is in Australia’s immigration patterns over the last 30 years. Australia has had immigration from all over the world, but with regard to rugby we have large population of immigrants from the south pacific. They bring to the table stuff that can’t be coached, speed, size, and power.
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So the “new” Australian way for the Wallabies is a mixture of possession, pressure, power, size and speed. When I say possession I mean ball in hand, the run the ball from anywhere, just like the last try scored against the Springboks. Fast unstructured play, but with the Australian south pacific flavour, get close to their line and then the big boys get to work.
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Make the opposition take a risk on putting their hands in the ruck, pressure them into mistakes, get them to earn a yellow card for multiple infringements, calibrate their defence to our attack, win multiple penalty advantages. Pressure. This is nothing like the 3 phase scoring a try tactic EJ is envisaging. This is how the Wallabies matched and almost beat the All Blacks, until that terrible decision by the French referee.
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The bottom line if EJ is trying to decide it’s the possession game or the Australian way. It always has to be the possession game, but I think EJ can introduce the Australian way, run it from anywhere all the time. If we’re going to lose then let’s do it in style, fun to watch, dangerous, anything can happen, high risk, never kicking it away even in your own 22, the only exit is to run it at them, hit it up, it’s catch up rugby desperate to score all the time, every minute. Smash and grab!
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That’s the Australian way. That’s exactly what EJ gave to Japan, now come on EJ can give the same to the Wallabies.

Yes, got his name wrong, but you get what I mean, right?

Geoff, I know it isn’t as simple as that, but on the other hand it isn’t much more complicated than that either. It’s about dominating the breakdown. The ABs put on an exhibition of how to approach the breakdown. It was impressive. All the Wallabies need to do is watch that replay to educate themselves, and to see what’s coming.

Jeff, no disrespect to the ABs, no doubt they’re really good. I wish I was an AB supporter life would be much simpler. With regard to playing in front of a home crowd is always an advantage, but to the ABs we are talking about stuff all advantage, they play well everywhere, but especially in NZ.

Geoff,
I think there was some progress by the Wallabies over the weekend. At least from the point of view of tactics. Namely the kicking away of possession by the likes of Nic White and others essentially disappeared. That was always a losing tactic at this level.

Now comes the question of discipline. If it’s not one thing it’s another. How does one rack up lots of penalties, like the Wallabies? Or how do you get the other team to attract penalties is the other lesson carried over from SRP. The answer is simple just hang onto the ball for phase after phase after phase and the other side will infringe in the attempt to win back the ball. This is what Michael Cheika Puma’s did to EJ’s side, and the referee Piper did the rest. Simple. Use the referee especially if the referee is pedantic, which he was in this case.

The lack of combinations and bringing together players from everywhere and making it all gel, is the coaches conundrum and that’s why they get paid pretty well as they are contracted as they are “experts” in the player jig saw puzzle and tactics, right?

As I see it, EJ”s “smash and grab” program is off to a bad start, he has got dusted twice, both from obvious coaching errors, which makes one question about the his coaching hype we have been fed.

Now the real blow torch is about to be applied playing the All Blacks, who are playing at a pace and intensity like men possessed taking the best from their 5RP teams, with also having the advantage of playing in front of home crowds. Formidable and a genuine World Cup winner contender.

The question in my mind is can Australia get its act together in time? At this stage it’s a long shot bet at best. If EJ can get the players to believe in themselves as the fundamentals are there it is just to learn how to take the pressure being applied and to be patient, hang onto the ball (if you can) using the referee, don’t kick away valuable possession, and take risk by running the ball.

Australia has the personnel to field a monster forward pack of forwards, and to use them as the platform and to slow it all down. The skill is to hang onto possession long enough creating the platform for the backs to find the gaps.

We talked about this during the SRP season, if one controls the pace, take the pressure, controls the ball for long periods, over 1 minute or more, as there is no rush if you have the ball, just apply pressure, Make them play your game plan, make them tackle , make them calibrate their defence to your attack, get the referee to penalise them, hit the gaps, ruck after ruck , penalty advantage, after penalty advantage, yellow cards, line outs on their goal line, tap the ball if the line out is 50/50, 5 metre scrums, then try or penalty goals will follow. Pressure pressure pressure!

