Wallabies 2020

[Slim 293]

I would take McKellar on as a dedicated maul coach..........

Beating a team like England with a flurry of driving maul tries would be immensely satisfying.

Hell, we could’ve probably exited further from our 22m with one of those Brumbies style mauls than through the boot.

 

[Silverado]

Definitely agree, think I was more hoping to show that we don't really have a realistic Australian coach that has a recent history of success unless I'm forgetting someone that is coaching overseas currently.

Eddy Jones and Wisemantle spring to mind, but yeah, even our Super Rugby teams have OS coaches. At least the best one is an Aussie

 

[Dctarget]

Very true on the super xv teams failing to get results. Although I think the coaches next are mostly good:
Dan McKellar - doing well, hopefully builds on another good year
Thorne with a few years under his built would expect to start seeing results now.
Wessels - I do like him as coach, he is learning but seems to learn from his mistakes - hopefully a big year from him
Tahs - new coach, new results - hopefully.

I have serious reservations about Wessels. I don't think he's up to it. Admittedly he's very young and early in his coaching career, but I think the benefit from his learnings will come post Rebels.

 

[cyclopath]

Given Channel 10 are our TV partners, it's in our interest to be providing them with watchable content.

With that in mind, who amongst us wouldn't watch 'The Masked Coach', where 8 top line coaches wear complex outfits and compete to win the Wallaby top job.

Hosted by Shaun Maloney and judged by Rod Macqueen, Tim Horan and Lindsay Lohan.
.

I reckon Ruck Island.

 

[cyclopath]

Taken from Tom Decent’s Twitter -



It seems Eddie did his homework...

Or he knew Cheika just wouldn't?

 

[cyclopath]

You are so right.

It’s laughable that with the frightening mediocrity we have with coaching capabilities at, say, the Tahs and the Reds, we come in to mock Jake White who rapidly rebuilt the Brumbies from, then, also-rans to Super finals contender and then serious finals participants.

Right now, in the middle of yet another major Wallaby debacle, it’s no surprise our focus is on the national team. But let’s recall that we have an ever bigger crisis building via the pathetic competitive results of most of our Super teams.

Yeah, but McKenzie (great at Qld, title winner, 50% with Wallabies with truncated tenure) and Cheika (great at NSW, title winner, sub-50% with Wallabies with grossly extended tenure) obviously were somewhat black and white. Not unreasonable to question how a good Super record in Oz (not SA) might not translate to Tests. I'm not discounting White, but if you use his Super record as a metric, you have to compare apples with apples.
I won't talk about Graham and Gibson at this point!

 

[cyclopath]

Very true on the super xv teams failing to get results. Although I think the coaches next are mostly good:
Dan McKellar - doing well, hopefully builds on another good year
Thorne with a few years under his built would expect to start seeing results now.
Wessels - I do like him as coach, he is learning but seems to learn from his mistakes - hopefully a big year from him
Tahs - new coach, new results - hopefully.

I'll give you McKellar.
Thorn - doubt it somehow but let's see.
Wessels - not sure about the learning given the disappointing results with that Rebels roster. And to be fair, his peak at the Force was a 6 and 9 season. Good in the context of the conference, but not stellar. Happy to see him prove me wrong, but I remain a bit sceptical.

 

[The Red Baron]

What's Robbie Deans up to these days?

 

[dru]

What's Robbie Deans up to these days?

Hahaha! Classic.

 

[Up the Guts]

Wessels - not sure about the learning given the disappointing results with that Rebels roster. And to be fair, his peak at the Force was a 6 and 9 season. Good in the context of the conference, but not stellar. Happy to see him prove me wrong, but I remain a bit sceptical.

Wessels had the same problem as Cheika, Schmidt, and Gatland (although Wales are somehow still there)--he tried to play one 'brand of rugby'.

Coaches can't afford to try and play one style of rugby in the era of video analysis. Halfway through a competition, the analysts will have you worked out and you're stuffed. The Wallabies were obvious victims of this playing a possession game with no plan-b. Schmidt's choke tactics worked well a couple of years ago but have since been worked out. The grandslam winning Welsh defence has crumpled. And, I'm sure if Japan don't adapt their style, teams will quickly nullify their attack.

It would be refreshing if we got someone who didn't try to play one particular style. Teams with multi-skilled players that can actually adapt their tactics will continue to be the most successful.

 

[cyclopath]

I don't think anyone here really knows if they are :-
a) Truly available
b) Interested
All else is speculation. I'd believe it if either openly stated they were available and interested.

Well, Laurie Fisher said on Twitter today "His hand has been up for 10 years" so that answers my perennial question.
Do RA know about Twitter and / or Laurie Fisher?

 

[formerflanker]

Well, Laurie Fisher said on Twitter today "His hand has been up for 10 years" so that answers my perennial question.
Do RA know about Twitter and / or Laurie Fisher?

