Monday’s Rugby News has more defence woes, David Campese putting his hand up, a Western Force rally and a death of a giant (both literally and figuratively).
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Defence Bad But D Coach Ok
Michael Cheika has admitted what everybody else saw, that the Wallabies defence was atrocious, but is still backing defence coach Nathan Grey.
“I think it was pretty plain to see that our defence wasn’t good enough at all,” Cheika said, according to ESPN.
“But the adherence to the way we wanted to defend plus also the tackling in itself, it’s got to be better. That first part of the game is not the level that we can be at, at all. Not in any game, let alone a game against them.
“It’s not attitude. I think it’s maybe just that little bit of doubt creeps in. When something goes against you early, we’ve been preparing a certain way and it creeps in a little bit of doubt, will I go or will I hedge and that causes some of the problems.”
The Wallabies missed 30 tackles during the match (what constitutes a missed tackle is unexplained), with 4 players – Beale, Speight, Kerevi and Rona – missing 16 between them.
“I don’t think that there’s going to be a lot of changes,” Cheika said, looking forward with both eyes shut to next week’s game in Dunedin.
“The change has to be more about believing in ourselves to go up and make the hits when we need to, tracking well on the inside and making sure we’re coming up in defence and backing ourselves and not worrying about what the opposition might be doing out the back or out wide, playing exactly what’s in front of us defensively.”
Meanwhile, the Springboks beat Argentina 37-15.
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Look At Moi
David Campese is back and wants to help out Australian rugby. Campese has lived in Durban for the last 10 years or so, and has worked for a time as a consultant to the Shorks.
“Over the years there’s been a lot of ups and downs and I just think there’s a lot of people out there who love the game but we haven’t been contacted or they are not really sure what’s happening,” Campese told the SMH. There doesn’t seem to be much of a plan for the next four or five years where the Wallabies want to be or where Australian rugby wants to be.”
Campese is expecting to move back to Sydney with his family by January next year, and so is doing this saviour thing but really he’s probably just looking for a job. Campese met with ARU high performance manager Ben Whittaker last week.
“If you look at some of the teams they’re not playing exciting rugby, we all play the same,” Campese said. “We haven’t got the great skills to have the confidence like we used to.
“One recent Wallaby couldn’t pass from left to right. It’s ridiculous you can’t do that as an international player.
“I just love coaching the younger kids. If you can get those young kids coming through, with some ex-players invited and you can promote the game and make it fun, things can change.
“Mark Ella, I’ve spoken to him. Stephen Hoiles, he’s with the Classic Wallabies. There’s a lot of guys who would love to be involved.
“The game has changed, training methods have changed but skill factor hasn’t. You can bring back some of the ways of playing the game, so why can’t guys kick right and left foot? I was a winger and could do that. Why aren’t these guys being taught to step and swerve and back themselves?”
Campese’s no. 1 idea would be to go to public schools (ha!) and ask the kids “who wants to go to an Olympic Games?” and his no. 2 idea is that club rugby players shouldn’t get paid, because back in his day etc etc they didn’t get paid.
“I’ve spoken to Cheik and he’s got ideas but he’s got more important things on at the moment,” Campese continued. “He’s got a big job and I don’t think he should be worrying about other things like who is coming through the system. He needs to know he is getting players that are skilled up and can do things he wants them to do.”
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Rabble Rabble Rabble
Western Force fans turned out in force to protest the cutting of their team. Anywhere between 4,000 and 10,000 peeps turned up to the rally.
The protestors convened at RugbyWA HQ, and with them was GAGR friend Geoff Stooke and rabble raiser Andrew ‘Twiggy’ Forrest.
The Force are set to have their appeal to their failed arbitration heard this week, but regardless of whether that’s successful or not, Forrest was there with a proposal (which unfortunately wasn’t an idea to put underperforming Wallabies on cashless welfare cards).
“We will not stand by. If the Super (Rugby) league, the ARU, want to run a process that is not based on merit, that is based on the lucky draw card of where you happen to live or where you happen to support your sport, then we will start our own international league from here,” Forrest said at the rally, according to ESPN.
“This is absolutely not the end of the Western Force, it is not the end of rugby in Western Australia. Win or lose the appeal, we will get stronger.”
Meanwhile, the article says “However it’s believed RugbyWA has no current plans to seek another international competition for the Force as it awaits an appeal bid outcome.”
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RIP Colin Meads
All Black hero Colin Meads died over the weekend. He was aged 81.
Meads, or ‘Pinetree’ as he was also known, is said to be one of rugby’s greatest players. A lock, Meads reckons his farming background gave him the physicality and athleticism to become a world-class player.
He played 55 tests for the ABs between 1957 and 1971, and was named NZ Player of the Century in 1999.
Meads has passed after a year-long fight with pancreatic cancer.
NZ PM Bill English was sad on behalf of everybody.
“He represented what it means to be a New Zealander. He was no nonsense, reliable, hard-working, warm and very generous with his time,” English said (via rugby.com.au)
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