Link to Australia?

[louie]

Ewen McKenzie next in line for Wallabies job after turning Reds round

March 15, 2010 .Ewen McKenzie's ability to transform Queensland from Super 14 basket case to finals contender has top judges stamping him as Robbie Deans' successor as Wallabies coach.

Highly-respected coaching guru Alec Evans, former Wallabies centre and selector Michael O'Connor and players union president Rod Kafer all lauded McKenzie's efforts with the born-again Reds.

Under the former Test prop, Queensland have enjoyed their most successful start to the season in a decade which includes a record 50-10 thrashing of the Western Force and upsets of the Chiefs and Crusaders.

All achieved without three of the Reds' most influential players of 2009 in departing duo Berrick Barnes (NSW) and Hugh McMeminan (Japan) and injured skipper James Horwill.

McKenzie was in line to take over the Wallabies in 2006 following the axing of Eddie Jones but ultimately decided to re-sign with NSW for a further three seasons.

He threw his hat in the ring for the job in early 2008 but was trumped by New Zealander Deans who signed a four-year contract through to next year's World Cup.

Renowned scrum doctor Evans - who has worked as an assistant to Test mentors Alan Jones, Rod Macqueen and John Connolly - is currently working as McKenzie's forwards deputy at the Reds and ranked him among the best he's worked with.

"He's as good as anyone," Evans said.

"I don't want to be jumping the gun here and Ewen wouldn't because he's fairly established with the Reds and that's all that's on his mind, but he's got the credentials to step up to the next level.

"I think he was ready (in 2006) and it was probably a missed opportunity for him. And he's grown a lot as a coach in the last three years.

"If Robbie Deans went back to New Zealand he's at the top of the (Wallabies coaching) list."

McKenzie had the inside rail for the Test position before Deans was overlooked by the NZRU for the All Blacks job after the 2007 World Cup.

Since then he led NSW to the 2008 Super 14 final, where the Waratahs lost to Deans' Crusaders, and spent a year coaching Stade Francais in the French Top 14.

Former Wallabies and Brumbies back Kafer believed the time in Europe added a dimension to McKenzie's Test claims.

"Ewen has all the characteristics you want as an international coach," he said.

"What better resume and he's had success everywhere he's gone.

"There's not a better example of genuine coaching skill than turning an under-performing team to an over-performing team in a short period of time. It is a rare skill."

O'Connor took his hat off to McKenzie for immediately improving a squad he inherited.

While the Reds boast genuine talents like Will Genia, Quade Cooper and Digby Ioane, who have been fostered by the likes of Deans and Phil Mooney, they can also attribute their rise to their development of Saia and Anthony Fainga'a, Ben Daley, Jake Schatz and Luke Morahan.

"He's picking younger players and reputation means nothing (it's) how you go and your attitude at training," dual international O'Connor said.

"Those forwards are just going forward and getting over the advantage line, no nonsense, and there's a hard edge about them this year."



AAP

 

[louie]

A year aho i would have screamed fould about this but it's feels so right.

 

[chief]

I'd rather Cheika go Wallabies coach and Link stays with Red.

 

[waratahjesus]

he should have taken over before robbie, that way they could have saved a few million on the coaches contract and kept the aus a program going.

 

[Blue]

he should have taken over before robbie, that way they could have saved a few million on the coaches contract and kept the aus a program going.

Yeah screw these bloody foreigners. Who needs them?

 

[waratahjesus]

he should have taken over before robbie, that way they could have saved a few million on the coaches contract and kept the aus a program going.

Yeah screw these bloody foreigners. Who needs them?

agree with you totally blue, the best team from any country should have that countries best coach.
national sides shouldnt become franchises.

 

[RugbyReg]

100% agree WJ!

 

[Spook]

Umm can we wait until the end of the S14 season pls. Lot of premature ejaculating going on. Think of England and calm down.

 

[louie]

Link is a btter coach for his time in EURO. Going in whe deans did would have been too soon.

 

[waratahjesus]

i dont think deans actually offers anything that link wouldnt have, i think the main problem with the wallabies was the same as with nsw, the board think they should have a say in matchday teams. Robbie deans has full backing to do what he wants due to his "masterplan", if conolly had that much backing i think he would have done better than he did.

 

[louie]

i dont think deans actually offers anything that link wouldnt have, i think the main problem with the wallabies was the same as with nsw, the board think they should have a say in matchday teams. Robbie deans has full backing to do what he wants due to his "masterplan", if conolly had that much backing i think he would have done better than he did.

