Cheerio Deans

[Gnostic]

The Wallabies win the series 3-0 and Pulver sacks Deans?
He speaks with forked tongue.

I don't think so. I think the discipline issues compounded an already financial imperative to get the Wallabies playing attacking Rugby again. Have a listen to Podcast 116. Scott Allen's comments are pertinent to this point. The Board formally approved the appointment of Link and the last board meeting was 3 weeks ago. They cannot approve such an appointment in absentia. The decision was indeed made three weeks ago.

Given my absolute distrust of the ARU because of the ethical issues they have displayed up to this point, this can be nothing but the truth.

 

[Inside Shoulder]

I don't think so. I think the discipline issues compounded an already financial imperative to get the Wallabies playing attacking Rugby again. Have a listen to Podcast 116. Scott Allen's comments are pertinent to this point. The Board formally approved the appointment of Link and the last board meeting was 3 weeks ago. They cannot approve such an appointment in absentia. The decision was indeed made three weeks ago.

Given my absolute distrust of the ARU because of the ethical issues they have displayed up to this point, this can be nothing but the truth.

Your analysis makes perfect sense and leaves me with a very bad taste in my mouth.

 

[RedsHappy]

Hang on, I thought Deans resigned?

Just like JO'N 'resigned' last year when Hawker announced they both agreed JO'N was so busy with Echo etc and that '..........it is a good idea as agreed with JO'N that now's the time to make a change.......'.

A proper voluntary resignation would normally yield a short period of notice. Yet somehow, as we now know, JO'N in 2012 received a massive $ payout including nearly $900k for 'Incentives'.

Let us recall that in late 2011 - a mere 6 months after JO'N signed his 'committed' 2 year ARU extension agreement - JO'N was off being interviewed for other CEO positions in the UK, then, just after that, he become intensively involved with Echo Entertainment for a substantial NED then Chairman's fee.

That any board could have agreed a contract with its CEO that enabled him to be paid out such a vast sum as $2.2m when he allegedly 'voluntarily' resigned and when his business was way under-performing and haemorrhaging cash as major losses, was and is totally reprehensible and negligent in the extreme.

Deans' 6 year long foibles, indulgences, receipt of reckless contract extensions, and generally poor team judgements with zero accountability, were all symptoms of a higher level problem embedded within the highest reaches of the ARU, they were not the problem itself.

 

[Braveheart81]

RedsHappy - good post. People blaming Deans for being in the job for 6 years miss the point that he wasn't employing himself.

Likewise, whislt I'm sure John O'Neill had the authority to write his own cheques, clearly the board agreed to pay him out the ludicrous sum he received.

 

[young gun]

I think a problem might be that he has had lot's of experience but little diversity and that has been a reason for him being stubborn.

Early on in his tenure he ran a session with the NT under 16's here in Darwin. He spent ages running around setting up his own drills before the session started. To put it into context it was the hottest humid time of the year and the whether must have nearly killed the poor bastard. The enthusiasm in what he was doing was really evident. The interaction with the players was outstanding and he had them completely engaged. After the session he was the bloke to pack up all the gear and then spent ages talking to the parents and the players. I asked him for a photo and an autograph which was no problem and he took the time to have a quick chat with me. He gave off a good vibe that day

I thought he was very impressive and still do to a degree. Getting so frustrated over the Wallabies in the last few years it would be easy to just say this bloke is an arsehole but looking back at that day and he isn't.

The head coach of an international side just doesn't have time to be hands on and I just don't think this is Robbie Deans. In an environment where he could be more hands on I think he has masses to offer.

I think you're spot on here. Deans, for all his failings (whatever there were) is an enthusiastic and committed rugby man - he really believes in the beauty of the whole thing.

I know that this will never happen, for a number of reasons, but it would be great if he was retained by the ARU to assist / run junior rugby in Australia. Working with kids, spreading the message, making sure the culture, history and ethos if the game is retained and passed onto the next generation, helping junior clubs etc etc - I think he'd be fantastic at that sort of thing because its in his DNA.

I know a few guys that are quite close to Robbie, and the message from them has always been that he's a great guy who has time for everyone. I fully support the fact that it was time for him to go, and are happy with the replacement, but I think at a wider level Australian rugby will somehow be the poorer for him going - primarily because of the lose of the extra-curricular things he used to do, and there were many.

 

[RedsHappy]

RedsHappy - good post. People blaming Deans for being in the job for 6 years miss the point that he wasn't employing himself.

Likewise, whislt I'm sure John O'Neill had the authority to write his own cheques, clearly the board agreed to pay him out the ludicrous sum he received.