If you try and match the All Blacks in any other way, like in the pace of the game or give them any easy possession you will lose, that’s why they’re so good, fast, physical, accurate and unlimited spontaneous variations of attack.

As a Wallaby supporters we had better strap in it’s going to be a bumpy ride. Come on EJ you can do it, make us believe like you did in 2003.

I’m on to it! Last Saturday/Sunday Nic White kicked away possession 13 times in SA when he should have passed it, Hodge was 2, McDermott -1 and Tom Wright was 3 cheap chip kicks instead of running the ball. Deduct those 19 from the average open attacking opportunities of about 20 odd per match, and there it is. The one time they did pass and run Koribete scores a try. Is coaching really that difficult?

Tim, of course it must have been EJ’s game plan for Nic White to kick the ball to the Springboks. It just seems to be a really dumb game plan, especially when it is really difficult to win the ball back again, and for them to run at you all match.

Nic White is the perfect half back to implement such a plan as this is how he played for the Brumbies, kicking away possession to the really good NZ SRP teams, who just to love to run at you, make you tackle and score tries.

Let’s count how many times Nic White does this against the Pumas. Remember you only get about 20 attacking plays per match, so if you kick it away 13 times, like he did against SA, then Hodge did it 2 times, and Wright did it 3 times, there goes any attack in open space.

Ok, Nic White is starting instead of McDermott. Let’s see if White actually passes the ball to Quade Cooper, more than he kicks away possession as he did against the Springboks. My measure if he boots away possession more than 3 times when on attack, when he should be giving it to a true playmaker in QC, he should be hooked off the field and replaced with McDermott.

I’d like to see Fa’amausili be given some game time at the same time Skelton is on the field. That’s some big units running around especially with the ball in hand on attack. The guys around them better be on the job as the Pumas are excellent on the jackal ball.

Why didn’t EJ play Nawaqanitawase in Sourh Africa, he is in great form and understands the rules of rugby and is less error prone than the other guy he is replacing.

I also think Fraser McReight is now a better player than Hooper, at the level Hooper was a few years ago or just better. So we will now see some jackal ball of our own, a feature that has gone missing from Hooper’s game.

Gary, perfectly said. White was the problem, he kicked the ball when they had the chance to attack with ball in hand. Quade Cooper can read the play and was hardly given the opportunity.

Why did White adopt this game plan? Why didn’t EJ send him a message for him to stop kicking away possession? Why didn’t he hook him off earlier than the 60th minute? Didn’t EJ know that was his weakness when playing for the Brumbies? As a side note I recorded White scored 3 tries in a single SRP game this year playing, I think it was the Chiefs, but he scored the tries for them by kicking the ball to them.

Is it White that is the problem or EJ thinking that was the game plan. We’re about to find out this weekend, albeit against a weaker team.

Brett,

Nice review. As a Wallaby supporter it was a tough match to watch and a lot of work to be done.

The kicking and giving away possession was terrible. When I commented on Geoff Parks article yesterday pointing to Nick White being the biggest culprit. Also Hodge, Wright and Ikitau also seemed to have this idea, who knows why, that it would be best to go for the 50/50 option rather than go for the 100% option and make the Springboks win the ball off you, or at least until you made an error like a knock on. This is a feature that has been carried over from SRP and it didn’t go well especially when playing against the NZ teams.

In turn now that you have given the Springboks basically all of your possession, that leads us to your great assessment of the defensive weaknesses. If one is weak in any areas and they have their possession and yours as well, then all the variations of attack will be applied, and unless you make all the correct calibrations, because you’ve allowed them to set the place, speed and type of attack you’re going to be exposed.

There is so much work to be done one could reach an early conclusion that Australia has no chance at the RWC, especially when reviewing how clinical the ABs win was over Argentina. The feeling of dread is in the background and that Australia will be disgraced at the RWC and it’s rugby reputation will be further damaged and drop below a 2nd tier nation.

On a more optimistic note, let’s see if next week is any better as they get their combinations worked out and reduce the pressure on defence by not kicking away possession. We should at least expect this to be worked out by EJ.

