Wallabies 2023
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Knuckles
Ted Thorn (20)
Possibly....or perhaps it's not a complete sacking per se. Maybe he's been moved to another department where he doesn't have to show up but he'll still be paid his salary til the end of his contract.
Derpus
Nathan Sharpe (72)
Don't deny any of that. But i would still argue he wasnt a 'proper' fullback, lacking half the skills normally associated with the position. We have quite a lot of strike power out wide - id argue throwing money at another strike winger wouldnt be money well spent.
Particularly when that money could be used to retain guys like BPA. The step down in quality from BPA and Porecki to the next best is far higher than, for example, the step down from Koroibete and Kellaway to Wright and Nawaqanitawase.
Derpus
Nathan Sharpe (72)
He does.
Tomthumb
Peter Fenwicke (45)
Stop the "Rennie was unlucky" rubbish
He and he alone is the reason he no longer has a job. The talent pool is fine, if the only way to be successful is having all the best players it kind of makes coaching pointless
Ad the reason he had so many players unavailable had a lot to do with his training methods. He never learned. 2 weeks in a row he had players getting concussed in training, more calf injuries than you could poke a stick at. And if you look back to his time at the Chiefs the injury toll was crazy then too
Whether Eddie is the answer we don't know. But we do know that Rennie wasn't and the other contenders like McKellar coached their way out of the job recently
Knuckles
Ted Thorn (20)
This wins comment of the day.
stillmissit
Peter Johnson (47)
I'll hold you to that...
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HogansHeros
Dave Cowper (27)
Agreed, the amount of Injuries at training was getting rediculous, and unfortunately for Rennie, as head coach, it all comes back to him. Seems like a nice guy tho.
rodha
Dave Cowper (27)
So does that also apply to Robbie Deans considering the massive injury list Wallabies had in his final few years?
Were all the injuries the Wallabies experienced between 2011-2013 a direct consequence of his management style?
HogansHeros
Dave Cowper (27)
Yep sure, why not. Someone has to be responsible.
KOB1987
John Eales (66)
I thought about Pennisini yesterday but left him out as he didn’t play Aus schoolboys - however it was that Covid year that didn’t have one. He was a class act in the last round game when Kings flogged Joeys for the premiership in front of no crowd. There may have been a paper schoolboys team picked, not sure.
Tomthumb
Peter Fenwicke (45)
What's your point here?
Every player is a compromise (apart from those very few "GOAT's") the coach just has to set up a side to leverage their strengths and scoring tries at a high level is a clear strength
SamoanNo8
Jimmy Flynn (14)
Worst take on this forum thus far, sorry mate.
KevinO
Geoff Shaw (53)
Well need to do something, Wallabies games suck for atmosphere compared with anywhere else in the World.
Slim 293
Stirling Mortlock (74)
John Williamson singing "Waltzing Matilda" while the players from both teams and the officials stand around bored waiting to start the game... is not the answer.
Dear God it was horrible.
John S
Peter Fenwicke (45)
+1 to that - it just felt so contrived.
molman
Jim Lenehan (48)
It's been interesting reading everyone putting their two cents forward about this change for the Wallabies. As some have noted you can't deny that this has resulted in a lot of interest in Rugby that really hasn't been seen in recent years, bar those for the reasons you wouldn't hope for like the Folou saga. My feeling was there was a growing acceptance of Australia being a little middling as far as Tier 1 nations go. This has definitely seemed to opened up the possibility of hope from what I'm reading.
A few observations.
People seem to be making some sweeping statements about Eddie, what they expect or even what he is like. Personally, unless you've worked with the guy recently or have the testimony of someone who has I'm not sure how anyone is making any assertions. I don't know about the rest of you, but anyone I know who's worked in a profession isn't the same person they were 20 years ago, let alone 10, or 5, so I'm not sure I see much value in reflecting on the distant past and drawing any concrete conclusions. I actually found that he sounded very reasonable (in the Gold Digger interviews: part 1, part 2) in acknowledging the different approaches he has had to take in the various teams he's coached (Australia v. SA v. Japan v. England). He also comes across as a reflective individual, happily acknowledging his mistakes and short comings with some of his earlier assignments and how players and management styles have changed over time and with different generations of individuals. There is also no denying he brings a wealth of experience from his time and interactions in some many systems.
I further found his thoughts about the commercial realities of a NRC style tier interesting as it seemed to reflect an awareness that whilst in an ideal world it would be great, it just doesn't make commercial sense as something that will ever be self funding or garner the broader interest of the public. I got a strong sense for a desire to bolster the existing support with the current Club Rugby competitions, which reflects some of the proposals that have been floated around about a integrated national club competition.
