The post halftime cross to Bernie said it all for me. He was asked what he said to Ryan and Noah at halftime and he basically said that they would just need to take the learnings and where we end up is where we end up. To me it could not have been more of a concession. Totally unacceptable from a coach and really pathetic.
I think the team performance reflected the pathetic attitude of the coach, Both were clueless and essentially had conceded.
@Pfitzy - your comments are spot on. There are some real fundamental issue in the team again. Aside from the standard forward picks, they seem unwilling to go straight at the line and the idea of trying to break through it just doesn't seem to feature in their thinking. Lots of lateral play.
IMHO these issues were present in Bernies last stint at the Brumbies, and a rookie coach, McKellar, was able to improve the Brumbie post Bernie. But we seem to be slipping back to the old Bernie ways. What's stands out the most in not only the infrequent involvement of the backline, but when its used it dysfunctional. very few occasions on the game. They are also slow and to process driven. The Brumbies script is easily worked out so they are predictable which certainly made it easier for the Chiefs.
I can't help but question if this is one of the key issues with Rugby here in Australia at the moment. Bernie is constantly talked up as a coach but has achieved little. It's starting to head down the Jones path where its the reputation rather than the results that getting them the jobs.