Geoff,
Nice analysis.
Haven’t we been talking about how Australian Super rugby teams have the habit as a first instinct of kicking away the ball when on attack, with one of the biggest culprit’s being Nick White and Tom Wright and to a lesser extent Len Ikitau for the Brumbies. They now play for the Wallabies and have taken their bad habits to international rugby.
Of the very limited amount of attacking plays when on attack, one does not kick away possession so the other team, who in this case are the Springboks, who have a combination of big men and very fast skillful outside backs, can run it back out you, right? They will hurt you and they did!
How many attacking plays statistically does one get in a rugby match when you’re in their half or close’on attack? Answer: it’s about 25 times, at most in a game, or about 12 to 15 times in a half.
Well Nick White kicked away possession 12 times, including a forward pass before he was replaced on the 60th minute by McDermott, by my count. That takes his errors on attack to 13. In the first half White kicked away possession 8 times, Tom Wright 2 times, Hodge 2 times. That adds up to 12 – so there goes your any ball in hand attack in the first half. The scoreline is 29/5 says it all.
The second half was more of the same until White was replaced, with Wright and Ikitau helping with the “kicking”, although Ikitau was only a minor offender. McDermott kicked it once when on attack in 20 minutes.
Where was Michael Hooper, the king of the jackal ball? Let’s assume it was EJ’s strategy to kick away possession and give it to the Springboks, it doesn’t work for me, but it could work. On the basis that every time they truck it up we’re going to win a penalty from the jackal. This is a dangerous strategy especially since the referees are so whistle happy, but is a legitimate strategy. Michael Hooper and the Australian back row went missing. Hooper had one jackal in the whole match, on that performance he is no David Pocock, or even a Fraser McReight. If it were me I would be having a look at Fraser McReight from Queensland, he had a really good season at 7 for the Reds and I think he should get a go.
When it comes to a player that is out of his depth I think that we can all agree Vunivalu is more of a liability than an asset. if it’s not one mistake it’s another. Costly at this level.
I agree Carter Gordon and McDermott should start against Argentina next week, lucky its only Argentina, but definitely drop Vunivalu and warn Tom Wright if you kick it one more time when on attack. you’re getting dropped from the squad.

Barry, thanks fir your late reply. All I can say in return is one has to start somewhere. The longer itvhh it is delayed the harder it will become. It will also take time, but a necessary long term investment plan. Nothing wrong with that!

Here we go again, our young talent being picked off and heading overseas. One can’t blame them as they should follow the best opportunities for them, both financially and professionally.

The blame, and it is blame, is that Australia cannot keep any broad talent in Australia because RA have created such a narrow pathway through its participation in SRP, and is not considering commercialising a broader domestic competition to compete with the opportunities being offered overseas.

If anyone thinks that Australia cannot compete with France’s Top 14 competition, a domestic competition, is not thinking outside the box and has zero commercial acumen. However the longer one leaves making a change the commercial opportunity will become unreachable as the amount of money these overseas competitions are generating from broadcasting income, leveraging their own talent and everyone else’s including Australia and NZ. Australia can also create a Top 14 style competition and increase its broadcast income.

I keep banging the drum about this , but this has to be dealt with head on. Break glass their is an emergency!

Phil Waugh are you listening!

Geoff, we have all gone to sleep! We are now switching to channels to watch the NRL and AFL.
With respect, your attempt to outline the problems with Australian rugby being a coaching issue is just a tiny part of a systematically flawed system, which just doesn’t generate enough content, money, wide enough pathways, being crushed by the competing codes etc etc.
Your solution is like saying to fix climate change we need to stop using petrol lawn mowers. Australian rugby’s problems run much deeper than the coaching.

Gary, you’re right, it all starts at the junior levels. This is where rugby union is being “massacred” by the other codes.

What is RA really doing this? I know that this is one of their focuses, but they just don’t have the money like the other codes do to spread the word and get kids to play.

The whole rugby model is top focused and out of whack!

