It's.
Not.
The.
Coaches.
FFS people - wake the fuck up!
[/quote]
Nope, wrong. At best it 50% player but look at you reasoning and start considering the evidence.
The Rebels look like they are lost because they are lost and defeated. Simply consider the psychology and emotions, let alone confidence and motivational impact if you, after months of pre-season preparation, go into the season believing you should be ready and and discover that everything you have worked so hard to put in place is way off then mark. How would you view the coaching team who plans and ideas were so far off the mark its a disaster? Then several weeks in there has been no real changes to help things. You seek help but the coaches have no answers. Would you look like that team last night? Would you give a crap by now?
As for selection: Aussie coaches are notorious for being obsessive with selection and its part the player quality issues. Whether its a JD @10 under-performing year after year, or a Toua at the Brumbies who is questionable in his 2nd attempt at Super Rugby level , or trying to recycle players like perennial under-performer Godwin. A quick look at the teams and you will see the the Brumbies and the Reds have recruited half the "past its" or left overs. Aussie coaches are reluctant to pick outside of the "established" players, hold back players due to age more so than any country in the world; so you reap what you sow.
The competitiveness of the Rebels in patches like against the Tah's suggest that it not all a player issues.
So going back basics to look at you points; player selection - well TT has been there a while and has recruited that squad. He has had opportunities to change players and he has who
he wants. Before we launch in to there are no other player option there are over 100 players playing O/S and we saw plenty of talent in the NRC.
The game plans
he designs and implements, so why are the performances producing the same outcomes? Generally when you change up the players like the changes in the forwards and back over the last 2 years (Eg; Hanson, JGB @10) and you are getting the same outputs and results you have to ask if its the plan because when no combination is greeting the desired outcome it becomes obvious whats floored. So this is fully down to coaching.
As for being professional, well that comes down to the standards set. Have a look at Aussie rugby at the moment from the poor coaching, lack of skill being taught, lack of pathways. poor club administration right up to the ARU and the Super Rugby issues. Generally, aside from the players its pretty much a cluster. IMHO, and it might only be a coincidence, but can you find anybody in the cluster that is from outside of "öur" system? I would go as far as to put forward the theory at we are so incestuous, rife with nepotism (the way TT got appointed) and insular that we have inbred our problems and don't know what to do about them.
There are 13 teams that don't have the issue we have performance wise, and the players standards and skills are comparative to at least the SA teams (remember quotas dictate their selections).
Here is a good clue about the reasons from someone that knows. You will rarely see this (only Link IIRC )in Aussie rugby but the reality is is need to happen a lot more at all levels for the benefit of our game:
