Another week, another mystifying performance from the Brumbies. The self styled ‘closed family’ of Aussie rugby usually leaves little for the outside world scrutinise, but following the contentious loss against the Tahs, all of a sudden there’s dirty linen a-flappin’ in the breeze.
There have been reports this week – both in the papers and through our own sauces – of the Wallaby Captain Rocky Elsom locking horns with Coach Andy Friend during a video review session of the Hurricanes match, and of Friend believing there were too many voices on the pitch during the Cheetahs game, over and above Captain Stephen Hoiles’ and the half backs.
Which reminds me of the joke: “The Brumbies are having a captains meeting, and then Stephen Hoiles walks in….” – perhaps a bit harsh until the Brumbies captain stood up and told the referee of last weekend’s game “That was a rubbish call” after about 15 minutes of play, thereby robbing himself of any authority with the referee for the rest of the match, as well as this weekend against the reds, seeing as though the same ref is scheduled.
But just when you thought that was enough petulance, Matt Giteau tells the world that there’s no point in Steve Walsh turning up next weekend and that “Like everyone who knows rugby, that was a try,” with regards to Adam Ashey-Coopers unrewarded effort. We’ll find out in the next day or so whether this will get the struggling fly-half suspended and/or fined, but it sounds like the whole club has been pretty open on wanting Walsh changed.
So what’s caused all this frustration that’s now boiling over so publicly? Some have started pointing fingers at personalities like Elsom and Giteau as being the key protagonists in the disharmony. Only those residing in the Brumbies compound would know that for sure if that’s the case, but I believe that it’s more about an imbalance in the fundamentals, together with some bad luck that has generated the performances that have created the steam billowing from under the bonnet.
Going back to the start of the season, the Brumbies midfield was supposed to be Gits and Mortlock with one of the two young guns apprenticing. This to me was still too light considering the amount of game time you could expect from Mortlock, and hence we’ve seen Wallaby-itis (cross-field crabbing and defensive kicking). Nevertheless, all of those bar Giteau are crocked, with Giteau having a shocking season. Tyrone Smith has no chance with the whole cover defence being pulled across onto him. If Hoiles could cut out pass directly to AAC from the scrum or lineout, there just might be a chance…..
So where does the go forward come from? In the pack, Hoiles and Elsom are both wide players, Hand and Chis cant make the hard yards (without knocking it on) and super George has had his once in a decade injury. The only tight runners left are Alexander and Moore, both of whom are invaluable but surely can’t carry this load on their own.
So, in summary:
Injuries in the wrong players at the wrong times? Yes.
Key players not stepping up? Yes
Coaches not putting gameplans together the team can play to and making recruitment mistakes? Yes as well
Put those three together and you get a season that must be as frustrating to play in as it is to watch. Who’s ultimately to blame? Sure, everyone needs to take a bite of this turd burger, but the guy with the chef’s hat on is Andy Friend, and you can’t say he didn’t have the pick of the ingredients leading into the season.
Anyone for seconds?