Raelene said recently “As I said, we’ve done the work on different names, different understandings."
1. Interpret that.
2. Work out if Fisher is a different name.

 

[Lost]

Raelene said recently “As I said, we’ve done the work on different names, different understandings."
1. Interpret that.
2. Work out if Fisher is a different name.

Yep, the game has already been played. No surprises from here onwards unless there is the same thing that happened when Paul Roos filled in as Swans coach and the job had been promised to Terry Wallace. The base rose up and said as one “we want Roos”. That is unlikely to happen here unless Clyne and Castle are terminated with some urgency. Larkham or Jones would be the only possible rallying points. Neither may actually be interested. Johnson is the new Czar, Rennie the coach. Any process from here is window dressing. As with most things the public find out the results a long while after the decision has been made.

Hard to see much getting better quickly, these young guys better be good. They are starting with a lot of lead in the saddlebags.

Getting slaughtered for a couple of years will be a genuine baptism of fire. Not fair but it is what it is.

 

[Uh huh]

I don't think anyone can doubt Cheika's intelligence as he has been succesful both in his rugby coaching career and business career. However he does remind me more and more of Jose Mourinho of football fame, immediate effect on playing group by changing it up a little and motivating the team but by year 3 refuses to change tactics and starts pissing off/alienating select players within the group leads to poor results and sackings (although Cheika survived an extra 1.5 years of poor results without being sacked).

I can only assume the Larkham rumours are just the Old Boys club getting together and trying to put their support behind an Australian candidate. I think him or McKellar are probably the best Australian candidates, Thorn is probably a few years before getting even close to consideration.

Thorn is still a few years short of being qualified to coach the Reds. He shouldn't even rate a mention as a possible assistant at international level.

 

[Brumbieman]

With Aus appearing to have a quite solid tight five and pants backs, Jake White maybe the sensible choice

Absolutely boring, dire but winning rugby

Oh this old chestnut - White will coach his teams to play whatever will win, if that means playing to your strengths while you up-skill in other departments, but still win, then i'm fucken on board.

Worth noting the Brumbies scored the most tries out of the Aus teams both years White was in charge - we shat the bed AFTER he left and Larkham took over.


Eg:

Particularly loved some of those tries against the Bulls

 

[Brumbieman]

Our Super teams are in a good spot right now - leave them alone. McKeller is doing an excellent job at the Brumbies, and getting them to play entertaining rugby as well.

Thorn is building a freaking dynasty at the Reds - he's built up a beast of a pack, found some diamond outside backs and is about a season or two away from the whole thing paying off.

Wessels is doing a good job at the Rebels and will only get better there.

Tahs are not quite on the same train yet but making the right moves.


All these teams have a big crop of the U20/19 teams coming through to skill up to go with the established players. If we get the Wallabies coaches right (JW, Rennie, Gandalf and a good defence coach) and everyone gets on the same page, we could be on the cusp of a 10 year long golden age again.

 

[Brumby Runner]

Wessels had the same problem as Cheika, Schmidt, and Gatland (although Wales are somehow still there)--he tried to play one 'brand of rugby'.

Coaches can't afford to try and play one style of rugby in the era of video analysis. Halfway through a competition, the analysts will have you worked out and you're stuffed. The Wallabies were obvious victims of this playing a possession game with no plan-b. Schmidt's choke tactics worked well a couple of years ago but have since been worked out. The grandslam winning Welsh defence has crumpled. And, I'm sure if Japan don't adapt their style, teams will quickly nullify their attack.

It would be refreshing if we got someone who didn't try to play one particular style. Teams with multi-skilled players that can actually adapt their tactics will continue to be the most successful.

I reckon Rassie only took half the 1/4 Final to work out how to nullify Japan.

 

[Derpus]

Weasels is not doing a good job at the Rebels. Sorry - he failed to qualify for the finals with two squads and multiple stars. Complete underachievement.

That aside - I agree that there is potential for a golden era. I don't know that we have the coaching talent and structures in place to see it crystallize though.

I suspect further underachievement combined with player drain will hamper us.

Barnes hit the nail on the head with Petaia - eventually he's going to want to win something.

 

[specwarop2]

Rennie looks alright. But can you write off his time at the Chiefs, a NZ team in Super Rugby at that time, were there any other good non-NZ teams?

What about Leo Cullen, Johann van Graan....both have finished high in the Pro14 for longer than Rennie has, and at least one of them has won the final there, and also won the Coach of the Year award....Also Rassie Erasmus?

And Ireland coming to Aus next year will be alright, but how about a Wales or England visit for a change? We will put 70k in Optus Stadium for them!

 

[Jimmy_Crouch]

If we are looking at non aussie coaches what about Rob Baxter or Johan Ackermann?