Hi Sheek,

Yes, great line. Mate furthermore, Jones dropped Chris Roche for David Codey and Ross Reynolds for Steve Tynuman for memory. Perhaps Cheika et al could follow and select a taller, powerful backrow that maximises the Wallabies chances at the set piece.

Good morning Brett,

Combinations are an interesting beast and I am comforted by a tried and tested combination in any area of team selection. However, there is a ‘flip-side’ to that argument when you consider the ‘Farr-Jones – Ella’ principle.

I am sure you don’t need the background on who these two are, but neither had played a test with each other before the now famous 1984 Grand Slam Wallabies left Australia. In fact, Farr-Jones had been picked from relative obscurity playing for Sydney University in the then Sydney second division. The rest is history as they say yet there is a near ‘Bowled Lillee, caught Marsh’ feel when you mention Farr-Jones and Ella in the same breath. Unlike Lillee and Marsh, however, there was no lengthy history that steeled this combination, it just clicked and worked for a small pocket of time now made famous, and that’s what Cheika needs to find. Cheika does not need to find the next great combination for all time, he just needs a backline combination that can work together understanding and buying into a clear and coherent plan based upon sound rugby logic that actually works.

I see that Scotland is going with Adam Hastings at 10 and Finn Russell at 12 this weekend when they take on Argentina. They are also playing a pacey back-row. It will be interesting to see how their foray into the dual playmaker system goes?

I give the Wallabies little chance of getting within 15 points of England, I hope I’m wrong of course but there is little to no evidence that would suggest we have England’s measure in any aspect of the game.

My first thought was 1984 Grand Slam, same ground, same opposition same corner. Nick Farr-Jones takes the throw from Tom Lawton, over!

I feel your pain Hoy.

Question Mr. Phantom, do you think Sam Whitelock deserved a yellow card when he played the ball from an offside position?

Cheers mate, will do.

G’day Cliff,

mate when are you going to get off the fence with your opinions? 🙂

Mate, never go to a party dressed as Switzerland, you don’t make a good neutral!

Appreciate the read and comment.

Thanks, Hoorse, appreciate the read and comment.

G’day Hoy,

Pocock talks on mentality, I recall Cheika post the Welsh test talked on trust and it has been mentioned by the punditry that the Wallabies are an anxious side when they play. I suspect the team loves Cheika but not the plan.

Very kind words Buk and I appreciate your read. I like Michael Cheika, I think I always will. I admire the bloke for his toughness, tenacity and drive but he is not my Field Marshall of choice as he lacks finesse. He is my RSM.

There are good people at RA but I think the structure has been an issue. I have optimism as Roger Gould is now on board as the Chairman of the National Coaching Panel. What that panel will deliver, and who is on it remains unknown but it is a step in the right direction.

What I would encourage is that panel be at the head of the spear. I would like to see a National Coaching Director who implements the panels programs. The Wallabies, Wallaroos, U20’s, schools and 7’s coaches would report to the Director. Get the bean counters and office workers out of the rugby department, out of the dressing room. The pathways program should work in conjunction with the panel, but not as its manager. Opening pathways are one thing, what is taught upon them are two different things.

I am sure there should be a ‘Mc’ in there somewhere….

Ha ha. Love Blackadder, how good!

G’day Hoy,

RA/ARU, where do I begin! Look mate its best I don’t go there in any depth as there are people I know who have worked there, served there who are wonderful humans, good rugby people, however, there are some who have infiltrated like a secret sect that are ‘wood-ducks’, and dangerous ones at that. The end result is a near nil-sum gain. I said it in a post in a recent David Lord article I think, but what the administration requires is more altruism than ambition.

Yeh loved his kick and chase easily ran down by Kearney.

“all about the mental side of things” – and Pocock is wrong. Well, I’m with Pocock, not you. I started with addressing the Irish attitude towards the All Blacks as they knew they could win. If you don’t think you can win you won’t, the rest is immaterial. As Winston Churchill said, “Attitude is little thing that makes a big difference.” So respectfully, I am not with you at all. To suggest it is effective as luck at the international level would be incorrect as David Pocock is an international player.

“I don’t think you give enough credit to just how disciplined and drilled technically Ireland were. I’ll also throw in their match awareness was on point, which is more a sign of fitness than it is of mentality” – I actually said,

“Secondly, the Irish often chose the ground where the contest was to be fought through their astute decision making. The Irish gave the All Blacks nothing but pressure in both attack and defense.” and further “Thirdly, the Irish rarely waste possession and achieve small incremental gains by setting up simple, yet effective running options that can be executed by any player. The Irish played flat on the gain line, not far from the passer, and supported a potential runner with another flat option or a shallow second man play which was just enough to keep the All Blacks guessing. I go on how they do this which is a credit to their skill and execution that obviously comes from their coaching.

G’day Doctorbx,

“all about the mental side of things” – those are the words of David Pocock post the loss to Wales on 11 November. If it were ‘luck’, I would have said so. I am not sure if you digested the article but I give credit to the Irish tactics and their execution.

