Wallabies 2025

[JRugby2]

Fuck I hope not. Bloke had a crack at the referee (BOK) the other week because he was from NZ refereeing in the Premiership. This is the type of combative bullshit that led the Wallabies to being the most penalised and carded team in the world.

Great coach, big head case.

 

[The Ghost of Raelene]

Yeah, it's not tempering with age either. It's becoming a shorter fuse it seems. 10 years ago with the Tahs he seemed to harness it and be decisive with it but it's more scorched earth now.

Undeniably a great coach with the cabinet to show for it but not the guy for what is a young national squad. The majority of the key guys of the current group should still be playing by the time of 2031 RWC.

 

[Derpus]

Why are successful Australian coaches also belligerent dickheads?

 

[stillmissit]

Macqueen did not fit that mould, he ushered in 'player power' which was a part of the reason we have gone downhill since.

 

[Braveheart81]

I don't think that was solely on him.

His tenure coincided with professionalism.

I would argue that players being paid is the biggest thing that produces "player power". I don't think it has anything to do with being a reason we've gone downhill.

Our competitive advantage for a lot of the 20+ years prior to that is rugby's historic stronghold within private schools and the country (when there were far more (moderately) wealthy farming families) meant that more of our talented players could afford to pursue the game for longer without being paid.

 

[stillmissit]

This is something for history buffs but it was no coincidence that it started at the Brumbies and bled into other franchises and then the Wallabies. Collective bargaining gave us a situation where we rarely beat the ABs BUT our top players were paid more than the world's best in the ABs. A state I could never fathom, elite rugby went from a game for those who could afford it or get time off from work into a well paid profession, I was all in favour of that att. Our system ensures all get a good income win lose or draw. It's against human nature to reward failure.

 

[stillmissit]

Our competitive advantage for a lot of the 20+ years prior to that is rugby's historic stronghold within private schools and the country (when there were far more (moderately) wealthy farming families) meant that more of our talented players could afford to pursue the game for longer without being paid.

Agree with this part of your post

 

[Braveheart81]

This is something for history buffs but it was no coincidence that it started at the Brumbies and bled into other franchises and then the Wallabies.

The Brumbies "player power" thing generally refers to the sacking of Andy Friend in 2011.

 

[Mick The Munch]

Whilst not new news - still only just confirmed - https://www.nine.com.au/sport/rugby...ter-tigers-one-year-deal-20250131-p5l8j4.html

 

[stillmissit]

The Brumbies "player power" thing generally refers to the sacking of Andy Friend in 2011.

Agree but that wasn't all of it.
I saw it more in the sacking of David Nucifora after winning the Super Rugby final. Talk at the time was some of the senior playing group didn't like him!
Another great loss to Australian rugby?

 

[stillmissit]

Having played in 4 countries, I believe that Australia, across all areas of rugby, is the most political. Even in Subbies rugby I was shocked to see how political it is.

 

[Braveheart81]

Nucifora was sacked by the Brumbies in 2004. Rod Macqueen became coach of the Wallabies in 1997.

Again, I would pin this solely on professionalism. Players suddenly had a huge amount of power they never had previously. I don't think this was coach driven whatsoever nor did it come out of the Brumbies.

 

[stillmissit]

What is the point you are making? Are you suggesting that as it was 5 years after Macqueen became Wallaby's coach, therefore, it is irrelevant?

 

[The Ghost of Raelene]

It's always been political but I tend to think we heard it a ton more because the media got more professional also around this time.

No surprise the gossip ramps up around a similar time to a lot more mass media being consumed with foxtel and the internet taking off. They need stuff to sell and it fans the flame. It always existed it was just much more locally contained.

 

[Slim 293]

It doesn't seem very relevant twenty years on...

 

[wamberal99]

Why are successful Australian coaches also belligerent dickheads?

I know Bob Dwyer pretty well (or used to). I did not notice any belligerence in his personality???

 

[Braveheart81]

The point I am making is that your assertion was wrong.

You said that the whole player power thing started at the Brumbies and then fed into the other Super Rugby sides and the Wallabies yet the two key "player power" events at the Brumbies happened substantially later.

 

[stillmissit]

Not from my recollection. After Eddie took over from Macqueen it became obvious that the players had a far greater say in what was happening and Eddie, having taken over the Brumbies from Macqueen recognised and used it. I always felt that Eddie continued to play Macqueen's players past their use by date (using the League measure) to our detriment. After Jones was gone, our slow sink became obvious. Part of my view of this was to do with stories I heard from within Wallabies att.

 

[stillmissit]

I suspect the only belligerent arse was Cheika. Never heard any complaints about him from a player's point of view. But I had no insights during his time.

 

[wamberal99]

Cheika was Cheika He will never change.