You've said this a few times...
What do you think Conolly would have done if he had backing?

 

[fatprop]

All this hate for the old Brumbies trained coach in the Link.

The guy is a bloody good professional coach.

 

[waratahjesus]

i dont think deans actually offers anything that link wouldnt have, i think the main problem with the wallabies was the same as with nsw, the board think they should have a say in matchday teams. Robbie deans has full backing to do what he wants due to his "masterplan", if conolly had that much backing i think he would have done better than he did.

You've said this a few times...
What do you think Conolly would have done if he had backing?

picked the players he wanted to play his gameplan, it was obvious he didnt have he backing to control the team for mine. the brumbies master leadership group was still in effect

 

[Newb]

Lot of premature ejaculating going on. Think of England and calm down.

thinking of england will definitely put a damper on any of that kind of behavior O0

 

[TheRiddler]

"What better resume and he's had success everywhere he's gone. "

I must have missed all that silverware and records whilst he was at SF - and obviously he wasnt fired for the team's poor performance.

Not saying that Ewen was in the wrong, just that as per usual, Kafer is talking crap.

 

[louie]

i dont think deans actually offers anything that link wouldnt have, i think the main problem with the wallabies was the same as with nsw, the board think they should have a say in matchday teams. Robbie deans has full backing to do what he wants due to his "masterplan", if conolly had that much backing i think he would have done better than he did.

You've said this a few times...
What do you think Conolly would have done if he had backing?

picked the players he wanted to play his gameplan, it was obvious he didnt have he backing to control the team for mine. the brumbies master leadership group was still in effect

explain how? players i mean. i'm interested

 

[waratahjesus]

i dont think deans actually offers anything that link wouldnt have, i think the main problem with the wallabies was the same as with nsw, the board think they should have a say in matchday teams. Robbie deans has full backing to do what he wants due to his "masterplan", if conolly had that much backing i think he would have done better than he did.

You've said this a few times...
What do you think Conolly would have done if he had backing?

picked the players he wanted to play his gameplan, it was obvious he didnt have he backing to control the team for mine. the brumbies master leadership group was still in effect

explain how? players i mean. i'm interested

he was given the job as a caretake till the next world cup, we had a team in place with several strong minds who were alsot he leadership core, if Connolly had dropped a senior player im sure he would have been shat all over. He didnt seem to have the backing of anyone higher up, just that he was there till the world cup. i remember in the lead up an article saying win lose or draw connolly was going, the guy never had a chance to build something.

Robbie deans has been given full and total support to the point were if we lose people complain he doesnt have the cattle to work with and if we win its cos he is a master coach of epic proportions. He did well at the crusaders with a fantastic team, did he fully develop the tea from the ground up, you can argue what development is for and against all night in my opinion, but i think this notion that he is working on some sort of higher plain is complete bollocks. then ad in the fact even after new zealand passed on him, thats right, they didnt want him to coach the best players in there country after he had provided them with the super I4 champions we offered him a seriously beefed up contract and full control to appoint and fire anyone he wants. all so we can have the wallabies play the same style the crusaders play.

When john mitchell and Robbie deans were sitt ing in the box at the 03 world cup semi and everything started going wrong, they didnt change anything cos neither could come up with a plan b, the fact is,t hey went into the game without one. Yet here we are putting blind faith in the man when we could have just as easily got the same results he has gotten by giving an aussie coach four years to build the best side he could.

 

[DPK]

Hickey for Wob's head coach :lmao:

 

[Spook]

i dont think deans actually offers anything that link wouldnt have, i think the main problem with the wallabies was the same as with nsw, the board think they should have a say in matchday teams. Robbie deans has full backing to do what he wants due to his "masterplan", if conolly had that much backing i think he would have done better than he did.

You've said this a few times...
What do you think Conolly would have done if he had backing?

picked the players he wanted to play his gameplan, it was obvious he didnt have he backing to control the team for mine. the brumbies master leadership group was still in effect

No you are thinking of how Link got ousted by the senior Waratah group headed by Phil Waugh.

Conolly removed GG from the captaincy and tried Gits at 1/2back. He tried things..but Oz was terrible up front.

 

[Spook]

Stade Francais was worse that shite under Link. QLD have been very impressive under Link but we are only 5 games into the season. I like Link, he is a v good coach but I think Deans is still the best coach around. Feel free to look at his super rugby record. Has it occured to anyone that the Reds involved with the aussie squad have improved quite a lot?