G’day Paul,

thanks for your comments. I would not be surprised if Rugby Australia did not offer a small fortune for Joe Schmidt, Andy Farrell, and David Nucifora to lead Australia to Rugby World Cup 2023.

G’day Onside,

All Blacks – David Pocock.

Irish – David Pocock, Israel Folau over Keith Earls. Taniela Toupo over Andrew Porter. Matt Toomua over Joe Carberry, Will Genia over Luke McGrath.

G’day Rickster,

thanks for your comments. “You might get away with it in club rugby”, that would get my old club coach Fred Andrews spinning in his grave, and he isn’t even dead! You are quite right, instinct is laking. Do you recall early in the match, the Wallabies were attacking just on their side of the halfway passing left-to-right, Izaak Rodda received the ball midfield and had about a 10-meter hole in front of him yet he passed to Foley and Beale out wide, yet neither were in a better position than Rodda. The play broke down, where if Rodda, on instinct ran the gap with Beale and Foley closing in on him, the Wallabies would have been over the gain line with men in support. Unintelligent, paint by numbers rugby.

G’day MH01,

correct. The other great motivator in the history of Australian rugby was Alan Jones. Jones, however, knew his limitations and benefited greatly from the services of Alec Evans. Evans was not only a very good player he was an outstanding technician. He provided to Jones and others what Mike Cron provides to All Black rugby. Cheika is in dire need of an attack coach and a forwards coach. Nathan Grey appears to have answered the call in the last two tests which may have saved his bacon.

G’day Ken,

Thanks for your comments, what I find interesting is that the Irish didn’t have the tallest of back rows, excluding Peter O’Mahony, CJ Stander and Josh Van Der Fleir are not tall men. However as Donal Lenihan said in his commentary, O’Mahony is imperious in the lineout. Furthermore, he is an intelligent, fearless type who reads the game well and is disciplined. In the conversation of the best blind-side in world rugby presently I think it a two horse race between O’Mahony of Ireland and Du Toit of South Africa with Squire of New Zealand a very credible third. As you will note from my preferred team to play England this weekend I would give Rob Valentini a crack as we need something new and in the absence of Tui why not?

Hi Gatsey,

Of course, my point is that since 1996 the way the Wallabies have been coached has changed upon a coaches whim. The coach for the Wallabies should not have the responsibility of being the National Coaching Director.

Cheika has a idea on how the game should be played and so does Thorn, Wessels etc etc. Are they all the same?
No, and some distinctly not. If anything Gibson plays a similar style to Cheika, but Thorn is more field position set piece focused and Wessels more focused on the centre.

There needs to be a philosophy on how the game is to be played from the National Coaching Director down. It’s a dogs breakfast from a Nationally homogeneous perspective.

In 1975 the ‘wing forward’ mentality was done away with and flankers were to remain bound on the scrum until its completion. That was a National edict. By 1984 we had the greatest scrum in the world and not by chance.

There is no other tier 1 side employing a dual openside, dual playmaker system focussed on total width rugby as we basically are. The reason is, is because it’s out dated but there are no mechanics within the RA machine with the authority to demand this rubbish cease. I hope Gould is given such authority.

Thanks mate.

G’day Gatsey,

Interesting read on a topic well discussed on this forum previously but still obviously relevant today.

As you may recall, the National Coaching Committee lead by Marks wasn’t just Marks himself. It was an intelligence cell lead by arguably the most intelligent man in the history of Australian Rugby with other intelligent people around him Crittle, O’Shea et al.
It was never the responsibility of one person to establish and advance the coaching mandate.

Today the way the Wallabies play is at the behest of the head coach with no oversight. That was not the model from 75 to 96 where a Wallabies coach could be sacked if he drifted from the approved system.

Roger Gould has been appointed as the Chairman of the new National Coaching Panel. An outstanding appointment in my opinion as he is strong minded, independent and qualified for the role. The 64k question is will RA listen to the wisdom of Gould?

Australian Rugby politics is not for the faint hearted but it is more dire need of the altruistic as opposed to the ambitious. The game domestically has its fair share of fine young cannibal’s who don’t play well in the sandpit with other unions and others who may get a nicer blazer or car park.

The sooner we get Gould types involved the better. Cheika needs help, he needs to be reigned in as his method of rugby and selections are not achieving success but he still is allowed to march on regardless. How Larkham in annnointed his successor according to some is a mystery that needs forensic investigation. There are better grade coaches going around like Mick Heenan.

G’day David,

It appears that Cheika has picked a different team to play the same style of rugby that simply isn’t working.

There are no other tier 1 nations that I can think of that play the dual openside, dual playmaker roles.

The only inference you can draw is that again the Wallabies will look to play for the width, with Foley now acting as the second phase distributor.

On one hand I’m heartened by the selections of Jake Gordon and Jordon Petaia, but think thier talents would be maximised if the Wallabies looked to attack from a flatter, more direct advantage line focused platform and played Kerevi at 12 and Petaia at 13.

This is Italy’s best chance of beating the Wallabies.