Wallabies 2019 Thread

[vidiot]

Hiring a new head coach and giving them the right to hire assistants now would be unbelievably expensive for RA. I don't think the amount it would cost would be worth the potential return (which would be minimal).

I think you are missing the opportunities. This is tailor made for commercial success. There are a number of transferable reality TV concepts that would be sufficiently deniable so as to not infringe copyright.

1) Big Brother Wallabies Camp.
Get all the backstabbing between coaches and players as they bring their sisters-in-law on tour. Who will spill the beans on their team mates first!

2) Survivor RA
Microphones and cameras at the ready. Who will survive the successive cuts to the RWC squad and take the field in our moment of glory - the pool matches in Japan?

3) The Coaching Block
Wannabe coaching couples get to work with the different elements of the wallabies game and get judged by Kearns, Horan and Shayna Blaze. This week - the scrum. Next week - kicking. And at the end o fthe season we auction off the players to Japan and start again in Season 2

Sadly any or all of these concepts would also rate better than the actual Wallabies fixtures

 

[dru]

I wouldn't say that, as BH says people were calling for it but it was still marginal. We went within a 50/50 referee call of a series win against Ireland less than 6 months ago and up until then we had some ups and downs, we beat the all blacks 4 games earlier.

It started going really pear in the RC.

Agree with your last point - Cheika is locked in until the end of the RWC campaign and I think it's best just to let it play out, for better or for worse.

Yes, there have been some diehard supporters of status quo.

No, things didn’t start to go pear in the RC, a year earlier. And to any serious student of Australian rugby, Cheika’s antics were in no way “marginal”. He’s been out on a limb for some time. It’s just got to the stage that it is pointless arguing otherwise, even for the painted-on RA voices here.

Where we are is due to the belated actual interest from RA - there is little choice now. May that never happen again.

FWIW, my money from here is for the incompetence of the RA to chop Check for a choice that, well is not Check, but doesn’t suit beyond the short term. Screwing us over for longer, Graham-Reds-Stile (style).

But that’s just a guess.

Either way the fan gets screwed (we’re getting used to it)

 

[Beer Baron]

I wonder what the difference is $$ wise to RA whether Wobs make quarters or semis (or final)?
Given We have Wales and Fiji in our pool even the pessimist would say we are odds on to beat Fiji regardless of who's coach.

So either way we make the quarters.
From a purely bean-counter view does dumping some form of the current coaching team, sufficiently increase the likelihood of getting to the next stage, which if we assume we are runners up to Wales means beating England?

Cheika's contract is a sunk cost, So we are up for (some) new coaches for bit under 12 months (assuming all AC are signed on until RWC).
I'd argue we aren't close to winning... so $400k on new coaching staff isn't worth an (increased chance) of an extra round of footy...

In saying that - Cheika turned it around last time and would have proved the above wrong - although Link walked.

 

[Spruce Moose]

It's a tough decision. My personal feeling is that things are a basket case now but making a change now will cost a lot of money and probably won't achieve much for the RWC next year. A new appointment should only be made if they're considered the preferred option from 2020 onwards regardless of what happens next year.

I wonder if they are speaking to Schmidt's people to see how long he is planning to take off for family time post RWC next year?

Perhaps getting someone like White for 2 years is a good option with a succession plan in place?

 

[Bobby Sands]

I wonder if they are speaking to Schmidt's people to see how long he is planning to take off for family time post RWC next year?

Perhaps getting someone like White for 2 years is a good option with a succession plan in place?

Raelene Castle is apparently talking to lots of Europeans rugby people about options.

I'd be surprised if we are not reaching out to him in some capacity already.

It will be an absolute race to sign him.

 

[Clavis Ruo]

Is Quade Cooper completely out of the picture? Any chance a good Super Rugby season could win him a spot? Couldnt be any worse than the current lot

 

[Joe Blow]

Sadly Cheika ruled out quite a few players over time. I’m not sure if Quade is up to it anymore or not but I would guess that a new coach would base his selections on the super rugby season next year and all those discarded players will have a clean slate.

 

[Bobby Sands]

Is Quade Cooper completely out of the picture? Any chance a good Super Rugby season could win him a spot? Couldnt be any worse than the current lot

Cheik loves him, if he is playing well you would imagine he will make the squad.

We badly need McMahon, Naisarani or Timu/Valetini to step up or we are completely shot.

Rodda is now the best lock we have, which is incredible, but we need to find another abrasive bloke. I think Arnold is number 2 now, Coleman obviously on his day, but Philip is the smoky. Want to see him kick on. Very interested in Luke Jones.

If we can settle on a hooker, shore up the line-out and find a better balance in the backrow - we are half a chance of being competitive.

Controversial, but I don't think Maddocks is up to it as a wing. Develop him as a 10, or 15.

We need to get in all three of Kerevi, TK and Petaia in the 23, maybe even XV.

My world cup backline is

Genia
To'omua
Folau
Kerevi
TK
Petaia (although I would much rather he play 13, but no exposed form at that level. Soup will determine)
DHP

Jake Gordon
Jack Maddocks

 

[LearningCurve]

.

