Coach who almost quit Super Rugby is banking on youth for opening fixture - with one major exception
Melbourne Rebels coach Dave Wessels admits he considered walking away from the game after the bitter disappointment of last Super Rugby season.
He chose to reinvent himself as a coach instead.
The Rebels were second on the ladder halfway through last season after winning six of their opening eight games but faded badly to finish 11th and miss a maiden finals berth.
After his second season at the helm it cut so deep Wessels questioned whether he wanted to keep coaching.
But after sitting on the beach for 10 days downing a few beers, Wessels decided to change the way he did his “dream job”.
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“I’ve done a bit of a 180 in my coaching,” Wessels said on Thursday.
“I wasn’t enjoying myself at the end of last season. I had a couple of moments where I wondered whether this is what I wanted to be doing.
“Australian rugby is quite a tough place to be because absolutely everything you do is criticised all the time and we don’t do ourselves any favours with all the macro things that happen in the game.”
South African-born Wessels said getting away from the game in the off-season provided clarity.
“As an inexperienced coach, I realised I’d been suckered into all sorts of things I wasn’t enjoying doing, I was doing a lot of commercial things,” Wessels said.
“I’d lost a little bit of connection with the players and that was the thing that really gives me joy in my coaching, helping make individual players better.
“This year I’ve recalibrated all of that and decided to do the things I enjoy and that brought me into coaching in the first place, which is being much more engaged with the team.
“This is my dream job. So when you have some time off and can step away from it a little bit you think ‘Hang on a second, I totally lost focus in what I actually enjoy in the game’.”
The Rebels finished last on the table the season before Wessels arrived in 2018 and the coach said it was easy to forget the strides they’ve made.
@HurricanesRugby have named their strongest possible side for the battle of the natural disasters ??https://t.co/zErQT8zhSs #SuperRugby #STOvHUR
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) January 30, 2020
He believes lack of depth has cost them finals appearances and made recruiting experience a priority in the-season.
“I feel like the team is further down the road than we were this time last year, it’s amazing to have a bit of continuity and what a difference that makes,” Wessels said.
“The average caps in the match-day 23 is about 45 which is a huge step forward in experience.
“We’ve gone from a team in 2017 that scored 21 tries to last year scoring 56.
“This year we’ve also spent a lot more time on our defence than we have in previous years.”
Wessels has plenty of experience but also named eight debutants in match squad to face the Sunwolves in their season opener in Tokyo on Saturday.
A new era will begin for the Rebels following the departure of halves pairing Will Genia and Quade Cooper.
Fijian international Frank Lomani will replace Genia and will be joined in the backline by Waratahs recruit and former Australian under-20 captain Andrew Kellaway. Experienced operator Matt To’omua will take the reins at first five.
Rebels: Fereti Sa’aga, Anaru Rangi, Jermaine Ainsley, Ross Haylett-Petty, Matt Philip, Angus Cottrell, Rob Leota, Isi Naisarani, Frank Lomani, Matt To’omua, Andrew Kellaway, Bily Meakes, Reece Hodge, Marika Koroibete, Dane Haylett-Petty. Reserves: Steve Misa, Cameron Orr, Ruan Smith, Luke Jones, Michael Wells, Richard Hardwick, Theo Strang, Andrew Deegan.
Comments on RugbyPass
A wallaby front-row of Bell, Blake and Tupou…now that would be hefty
1 Go to comments“But with an exceptional pass accuracy rating “ Which apart from Roigard is not a feature of any of the other 9s in NZ. Kind of basic for a Black 9 dont.you. think? Yet we keep seeing FC and TJ being rated ahead of him? Weird if it’s seen as vital to get our backline beating in your face defences.
1 Go to commentsThanks BeeMc! Looks like many teams need extra time to settle from the quadrennial northern migration. I think generally the quality of the Rugby has held up. Fiji has been fantastic and fun to watch
13 Go to commentsLets compare apples with apples. Lyon sent weak team the week before, but nobody raised an eyebrow. Give the South African teams a few years to build their depth, then you will be moaning that the teams are too strong.
41 Go to commentsDid footballs agents also perform the scout role at some time? I’m surprised more high profile players haven’t taken up the occupation, great way to remain in the game and use all that experience without really requiring a lot of specific expertise?
1 Go to commentsSuper rugby is struggling but that has little to do with sabbaticals. 1. Too many teams from Aust and NZ - should be 3 and 4 respectively, add in 2 from Japan, 1 possibly 2 from Argentina. 2. Inconsistent and poor refereeing, admittedly not restricted to Super rugby. Only one team was reffed at the breakdown in Reds v H’Landers match. Scrum penalty awarded in Canes v Drua when No 8 had the ball in the open with little defence nearby - ideal opportunity to play advantage. Coming back to Reds match - same scrum situation but ref played advantage - Landers made 10 yards and were penalised at the breakdown when the ref should have returned to scrum penalty. 3. Marketing is weak and losing ground to AFL and NRL. Playing 2 days compared with 4. 4. Scheduling is unattractive to family attendance. Have any franchises heard of Sundays 2pm?
11 Go to commentsAbsolutely..all they need is a chance in yhe playoffs and I bet all the other teams will be nervous…THEY KNOW HOW TO WIN IM THE PLAYOFFS..
2 Go to commentsI really hope he comes back and helps out with some coaching.
1 Go to commentsI think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
10 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
11 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
4 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
24 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
4 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
10 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
35 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
35 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
17 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
4 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to comments