Daz ....But instead of calling for a national fucking forensic task force to delve into these problems, and taking pages and pages of this forum to debate historical problems and airy, nonsensical and fruitless suppositions on where the ARU went wrong....
I think that kind passage above is directed at me, so I should issue a short response: I don't and won't resile from debating the historical and present role of the ARU in oversighting what objectively can be seen to be one of the least successful, and and most dispiriting, periods in the history of our game, namely 2003-2010. The ARU has had a huge hand in many of today's core problems, and, generally, IMO has badly let down the fans, players, and sponsor of our game in this period. Yes, it has done some good things (e.g., new S15 format and Melbourne Rebels), but it's done way too many poor things, or avoided confronting critical and strategic issues adequately. If we don't speak up here, who will? By analysing the past facts, it's possible we can articulate what a superior future set of actions should look like. (More specifically, if you don't like my posts, I am sorry about that, but there it is, perhaps not all yours are perfect either.)
1) Who will replace Deans and what makes you think that person could do a better job with the same cattle?
2) Who is eligible for Wallaby selection to replace those current players who should be sacked and would they do a better job?
These subjects have I think been addressed quite fully in this and other threads. More particularly, it can be seen that there are (a) credible alternatives as Wallaby coach(es) and (b) there are also credible suggestions around as to which players should be dropped, and/or which ones should be more aggressively promoted and experimented with. And then there's the notorious issue of bench use, and so forth.
Something is wrong in Wallabyland. We all know it. But is there any guarantee things would improve with whole-sale axings less than 18 months out from the RWC? I don't think so.
Indeed there's something wrong. Amongst and alongside others, that's precisely what I have been saying with some passion from my first post here. Of course there's no 'guarantee' that changes would be better, or assured. But there must and does come a time when the risk of change is rational and essential to correct a wayward path that continues to deteriorate, potentially with disastrous consequences. Just as one example, when you study that utterly diabolical, inexcusable (at this level) chain of botched restarts on Saturday, do you not stand back and think that something must be
fundamentally wrong with all of the players' mindsets, the coaches' preparations for the game (or the lack thereof), and perhaps some of the players themselves? Is not 7+ straight losses to the ABs and 4 out of the 6 last Tests being medicore spectacles at best by these Wallabies, enough to call for major, systemic change of some kind?
