Ewen McKenzie: Wallaby Coach

[Gnostic]

Really? I'm scarred for life on that one.

Really. The record losses to the Bok and ABs, and Samoa and Scotland and Ireland were far worse. At least the Wallabies were actually in that game to some degree up to the 60 minute mark. In the losses that I mentioned they didn't even turn up. Those especially the record losses to the Bok and ABs were total humiliations.

But then I suppose I am may have been expecting the result and the reason for it so was not surprised or even really upset, more like resigned and shaking my head because it was so predictable.

 

[nugget]

http://www.theroar.com.au/2013/07/09/official-robbie-deans-stepping-down-from-wallabies-coach/
Breaking News

Stepping down? Interesting...

 

[Gnostic]

I wonder if his resignation was with the golden handshake of $400K that has been reported by Channel 7.

 

[Mr Doug]

The impression I got was that the coaching panel made the selections and Dingo had the final say. So in Dingo land that means he was the only selector.. Because if anyone disagreed they were outta there!!

By the way, is there a press conference being held by the ARU or something today? Really keen to have it all confirmed. I feel as though we are relying on the 'quality' Australian media reporting at the moment.

Thanks for that lewisr. I raised this for two reasons, firstly if he wasn't the sole selector, there is a "shared responsibility" for the errors, and secondly, one member's post said that "Robbie Deans had to work with the team that he was given"!

 

[MrTimms]

Tuesday, 9th July, 2013

​

ROBBIE DEANS STEPS DOWN AS QANTAS WALLABIES COACH​

Qantas Wallabies head coach Robbie Deans has announced this morning he is stepping down from the role effective immediately.

Deans has coached the national team in 74 Test matches. He was initially elevated to the job for the 2008 season.

The former All Black and most successful Super Rugby coach in history broke new ground when he became the first non-Australian to land the country’s most coveted coaching position.

His resignation follows the DHL Australia 2013 Lions Tour where a series deciding Test win for the tourists – at a sold out ANZ Stadium in Sydney on Saturday night – saw the Tom Richards Cup head to the UK and Ireland.

Deans advised Australian Rugby Union CEO Bill Pulver late yesterday of his decision to stand down.

“I wish to take this opportunity to thank everyone involved in Australian Rugby for their support through the duration of my tenure,” he said.

“It has been a rewarding five years and I am proud of all that we have achieved.

“Most especially I would like to thank the players for their efforts and wish them all the best going forward.”

Mr Pulver said Deans made a significant contribution to Australian Rugby over a long period of time.

“Robbie came into the job in 2008, improved our away record almost immediately, delivered a Tri Nations title in 2011, and has been a significant part of a Lions Tour that over shadows any other Rugby event in Australia since the 2003 Rugby World Cup.

“We wish him all the best in his future endeavours and to build further on what is one of world Rugby’s most impressive coaching resumes.

“As a consequence of a coaching review process that has been ongoing through 2013, we are also in a position to make a further announcement on the coaching position – and name Robbie's replacement – later today."

ARU will announce the new Qantas Wallabies coach at a Media Conference in Brisbane this afternoon.

CEO Bill Pulver, in Brisbane for a series of non-related meetings, will be in attendance.

The Media Conference will be held in the Odeon Room at the Sofitel Hotel, Turbot St Brisbane, at 2pm.

 

[Braveheart81]

I wonder if his resignation was with the golden handshake of $400K that has been reported by Channel 7.

What was his annual salary? Half a year's salary plus unused leave and pro rata long service leave for 6 years probably comes close to 400k.

Sent from my HTC One XL using Tapatalk 2

 

[lewisr]

For Robbie's Sake I think he needs to go back to NZ and try and get another Super Rugby coaching role. We saw it throughout his wallabies tenure that he tried turning them into an NZ team, especially towards the end of his tenure. And although this might not work with our talent pool, he can still do very well back in New Zealand I think. Good Luck to him.

 

[BarneySF]

OK still no mention of replacement. Inside word: Julian Gardner.

 

[Gnostic]

What was his annual salary? Half a year's salary plus unused leave and pro rata long service leave for 6 years probably comes close to 400k.

Sent from my HTC One XL using Tapatalk 2

Resignation (is the key here and what has now been reported where previous reports had him being terminated) generally doesn't get one the remainder of contract payments, and in most industries I have worked in Long Service leave only kicks in after 10 years service, even though it accrues up to that point. So payout would have been limited to Annual Leave???

 

[daz]

Stepping down? Interesting.

Stepping down/resigned/sacked/boned.

Gone is gone; how they word it means bugger all to me.

The King is dead. Long live the King.

 

[Ash]

No doubt Deans was told it's over, and given the opportunity to resign (still with full payout) instead of be sacked.

My wife has seen (and been told) plenty of stories of people who do bad/wrong things at work, and get justifiably sacked - and 9 times out of 10 these people "resign" before getting marched from the office.

 

[Braveheart81]

Resignation (is the key here and what has now been reported where previous reports had him being terminated) generally doesn't get one the remainder of contract payments, and in most industries I have worked in Long Service leave only kicks in after 10 years service, even though it accrues up to that point. So payout would have been limited to Annual Leave???