Indeed BH. And as I noted, events almost immediately post JO'N's 2 year extension (granted IIRC in April 2011) highlighted how ridiculous was the notion that JO'N had 'committed' to anything serious with the ARU - in fact he was off intrigued by and being interviewed for other CEO jobs before 2011 was out. Many responsible boards would have have sought to terminate a CEO then and there for misleading them re a commitment that was clearly not one, and in the concerning knowledge that their CEO's mind was elsewhere. And this was all around the time of an event that was of massive importance to the ARU, the RWC.

The sole point of raising these items is to highlight how very poorly the ARU board has acted both in terms of expected competence and expected ethical responsibilities to the Australian rugby community which effectively funds the entire ARU. That we have as a code many problems directly derived from having a code-oversighting board of this nature is completely unsurprising, albeit awfully concerning.

 

[Inside Shoulder]

Indeed BH. And as I noted, events almost immediately post JO'N's 2 year extension (granted IIRC in April 2011) highlighted how ridiculous was the notion that JO'N had 'committed' to anything serious with the ARU - in fact he was off intrigued by and being interviewed for other CEO jobs before 2011 was out. Many responsible boards would have have sought to terminate a CEO then and there for misleading them re a commitment that was clearly not one, and in the concerning knowledge that their CEO's mind was elsewhere. And this was all around the time of an event that was of massive importance to the ARU, the RWC.

The sole point of raising these items is to highlight how very poorly the ARU board has acted both in terms of expected competence and expected ethical responsibilities to the Australian rugby community which effectively funds the entire ARU. That we have as a code many problems directly derived from having a code-oversighting board of this nature is completely unsurprising, albeit awfully concerning.

Echo has certainly benefited from his undivided attention:

 

[#1 Tah]

So what does the future hold for Robbie? No longer employed, living in Balmain (a suburb that loves it's Rugby), with children at private schools and universities in Sydney. His old hometown, Christchurch, was rocked to the point of near destruction after the earthquake in 2011.

Something tells me he wont leave in a hurry, he might look for some local work. Would he suit a managerial position? Perhaps lending his talents to a Shute Shield club? Just because he is not the Wallabies coach anymore doesn't mean he shouldn't be lost to Oz Rugby, I think we would be mad to not keep him in the community, albeit not at a national level.

 

[Hugh Jarse]

^^^^ Is Dingo a Balmain Boy? I thought he was part of the nexus of ARU Power that includes Mosman residents and Shore old boys?

Doesn't Wockka Livingstone at Balmain Rugby club have a lazy $1m or so for his competition.

No competition this year.

Maybe he can sling a lazy couple of hundy Gorillas Dingo's way for coaching advice to the Balmain boys.

 

[Inside Shoulder]

Definitely lives in Mosman.
Expecting to hear of Link out house hunting there.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Hugh Jarse]

Pretty Shore (get it?) Link has maintained a household in Eastern Suburbs since he returned from France - in Bronte or Clovelly, with his girls going to a local private high school.

It wouldn't make too much sense to move closer to the Centre of ARU Power. In Sydney the Wobs typically stay in the Coogie Crowne Plaza and train at Coogee Oval/Moore Park. The High Performance Unit blokes are (or were) based in Moore Park. Ideal if you live in Bronte.

 

[RoffsChoice]

Pretty Shore (get it?)

HA. HA.

Well done

 

[cyclopath]

You have way too much time, and bandwidth, on your hands.

 

[Set piece magic]

Comes across as a bit disrespectful to Deans there

 

[Bruce Ross]

Unlike some, Robbie Deans always conducted himself with great dignity. He can hold his head high.
.

 

[Dismal Pillock]

no worries then, I deleted it

 

[Bruce Ross]

no worries then, I deleted it

Thank you, DP. It looked like a quite clever piece embodying a lot of work but it just seemed too cruel and personal.
.

 

[wamberal]

Robbie Deans just never came to terms with the fact that we are, basically, a long way behind New Zealand at all levels of the game. I think he assumed that he could coach Australians like he coached New Zealanders.

We are rugby babies. Just take a look at the two games last night for proof. The gulf in quality is shameful.

 

[Train Without a Station]

I'd disagree. I'd say he wasn't very flexible in his coaching, and couldn't coach to his playing group available, rather than trying to adapt his playing group to what he wanted.

Whilst Deans seemed like probably the best option at the time, I'd say the ARU stuffed up because they picked a coach who had only ever coached for one team. Therefore you could not separate their success from that achieved by the system.

 

[Ash]

The good thing of Deans was the amount of hard work he put in at the grass roots level. As Bruce said, he normally carried himself with dignity and you could tell he generally did care.

I reckon that worst thing for Deans is some of his man management, discarding of players he clashed with and refusing to even talk to them while playing favourites with others. He's not Eddie Jones bad, but he's not good - there were plenty of warning signs from when he was the assistant coach of NZ. The second worse thing were some of his bizarre decisions: selections, positions, and tactics.