Brett, I congratulate EJ on willing to look anywhere to build a squad of players that can elevate Australian rugby from its 9 th (?) place in world ranking to be competitive, and actually reach the quarters and may even reach the semi finals, and who knows. Lucky we have an easier pool this World Cup.

Of course EJ will promote rugby league players like he did in 2003, but this time around he will also be allowed to recruit overseas based players almost on an unlimited basis too, wiping away all of the Giteau Rule restrictions. It is important for Australian rugby’s international reputation for us to do well. I think we can all agree on that point.

So here is the “rub” and thinking ahead, Australian rugby by not expanding its professional domestic playing base reduces a coach’s options like EJ down to selecting from the tiny 5 team Australian SRP player base, converting rugby league players and spending lots of money, picking older players like Quade Cooper et al to fill the ranks, and hoping they’ll last the series, and finally trying to talk young European and Uk playing stars that they’re really Australian and should be loyal to Australia and not play for another country, even though that country has given them all the opportunities.

This is the model that we have signed up for and these are the only realistic avenues open to EJ if he wants to receive results, because that’s what RA has provided him, right?

I think we can all see where this is heading. Keep the SRP small both in size and financially, spend lots of money on Rugby league players, rather than on growing domestic rugby talent, fill as many players as you like playing overseas to play for the Wallabies, a feature I know you dislike due to the lack of playing combinations, also they’re getting older, and finally watch our best young talent appear in another country’s colours.

What is Phil Waugh going to do about this downward trajectory, steady as she goes, or try something new?

I’m open to any good ideas that expands the professional domestic playing base from 5 teams earning $40 million from broadcasters and sets the platform now where rugby union, can offer its young talent a wide pathway to elite level, keep them playing domestically, and Australian rugby begin on the pathway where it can earn $400 million per annum from broadcasting rights, just like rugby league.

We are all leaning forward ready to hear some positive plans or are we just going to hear is crickets?

Gary, the under 19’s, under 20’s and school boy rugby as well as club rugby are critically important in the development of young players. They are the building blocks. We all understand that. The concern and discussion we’re having is what happens next, or more to the point what hasn’t been happening.

Hang on a second! I can understand why EJ is looking to rugby league for talent as the 5 Australian super rugby sides is a small selection pool and doesn’t have much to offer.
Ok, let’s agree to let EJ do what he did in 2003, and have his rugby league converts, but this must be a short term fix to a long term problem.
Australian rugby must not ever travel down this path again as it must direct its money, that puny rubbish amount it receives from its broadcasting share of $40 million to professionalising domestic rugby. Actually thinking about it, it should be looking for ways to get broadcasting income up to match the NRL of $400 million per annum.
How is it going to do that? One thing is guaranteed is it will never make anything like what the NRL earns by staying in SRP, right?
So what’s the plan Phil (Waugh)? You’re now in the chair show us what you’ve got! How is Australian rugby going to increase its income per annum, and don’t say selling off 20%, because that’s the beginning of the end. The next thing will happen you’ll end up losing control. Just saying!

Come on guys, this is another story of how another where “one got away!”.

Personally I’m sick of reading how home grown players choose to play rugby in another overseas country, like France, and end up playing for that country. Aren’t you?

If Australia has a bigger professional domestic competition, this would not be happening as much, and the opportunity for it to stop almost completely, right? If the money and the opportunities are here domestically, then why move to play overseas?

This is an urgent matter, and I’m not sure Phil Waugh has the business acumen to deliver this urgent outcome. We’re about to find out.

Continuing to travel down the Super Rugby pathway, with only 5 teams, and especially if we allow NZ players to be recruited into our 5 teams to make the Australian teams stronger, will be a disaster for Australian rugby and narrow the pathways to elite rugby even more. This has to be the dumbest idea, and could have only come from NZ, as it clearly benefits them.

Australia has to expand and fully professionalise its domestic rugby competition. I have suggested corporatising it by having clubs owned and branded by corporations for profile, and a share of broadcasting. I’m happy for any other suggestions as long as it widens the domestic pathways and keeps player wanting to play in Australia as the opportunities are here.

This is urgent as professional rugby union is becoming more expensive every day and it is getting away from Australia as we need to ride this wave now!