I think the fact he has announced his resignation after being brought into St Leonards yesterday for a meeting is a pretty clear indication that he was told to resign. I would be incredibly surprised if this was done without a deal being made to pay him out.

In NSW an employee is entitled to a pro rata payout of LSL (Lukhan Salakaia-Loto) for a period of service between 5 and 10 years if they are terminanted for reasons other than serious of wilful misconduct.

 

[Braveheart81]

My wife has seen (and been told) plenty of stories of people who do bad/wrong things at work, and get justifiably sacked - and 9 times out of 10 these people "resign" before getting marched from the office.

You always try and make an employee resign voluntarily (after telling them they should resign) rather than sack them because it reduces their opportunity to make an unfair dismissal claim (no matter how much they deserved to be sacked).

 

[Gnostic]

I think the fact he has announced his resignation after being brought into St Leonards yesterday for a meeting is a pretty clear indication that he was told to resign. I would be incredibly surprised if this was done without a deal being made to pay him out.

In NSW an employee is entitled to a pro rata payout of LSL (Lukhan Salakaia-Loto) for a period of service between 5 and 10 years if they are terminanted for reasons other than serious of wilful misconduct.

It which case it isn't a resignation, is it. This is just a candy coating, a sop for Deans ego. If he was told to resign, it needs to be said for what it is, he was terminated.

As for you second post, whilst that is preferable in commercial world, for purely expedient reasons, this is a public coaching position and there can be no doubt that performance was a massive factor in his termination. At a time when the ARU has financial issues Deans and JON were grossly over paid and both have walked out with payouts that neither earned.

 

[I like to watch]

You always try and make an employee resign voluntarily (after telling them they should resign) rather than sack them because it reduces their opportunity to make an unfair dismissal claim (no matter how much they deserved to be sacked).

Not really,that's constructive dismissal.
A big no no for employers!

 

[Braveheart81]

It which case it isn't a resignation, is it. This is just a candy coating, a sop for Deans ego. If he was told to resign, it needs to be said for what it is, he was terminated.

As for you second post, whilst that is preferable in commercial world, for purely expedient reasons, this is a public coaching position and there can be no doubt that performance was a massive factor in his termination. At a time when the ARU has financial issues Deans and JON were grossly over paid and both have walked out with payouts that neither earned.

Yes. It is candy coating. I'd suggest this is why the article in The Roar described it as a 'resignation'.

My thoughts are the ARU just wants to move on and leave the issue behind them. If Pulver has a press conference to announce that the ARU is firing Deans, it provides a lot more room for the situation to spiral out of control. The last thing you want is a pissed off coach who has just been fired who has been central to the ARU for a long period of time and surely knows a lot of the bad things that have gone on in the organisation in that time.

He was still contracted until the end of the year. Workplace relations laws still apply and losing matches isn't a justifiable reason to fire a coach without having to pay out their contract.

 

[ACT Crusader]

Braveheart - I doubt LSL (Lukhan Salakaia-Loto) applies here because I doubt Deans is an "employee". He'd basically be a contractor/sole trader

 

[Hawko]

Resignation (is the key here and what has now been reported where previous reports had him being terminated) generally doesn't get one the remainder of contract payments, and in most industries I have worked in Long Service leave only kicks in after 10 years service, even though it accrues up to that point. So payout would have been limited to Annual Leave???

Usually long service leave is paid after five years if you are terminated or ten years if you resign. It varies from state to state, each state has its own laws.

Often when you fire someone they are offered the chance to resign as a way of saving face. This seems very likely here. The exit interview probably went like this: "Your fired." "OK, you have to pay out my contract." "Yeah, we know." "Out of respect for my services can it be officially announced that I'm standing down?" "OK, that's fair. Let's discuss details."

 

[I like to watch]

It which case it isn't a resignation, is it. This is just a candy coating, a sop for Deans ego. If he was told to resign, it needs to be said for what it is, he was terminated.

As for you second post, whilst that is preferable in commercial world, for purely expedient reasons, this is a public coaching position and there can be no doubt that performance was a massive factor in his termination. At a time when the ARU has financial issues Deans and JON were grossly over paid and both have walked out with payouts that neither earned.

Two separate issues.
Deans was contractually entitled to continue in his role until the end of the year.They have effectively put him on gardening leave.
JON was paid a ridiculous bonus,given
a) The on field performance of the Wallabies.
b)The financial position of the ARU.
Very few Board members would survive negligence of this scale,in a publicly listed company.

 

[Braveheart81]

Very few Board members would survive negligence of this scale,in a publicly listed company.

I think the ARU board avoids far too much blame in the happenings of the last decade.

At the end of the day, they're the ones who ensured JON and Deans were around for as long as they were, were paid what they were (mainly in JON's case) and were either given the reins to do what they did or hamstrung by having poor assistant coaches forced on them.

It seems the board has either been too laissez-faire or too controlling on the wrong situations.