I also found the interview with Hammish McLennan (link) interesting in making it clear that RA is well aware of their shortcomings, but are working with the realities they have with both the financial standing of the organisation (almost bankrupt) and the commercial realities of where money comes from for sporting organisations. The honest reality is that, that is the top and through teams like the Wallabies winning games. Obviously there is that constant balance of feeding funding down into the grass roots because that is your future, but the fact remains if you don't sort out today, there might be no funding to be fed down the line.
I was also happy to hear some acknowledgement of needing to do better at securing future players and the pathways and some of the plans and thoughts around the women's game and how much more needs to be done.
The final tidbit I took away was that there appears to be some agreement with RNZ around ensuring that SuperRugby remain a strong competition such that this has a bearing on the Giteau's law and that Australia doesn't revert to a South African model of picking whoever from overseas which makes sense if RA & RNZ are going to keep selling SuperRugby as an engaging product, so people who keep contending that we just pick whoever from o/s I feel are going to continue to be disappointed.
Anyway, I'm sure there will continue to be a lot of armchair speculation and pondering from all in the forseeable future coupled with sweeping assertions of what to expect. At the end of the day it'll be what happens on the field which matters, so I eagerly await our first game.
A few observations.
People seem to be making some sweeping statements about Eddie, what they expect or even what he is like. Personally, unless you've worked with the guy recently or have the testimony of someone who has I'm not sure how anyone is making any assertions. I don't know about the rest of you, but anyone I know who's worked in a profession isn't the same person they were 20 years ago, let alone 10, or 5, so I'm not sure I see much value in reflecting on the distant past and drawing any concrete conclusions. I actually found that he sounded very reasonable (in the Gold Digger interviews: part 1, part 2) in acknowledging the different approaches he has had to take in the various teams he's coached (Australia v. SA v. Japan v. England). He also comes across as a reflective individual, happily acknowledging his mistakes and short comings with some of his earlier assignments and how players and management styles have changed over time and with different generations of individuals. There is also no denying he brings a wealth of experience from his time and interactions in some many systems.
I further found his thoughts about the commercial realities of a NRC style tier interesting as it seemed to reflect an awareness that whilst in an ideal world it would be great, it just doesn't make commercial sense as something that will ever be self funding or garner the broader interest of the public. I got a strong sense for a desire to bolster the existing support with the current Club Rugby competitions, which reflects some of the proposals that have been floated around about a integrated national club competition.
I also found the interview with Hammish McLennan (link) interesting in making it clear that RA is well aware of their shortcomings, but are working with the realities they have with both the financial standing of the organisation (almost bankrupt) and the commercial realities of where money comes from for sporting organisations. The honest reality is that, that is the top and through teams like the Wallabies winning games. Obviously there is that constant balance of feeding funding down into the grass roots because that is your future, but the fact remains if you don't sort out today, there might be no funding to be fed down the line.
I was also happy to hear some acknowledgement of needing to do better at securing future players and the pathways and some of the plans and thoughts around the women's game and how much more needs to be done.
The final tidbit I took away was that there appears to be some agreement with RNZ around ensuring that SuperRugby remain a strong competition such that this has a bearing on the Giteau's law and that Australia doesn't revert to a South African model of picking whoever from overseas which makes sense if RA & RNZ are going to keep selling SuperRugby as an engaging product, so people who keep contending that we just pick whoever from o/s I feel are going to continue to be disappointed.
Anyway, I'm sure there will continue to be a lot of armchair speculation and pondering from all in the forseeable future coupled with sweeping assertions of what to expect. At the end of the day it'll be what happens on the field which matters, so I eagerly await our first game.
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molman
Jim Lenehan (48)
Agreed, though I have actually always thought Australian sporting clubs would do well to commission a song(s) to mirror some of those that you find overseas. I think it would take some nous to ensure that you land on something that resonates with your audience.
The whole quality of the match day experience in Australia needs to be improved as to be honest in many ways it's inferior to being at home with your large screen (fridge, toilet, pause button etc..etc..). Better crowd engagement is definitely one area to create a point of difference. If you've been at any sporting event where the whole crowd is singing along or chanting in unison you'll know what a special experience that can be.
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John S
Peter Fenwicke (45)
I agree - but just foisting without any notice or precursor John Williamson with his acoustic guitar isn't going to do it.
And yes, the whole game day experience needs some work.