The one and only Wallaby Coach thread

[The Ghost of Raelene]

No.

Please don't.

 

[Tomthumb]

Leicester Tigers might be secretly hoping we take McKellar off their hands with yet another loss for them on the weekend

 

[eastman]

Eddie failed this time as Wallabies coach, but this isn’t true. He came 2nd in 2019 6 Nations and got to the World Cup final, and then won the 2020 6 nations. They stagnated in 2021 and 2022 but no where near as badly as the wallabies did over the same period

Ignoring all the success he’s had over the last two decades seems bizarre

If the feedback from England is that he seemingly can’t relate to the modern player or that became increasingly deranged- then you can overlook a single win over the Springboks with Japan.

 

[Jimmy_Crouch]

Looking at it purely in a binary sense was always a mistake though.

The Wallabies weren't in a position to do well at the RWC with with Rennie as the coach. The issue was grossly overestimating how much we could move the needle by switching to Eddie Jones. Clearly it was never going to materially change the Wallabies' prospects given the short amount of time available and the fact that we were also onboarding new (substandard) assistant coaches.

We spent a shitload of money we couldn't afford to barely move the needle. It was always a terrible investment.

Who knows what would have happened if we'd only appointed Eddie Jones now? He would have had some clear air with it very obviously being a rebuilding phase heading towards the Lions series in 2025. Instead all of the goodwill was destroyed in months for absolutely no gain and it made his ongoing position untenable.

But that is how decisions are simplified and made at the highest levels of management. If Jones was their guy after the RWC (it seems RA/Hammer were set on this) those plans were then at risk with him being sacked as England coach and available for nations like USA. The future was solved and this RWC they got to employ someone known as a RWC expert.

Looks there are too many 'what ifs' in all these arguments and we are all looking with 20/20 hindsight but I think is reasonable to for anyone to expect this to explode so quickly. Sure, long term Eddie maybe but not inside a year. As the great Nard once said "It didn't have to be like this" which I understand him to be talking about player selections.

 

[noscrumnolife]

It only serves to highlight the myopia in McLennan's thought process that he thought he would lose Eddie to the USA (or another Tier 2 nation). Anybody with a sense of the man, his massive ego and his proven willingness to walk out on a contract would have known if he wanted to come to Australia in 2024, he would have happily done so. Regardless of whether he was in a job or not. All it would have taken was a quiet word to his agent "Hey if you do sign a contract with a Tier 2 nation or a club, make sure you chuck in an exit clause for a Tier 1 job". But no no no we couldn't fathom the thought of life without him.

 

[noscrumnolife]

Anywho from the recent Roar article: "That (head coach) appointment is not likely to occur any time soon, with the national body intent on naming a new head of director of high-performance by Christmas before moving onto choosing Jones’ replacement."

Good news IMO. Seemed to be framed as a negative in the article (although I might have the tone wrong). But these are crucial hires, I'm not sure what would be achieved by rushing them just for the sake of saying you have a name in.

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

Yep, get a new DoR in place and then start recruiting the national head coach and assistants.

 

[Sir Arthur Higgins]

and maybe have rebels signed up to full centralisation and be close on high performance with two others.

 

[Homer]

Waugh said the DoR will be finalised before Christmas, which means someone has been found and is going through the negotiation process. Who are the nominees for the Role? Andy Friend was put forward a while ago i think.

 

[KOB1987]

Waugh said the DoR will be finalised before Christmas, which means someone has been found and is going through the negotiation process. Who are the nominees for the Role? Andy Friend was put forward a while ago i think.

They aren't nominees, they are applicants. Morgan Turinui is the only name I have heard who has applied for it but no doubt there are others.

 

[rodha]

Eddie failed this time as Wallabies coach, but this isn’t true. He came 2nd in 2019 6 Nations and got to the World Cup final, and then won the 2020 6 nations. They stagnated in 2021 and 2022 but no where near as badly as the wallabies did over the same period

Ignoring all the success he’s had over the last two decades seems bizarre

Ignoring that all the success occurred while Borthwick was his assistant coach is also bizarre...

The last time Eddie had either, a successful year, or won trophies, 2020, the final year Borthwick was his assistant. Won both the Six Nations & Autumn Nations Cup, only lost 1 match that entire season...

 

[stillmissit]

They aren't nominees, they are applicants. Morgan Turinui is the only name I have heard who has applied for it but no doubt there are others.

I just read Justin Harrison has put his hand up which is controversial as he is on the review committee.

 

[KOB1987]

I just read Justin Harrison has put his hand up which is controversial as he is on the review committee.

I think he has withdrawn his application. I found out about both the application and the withdrawal within a minute.

 

[PhilClinton]

Ahhh excellent, Turinui and Harrison, two names I associate highly with successful coaching and rugby administration that would fit well into any high performing international rugby organisation.

It'll be hard to top those guys.

 

[Braveheart81]

Turinui seems pretty astute and thoroughly engaged in Australian Rugby.

From the outside I'd have thought he was pretty well suited to the role.

I don't think we're playing in the field of headhunting among the best credentialed DoR candidates in World Rugby.

 

[Derpus]

Turinui seems pretty astute and thoroughly engaged in Australian Rugby.

From the outside I'd have thought he was pretty well suited to the role.

I don't think we're playing in the field of headhunting among the best credentialed DoR candidates in World Rugby.

Turinui is a decent pundit. Don't know whether that means he qualifies for the director role.

Harrison is not even a decent pundit.

 

[PhilClinton]

I don't think we're playing in the field of headhunting among the best credentialed DoR candidates in World Rugby.

So what's the point of this exercise? Why bother appointing someone to direct our rugby program if they'd not be suited to doing it anywhere else in the world?

I don't think that's how we're supposed to get better. Just bypass the role if that is the case, save the money and find a better coach.

 

[Wilson]

Turinui is a decent pundit. Don't know whether that means he qualifies for the director role.

Harrison is not even a decent pundit.

Turinui seems like some who could be a great Director of Rugby, but is short 5-10 years experience to be doing it an international level. He still only has minimal professional experience with a bit of time as an assistant in France and with the Rebels, the rest has been as a DoR at Randwick, an amateur/semi-pro program. There would be 5-10 club DoRs around the country with a CV as good or better than him, just not with the profile of being a pundit on Stan. I'd much rather we get a more experienced candidate and look for ways to build Turinui (and others like him) up into the role.

 

[PhilClinton]

Yeh I mean no disrespect to Morgan, but everyone keeps beating their chests that 'we are in this problem because we've done the same thing over and over' so I don't see how appointing someone who's best experience in a coaching/club director role is at Randwick changes much?

And when the Wallabies get pulverised by the BIL in two years, he'll be hung out to dry as a member of the Randwick old boys brigade and the same chests will be beating saying we need more change etc. the cycle repeats.

Life finds a way.

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

Andy Friend as a candidate for DoR?