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Wallaby Coach Conga Line

Ignoto

Peter Sullivan (51)
She wouldn’t or couldn’t maintain a relationship with Cheika, Johnson was the buffer and came at a 4 year cost with a solution for the coaching vacancy.

You know Football clubs in Europe have the exact same model i.e Director of Football and a manager/coach right? Most of those organisations are worth more than the sum of our entire sport. Whether you think Johnson is/was the right man for the job is a different argument to whether the structure is sound.

Anyway, the appointment of Johnson was Chieka's own fault. He's inflexibility and lack of managerial skills resulted in RA being forced to change the structure.
 

Lost

Ted Fahey (11)
I think your argument loses a lot of credibility when you lament Rennie’s lack of experience while espousing for Larkham.


Reluctantly I would agree with that. He is not a strong candidate After the last experiment with a Kiwi I would prefer a local but acknowledge there is not a strong candidate about.

I hope it runs well, I am less perturbed by Rennie than Johnson. He has no claim to his job that I can see based on any part of his history. A view was expressed he did well as DOR in Scotland. Cotter’s record was 53% Not actually shooting the lights out, and most of those victories against other minnows. Johnson is the winner in this, interim coach then overlord on the back of being an answer for Castle’s inabilities to manage Cheika.
 

Derpus

Nathan Sharpe (72)
I don't think a Director of Football's KPIs would be directly related to win percentage?

Think they have a broader ambit.
 

Derpus

Nathan Sharpe (72)
Think you are right, SA are going with Erasmus.
He was DoR before they ditched Coetzee and took over as a (highly succesful) stopgap measure. He's just taking his old job back.

But what I meant was that a Director of Rugby would be responsible for and involved in a wider array of areas - not just the national team.
 

Lost

Ted Fahey (11)
You know Football clubs in Europe have the exact same model i.e Director of Football and a manager/coach right? Most of those organisations are worth more than the sum of our entire sport. Whether you think Johnson is/was the right man for the job is a different argument to whether the structure is sound.

Anyway, the appointment of Johnson was Chieka's own fault. He's inflexibility and lack of managerial skills resulted in RA being forced to change the structure.

Didn’t criticise the role. Only it’s expediency for an incapable CEO and a coach running off the rails.
 

Derpus

Nathan Sharpe (72)
Getting Laurie in as an assistant should be the next item on the agenda. He should also keep his role at the Brumbies and provise a link between state and country.
 

Sully

Tim Horan (67)
Staff member
Now we've got a head coach, I'd be interested to hear people's thoughts on the assistants.

I'd go with:

Dave Rennie (Head Coach)
Matt Taylor (Defence)
Scott Wisemantle (Attack)
Laurie Fisher (Forwards)
Mick Byrne (Skills)
Haydn Masters (Strength and Conditioning)
I love that team. Just a heads up Rex, it's Wisemantel. The Boomer in me likes to try and spell peoples names correctly.
 

Sully

Tim Horan (67)
Staff member
Getting Laurie in as an assistant should be the next item on the agenda. He should also keep his role at the Brumbies and provise a link between state and country.
He's been pretty clear that he wants the job.
 

Braveheart81

Will Genia (78)
Staff member
Didn’t criticise the role. Only it’s expediency for an incapable CEO and a coach running off the rails.


Whether it's a named role or not, it seems increasingly common both at international level and at large franchises.

NZRU has Nigel Cass as Chief Rugby Officer which I imagine has reasonable similarities with the Director of Rugby role. They then have Darren Shand who has been the Manager of the All Blacks for 15 years.

I think suggesting that DoR only exists because the CEO can't deal with the coach is pretty incorrect (if that was the case, that's an entirely separate issue). The DoR's role would seem to intersect those roles above with some additional responsibility. It is not a case of the coach now having to get everything approved by the DoR nor does the DoR have the ability to sack the coach etc.
 

The_Brown_Hornet

John Eales (66)
Now we've got a head coach, I'd be interested to hear people's thoughts on the assistants.

I'd go with:

Dave Rennie (Head Coach)
Matt Taylor (Defence)
Scott Wisemantle (Attack)
Laurie Fisher (Forwards)
Mick Byrne (Skills)
Haydn Masters (Strength and Conditioning)


That's almost bang on the group I would go with.
 

Jimmy_Crouch

Peter Johnson (47)
Now we've got a head coach, I'd be interested to hear people's thoughts on the assistants.

I'd go with:

Dave Rennie (Head Coach)
Matt Taylor (Defence)
Scott Wisemantle (Attack)
Laurie Fisher (Forwards)
Mick Byrne (Skills)
Haydn Masters (Strength and Conditioning)


Masters resigned at the beginning of the year (around the same time Larkham was boned). Why would we look at him?
 

mst

Peter Johnson (47)
Think you are right, SA are going with Erasmus.

I am wondering if Castle is pushing a more holistic approach to the RA set up that might benefit the game more broadly (shocking I know!). As pointed out, SA like many counties are using a similar setup (I believe that the Kiwi's and Poms just do it more discreetly from the boardroom level). When we have guys like Mick Byrne that end up under Cheika and stifled in what he can provide to players because he is essentially limited to an obsessional focus on the Wallabies its a waste (I get Cheika was needing all the help he could to fix that mess he created).

If we want real change then we need to start developing the broader group or players starting at the NRC level (minimum) to feed the Wallabies (as stupid as it sound this is a radical change for Aussie rugby. I can already hear certain stakeholders whining about how their part is better than the rest so want special treatment and do it their way!).

Rennie is not a bad appointment (not my preferred pick) but a good option. It does appear that were considered and looked beyond the car park and took several months. They also found someone to fit the mould they want to cast. It could open the door to get more Aussie coaches in to the RA set up like Larkham and Wisemantle and position them for the future (instead of hiring the mercenary for the term and rebuild once we knife them). It will be interesting to see how some player will cope now the "mate" dynamic is gone and it's all a level playing field come selections.

Let's face it, Castle in particular will be criticise regardless based more on history, vitriol, anecdotal and circumstantial evidence and guilt by association with the current RA boffins. I am not a fan of Castle's but having to be tethered to the RA board is like swimming with bricks strapped to your ankles. Once they have cleared out the remaining RA clingers on, Rennie is in place and we have seen a few game we can then pass informed judgement.

But this is the GAGR; pitchforks and tinfoil hats to the fore!

Carry on.
 
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