Waratahs 2025

[dru]

Coaching is tricky. There is a need for a deep understanding of rugby and how it is best played, then an ability to outthink the opposing coach. Plus you live or die by who you bring in and who you keep.
Then to trump it all you need a deep understanding of human nature to be able to get them up for a battle every weekend of the season.
Some coaches have some of this but the Tahs need all of it. Maybe they need a coach who will take them back to basics and build the team from there.
Whoever gets the job will have my sympathy and my eternal thanks if he can lift them up.

Brad Thorn is probably available.

 

[Oldgoldminer]

Yea

Brad Thorn is probably available.

Yeah let’s bring in someone with a 45% winning record. That’s exactly what we don’t need. Yes tough and amazing career as a player, but 100% not the coach we need. Let’s draw a line at a minimum of 50%

 

[Tomikin]

Whats Jake White up to these days.

 

[Tazzmania]

Whats Jake White up to these days.

Coaching the Blue Bulls in Pretoria, contracted until 2027.

 

[stillmissit]

Coaching the Blue Bulls in Pretoria, contracted until 2027.

He might be a guy who could improve the basics as he did with the Brumbies. Most probably would make me look young!

 

[stillmissit]

I guess Ghost and some of you others here might be able to answer this question, Are there any league coaches out there who have some idea about RU and could hammer the Tahs into a solid defensive and attacking shape?

 

[stillmissit]

Brad Thorn is probably available.

A bit late with this one Dru, there are a couple in front of you from other threads.

 

[The Ghost of Raelene]

I guess Ghost and some of you others here might be able to answer this question, Are there any league coaches out there who have some idea about RU and could hammer the Tahs into a solid defensive and attacking shape?

Probably a recently retired player might throw their hand up but any senior coach would be out of reach I think. The NRL assistants can be on 250-400k themselves.

Some may do contract style work between multiple Clubs though.

We don’t need to be tied to the League defence idea anymore. Was relevant when rugby turned pro and we needed pro performance styles implemented.

I’d take their S&C coaches though.

 

[RebelYell]

McKellar

Then...

Cheika, Rawalui, Halangahu, Brock James, Andy Friend (in no particular order)

Then...

Grey, Gilmore, Cockbain, Hoiles, Foote, Manenti (in no particular order)

 

[eastman]

I think Halangahu seems pretty compelling- experience at a (successful) professional club in the Southern Hemisphere, and played for the Waratahs and Sydney Uni, so should be able to deflect some of that Shute Shield rubbish. I think he’d be relatively affordable too.

 

[pnut]

I think Halangahu seems pretty compelling- experience at a (successful) professional club in the Southern Hemisphere, and played for the Waratahs and Sydney Uni, so should be able to deflect some of that Shute Shield rubbish. I think he’d be relatively affordable too.

What’s the Shute Shield rubbish u keep making reference too??

 

[dru]

A bit late with this one Dru, there are a couple in front of you from other threads.

I'm not sure that changes the thinking. A union that is failing sufficiently to lean on being bailed out, looking to where to go, and not apparently being prepared to put in the hard yards. There is a need for an instant fix from a coach who can make everything suddenly successful. (right)

Look I wish all the best, but some attitudes here are strange.

 

[Oldgoldminer]

What’s the Shute Shield rubbish u keep making reference too??

Like every single one of them that tried to step up to the Waratahs. That rubbish that you were so adamant about at the expense of the young stars of the next generation. Your shute shield players were woeful

 

[eastman]

What’s the Shute Shield rubbish u keep making reference too??

There was a whole heap of chat prior to Darren Coleman’s appointment that the Waratahs coach needed to be someone with intimate knowledge of Shute Shield rugby to truly ’get’ NSW rugby and be successful (probably perpetuated by gronks like yourself).

It was basically thinly veiled xenophobia.

 

[eastman]

There was a whole heap of chat prior to Darren Coleman’s appointment that the Waratahs coach needed to be someone with intimate knowledge of Shute Shield rugby to truly ’get’ NSW rugby and be successful (probably perpetuated by gronks like yourself).

It was basically thinly veiled xenophobia.

Disagree @Reg?

 

[The Ghost of Raelene]

I think we overplay the Shute Shield connection these days. We use it as a we're not the problem those Club administrators are the problem. I think the Tahs don't mind it being a narrative either that those pesky Clubs hold us back and not crappy management from CEO, GM, HC. No different to hearing how the evil east coast holds back the Rebels and Force....

I think it's a fairly likely journey for a coach in Aus to have gone through Shute Shield. Biggest Rugby catchment in the country so a lot (50% maybe) of them would have been there at some point. Bam we grab onto the "oh he's from clubland".

If O'Gara wanted to coach the Tahs we would not give a single fuck about the fact he can't tell you where Forshaw Oval is.

 

[Strewthcobber]

I think we overplay the Shute Shield connection these days. We use it as a we're not the problem those Club administrators are the problem. I think the Tahs don't mind it being a narrative either that those pesky Clubs hold us back and not crappy management from CEO, GM, HC. No different to hearing how the evil east coast holds back the Rebels and Force....

I think it's a fairly likely journey for a coach in Aus to have gone through Shute Shield. Biggest Rugby catchment in the country so a lot (50% maybe) of them would have been there at some point. Bam we grab onto the "oh he's from clubland".

If O'Gara wanted to coach the Tahs we would not give a single fuck about the fact he can't tell you where Forshaw Oval is.

I agree to some extent but this ignores the role SRU have under NSWRU constitution as voting members, including appointing directors. They still have a lot of influence on how things are being run at RA member union level.

Maybe this will change with RA control of Tahs

 

[The Ghost of Raelene]

Hope so. I just think it definitely was the case as the game turned pro but a lot of these people are gone from the game now. The Clubs definitely have self interest but shouldn't they? It becomes more of a problem of not enough separation.

The fans of a Club and the Tahs don't care if you asked most i reckon as long as performance is respectable.

 

[Jimmy_Crouch]

Brad Thorn is probably available.

His BBC 2nd XV forwards coaching role would pay more

 

[Homer]

Halangahu has said he wants to stay in NZ. His wife is from Auckland and the kids are at school.

The big problem is Europe and Japan pay more for coaches than the Tahs can afford so we are looking at Tier 2 or 3 coaches.
The big carrot is that there could be a wallaby job around in two years but definitely in four.
Mackellar is the obvious choice but unlikely to leave the Tigers, and all the Australians mentioned have less experience than Coleman and havent been overly successful in any comp.