Wednesday’s Rugby News sees Chieka receive support from his troops, Growden bump heads with an ex-Wallaby, the Springbok’s quest for a crisper performance and an NRL star’s ambition to play for New Zealand.
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Players stand by their man
After receiving calls for his job and his head, Michael Cheika has receieved support from his players, who still believe that he is the right man for the job.
This message was conveyed by Tatafu Polota-Nau who unreservedly stated that Cheika has the backing of the group and should stay despite the heavy backlash that he has received from all areas.
“His wealth of knowledge is quite hard to take at times but in saying that we take what is best for us as well”, Polota-Nau said
“At the end of the day, he only wants what is best for the team and individuals when we have one-on-one time with him. He’s definitely the best man for the job.”
Polota-Nau believed that the onus should be put on the players to step up and perform rather than place the blame on Cheika, and after his line out performance, he should really consider taking his own advice.
“At the end of the day we’re the guys out there on the field and only we can control what the plays are at hand. If anything he is also a great motivator and gets us upbeat about every single session that we take.”
This sentiment was shared by Jack Maddocks, who praised Cheika and his staff for the commitment and passion they show within each session to make them better.
“I reckon the best thing about the coaching staff out here is how proactive they are in helping you,” Maddocks said.
“We will finish training and an hour later they will come up to you with clips from training showing us what we could have done here and what you’ve done well.”
Cheika is still hurting from losing another match against the All Blacks, revealing the emotional turmoil that the loss took on him.
“It hurts me that we’re not winning and that I’m not making that happy but I’m certainly not doing it for ego.” Cheika said.
“I think it’s fair for people to have a negative response, we got beat, they wanted us to win, there’s nothing wrong with that,” Cheika said. I’ll tell you now, there’s no one hurting more than me than when I walk down the tunnel and I see my two kids there crying.”
Despite the issues the Wallabies are having and the agitated personality that Cheika often portrays, it’s always tough to see the effect that the loss has had on himself and his family and hopefully, the team can galvinise behind their coach for an improved performance on Saturday
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Greg’s growl faces bite back
Greg Growden took up the role of angry man yells at cloud, launching into the Wallabies and Michael Cheika on Monday after their disappointing performance in game 1.
This reaction has caused a significant backlash from Ex-Wallaby Drew Mitchell who hit back at Growden’s strong worded piece about Cheika’s men.
Growden was meticulous in his analysis of the side’s problems, calling for the sacking of Chieka and the rest of his staff before the 2019 Rugby World Cup
“Drastic action is required because Cheika’s Wallabies are going absolutely nowhere, sending Australian rugby into a frightening nose-dive,” Growden wrote.
“Cheika must pay the price for a team whose appalling skill level makes a mockery of the professional footballer tag, and arrogant, holier-than-thou attitude does not warrant any respect from those sick and tired of a pedestrian outfit who constantly makes fools of themselves in the big games.”
The article caused an explosive resposne from former winger Drew Mitchell, who engaged with Growden in a petulant arguement via social media.
Mitchell called out Growden for his ‘nuclear’ article stating “Going nuclear doesn’t make it a great article, it just gets people to click on it..Stats don’t always tell the story mate..I guess he has just settled for opinion pieces because he can no longer get a quote from anyone within the inner sanctum..”
Mitchell found support from former team-mate Matt Giteau, who retweeted Mitchell’s comments directed at Growden.
Growden responded to this be criticsing Mitchell’s pundit career, believeing that he was part of the inner sancturm and problem, and that the pain was all ours for having to listen to him on TV. Ouch!
Whilst Growden is very blunt in his assessment, some of the points he raised in the article were quite valid and his view must be considered if we continue our slide in the rest of the Rugby Championship.
As for Mitchell and to a less extent Giteau, considering Mitchell was called into the Wallabies squad last month and Giteau’s Wallabies career was resurrected by Cheika’s overseas policy, maybe Growden’s point isn’t too far off.
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Kolisi looks for sharper Springbok
Springbok captain Siya Kolisi and coach Rassie Erasmus has urged his side for a sharper performance after a sloppy performance against Argentina in their first test.
Handling errors and botched lineouts prevented the Springboks from securing a more emphatic win over Argentina in Durban on Saturday, although a 34-21 triumph did ensure the home side the bonus point.
The Springbok forgo their usual option to kick penalty after penalty and on numerous occasions decide to kick to the line.
But despite putting the ball into the lineout, they managed to botch five chances just metres from the try line.
Erasmus was critical of his team after the performance stating “We lost a few lineouts that were crucial and there were some technical errors but for all of that it was a dominant performance. It wasn’t the crispest performance though… Technically and tactically we weren’t always on par.”
Kolisi agreed with this statement and believed that the side must sharpen their technical skills in what expects to be a physical encounter when they travel to Argentina this week.
“The thing that we players were not happy with and which we talked about after the game was our discipline,” said Kolisi.
“It put us on the back foot and also our execution was poor. We had a couple of opportunities in their 22-metre area but didn’t take them.”
Erasmus also took the oppourtunity to praise the All Blacks for their performance, looking to place distance between the quality of the two sides before they meet on 15th September in Wellington.
“After being 6-0 down in minute 38, they smashed Australia at home. It’s just the class of the side,” he said.
“They had two new debutants, there were a few changes in the pack … it’s just unbelievable where they are currently.
“We are No 6 and we must chase down the pack to get to them. There is a lot of hard work to get to them.”
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The grass is greener on the other side
In a stunning admission, young NRL and Knights fullback Kalyn Ponga has expressed his desire to return from the dark side and ultimately play for the All Blacks.
Ponga burst onto the scene playing for high school rugby union back in New Zealand for Churchie, after a video of his skills went viral.
Despite committing to the Knights for the next couple of years, Ponga still harbours a desire to return to the sport, labelling the All Blacks as the ‘pinnacle’.
“Obviously that would be a huge goal, if I was to come back to union,” Ponga said. “I’m not too sure what my future is going to hold and whether I’m going to stay in league or change codes, but if I was to go back to union, I would want to strive for that black jumper.
“I think it’s the pinnacle. They are the best sporting organisation in the world, the stats have showed that…To put that jersey on would be pretty special…I don’t know what is going to happen at the end of (my contract), but playing at the pinnacle is the goal.”
This news comes at the same time that another league star Johnathan Thurston, revealed how close he was to joining rugby union.
Thurston admitted he was tempted by big money deals from rugby clubs in Japan and France during a turbulent time in his career in 2010, but “unfinished business” helped keep him in Townsville to focus on winning the Cowboys’ maiden NRL title.
“It has been a long journey,” Thurston said. “I have had offers from rugby, from other clubs, big money (rugby) offers…from Japan and France. That came at a time in my life that was pretty rough here.”
Whilst Thurston was always going to be a long shot to a) join rugby union and b) play for Australia, I’ll always wonder what would’ve happened if the Cowboys had won in 2005 and Thurston decided to come over to the light.
In regards to Ponga’s claims, I doubt he would ever leave the NRL considering the amount of money he would have to sacrifice to give it an attempt, and with the depth they currently have, I don’t expect NZRU is heavily recruiting him to join.
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