1. Super Mario
I was watching the Waratahs train in early February and there was this geezer who looked familiar but I couldn’t place him because he was out of context.
The penny dropped: it was Mario Ledesma who had resigned as forwards coach from the Montpellier club in November last year after a poor run of results, not helped by the absence of key flyhalf Francois Trinh-Duc. Head coach Fabien Galthie didn’t fall on his sword but was replaced by Jake White in December.
Then I got the connection: Ledesma had coached under Michael Cheika at Stade Francais and was obviously in Sydney to help him at the Tahs.
His position was not clear, perhaps because the Waratahs had to find some spare change, but he is listed now as Set-Piece coach. He was a hit with the boys immediately and they listened to every word from a man who had played hooker in 84 test matches for Argentina over 16 years including in four Rugby World Cups.
The Waratahs are having frequent training sessions with long scrums that are hard on the legs. You started to see the benefit of this work and the recruitment of Ledesma in the Brumbies’ game in Round 6 and against the Blues in Round 7.
At the press conference last Saturday Michael Cheika said
I’m really pleased with the way our scrum is going; it’s something we wanted to improve this year. We’re trying to be really straight and stop anything that’s wheeling. It takes time and it’s definitely not completed but we’re working well and trying to put pressure on through that.
Tahs scrum v. Brumbies – going straight ahead
Cheika agreed with the referee for pinging the scrum for “not using it” before half-time, as John Kirwan had in the earlier presser. In Cheika’s opinion there should be more of it from referees.
He didn’t disagree with the crowd complaining though because it was good they were getting involved in the game.
On Ledesma:
Mario calls himself the intern […] he took the opportunity to come here and have a look around and see what’s happening with Super Rugby, probably with the view of going back to Argentina and being involved with Super Rugby there.
It’s been very good for me […] just to have someone to talk to and get our scrum philosophy right, and he has learned about Southern Hemisphere rugby
Would Ledesma stay on in Australia?
Maybe […] I didn’t think about it too much [when I invited him]. I just said come down and have a look, and just hang around, initially.
Though invited casually the “intern” seems to be doing a good job and it is almost strange to see a Waratahs’ scrum having good battles and scrumming straight.
Will Skelton is getting low enough now in the scrums to make a difference and it looks like the whole tight five is contributing.
But how will Skelton scrummage after his honeymoon during the bye week?
Photos by Getty Images Sport, where indicated – and Lee Grant.
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