My world cup backline is

Genia
To'omua
Folau
Kerevi
TK
Petaia (although I would much rather he play 13, but no exposed form at that level. Soup will determine)
DHP

Jake Gordon
Jack Maddocks

Isn't your selection of TK a bit based on old history of his playing? He was pretty awful for most of Super Rugby this year, came good I think near the end. I agree the cupboard is a bit bare at 13 but is he still the answer?

 

[Spruce Moose]

Is Quade Cooper completely out of the picture? Any chance a good Super Rugby season could win him a spot? Couldnt be any worse than the current lot

Isn't the comedic value here that our starting test 10 (To'omua) will likely be playing 12 in Super Rugby?

With a potential combo of Genia, Cooper & To'omua if they fire and Rebels impress next year that could actually be a very good thing for Australian rugby. At least put pressure on Foley/Beale.

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

I think there needs to be a change of tactic and thus line up for next year. World Cups are won mostly on the set piece, defence and goal kicking. On that basis, the Wallaby outfit needs to change.

The tight five has a number of good options and it's really only hooker that I would have concerns with at the moment. JU needs to get back to full fitness and command a spot. The others have cooked it this year IMHO. The back row needs a ball runner and Isi probably that guy. I also don't think the Pooper can be used again. Pocock must play at openside and Hooper on the bench.

In the backs there is a requirement for brutal defence and no folk dancing in terms of alignment. The back three would require speed, good hands under the high ball and at least one decent boot.

So.....

Sio
Jordan
7A's
Rodda
Coleman
Dempsey (if McMahon isn't available)
Pocock
Isi
Genia
Banks
To'omua
Kerevi
TK
Izzy
DHP

as a possible line up. It would be abrasive, confrontational and accurate. The bench would have the likes of Hooper, Gordon, Maddocks, Foley etc to bring something different when the situation requires (i.e. more pace, different game plan, flatter alignment) etc.

Another option, if we wanted to play a dual playmaker would be QC (Quade Cooper) and To'omua, which has been class in the past.

 

[RugbyReg]

Is Banks playing flyhalf there?

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

Is Banks playing flyhalf there?

One of the wings. Got him a little out of alignment

 

[Bobby Sands]

Neither here nor there, but a mate of mine who was a decent prop thinks that Harry Lloyd from the Force was the best scrummaging prop in the NRC by a country kilometer.

 

[Slim 293]

Isn't your selection of TK a bit based on old history of his playing? He was pretty awful for most of Super Rugby this year, came good I think near the end. I agree the cupboard is a bit bare at 13 but is he still the answer?

Yes, the Wallabies missed him....,,,,,

 

[Derpus]

Cheik loves him, if he is playing well you would imagine he will make the squad.

We badly need McMahon, Naisarani or Timu/Valetini to step up or we are completely shot.

Rodda is now the best lock we have, which is incredible, but we need to find another abrasive bloke. I think Arnold is number 2 now, Coleman obviously on his day, but Philip is the smoky. Want to see him kick on. Very interested in Luke Jones.

If we can settle on a hooker, shore up the line-out and find a better balance in the backrow - we are half a chance of being competitive.

Controversial, but I don't think Maddocks is up to it as a wing. Develop him as a 10, or 15.

We need to get in all three of Kerevi, TK and Petaia in the 23, maybe even XV.

My world cup backline is

Genia
To'omua
Folau
Kerevi
TK
Petaia (although I would much rather he play 13, but no exposed form at that level. Soup will determine)
DHP

Jake Gordon
Jack Maddocks

i actually agree with at least some of the things you have said. Maddocks isn't big enough to finish. Rodda is the form lock. TK is vital.

I don't know how much experience Rodda or Arnold have as callers? that would be the only reasons i can see why they arent selected together.

 

[barbarian]

Barring injuries, I think the forward pack is relatively settled. One of the few pleasing aspects of the tour has been our second row - Rodda and Coleman have stepped up, and the performance of the lineout has been greatly improved.

You'd suggest hooker is still wide open, though I think Latu staked his claim fairly well on the weekend.

It's the backs that are just so murky. Quade is definitely not out of it for that reason. Wide open for a bolter like Petaia to come through with a good Super season.
.

 

[Brumby Runner]

Cheika was a very obvious replacement though and the assistants were all working with the players already.

It also didn't come with a huge financial cost.

Probably because Link had the personal integrity to recognise he wasn't wanted (at least by a substantial component of the team at the time) and had the good grace to resign.

Cheika is not wanted now by the vast majority of the rugby public, and probably by a fair component of players, but he will continue to hang on like a very bad smell.

 

[Brumby Runner]

Whilst it might have given a better chance for someone succeeding Cheika to have a better crack at the RWC it would have cost more.

I also don't think there really was a reasonable case for sacking Cheika earlier. Sure there were people calling for it, but it was very marginal. RA is certainly not in a position to be firing coaches in marginal situations.

The pity is BH that they appear to have no other option than to fire a non-performing coach because of the (apparent) terms of their contracts. Surely, a properly managed organisation would include performance targets in the contract that would allow a coach to be let go in such circumstances without any penalty.

 

[Derpus]

The pity is BH that they appear to have no other option than to fire a non-performing coach because of the (apparent) terms of their contracts. Surely, a properly managed organisation would include performance targets in the contract that would allow a coach to be let go in such circumstances without any penalty.

Who would sign that? Cheika came into the job as a successful and sought after coach, i doubt they could have strong armed something like that into his contract.