It's time for Rugby Australia to look at themselves
Saturday October 19, 2019. England 40-16 Australia. A day when reality and delusion met for the highest echelons of Australian rugby.
The delusion – four years of rhetoric from failed Wallabies coach Michael Cheika further espoused by Rugby Australia essentially stating that that the Wallabies were heading in the right direction.
The reality – they simply were not good enough and have not been in the four-year World Cup cycle since 2015.
While it is easy to become vultures of opinion, picking over what little scraps are left of the dead Wallaby carcass after the weekend’s mauling at the hands of England, it is vitally important to understand the signposts of failure have been present for some time, that the Wallabies were living in an alternate rugby dimension void of reality prior to their exit from the World Cup.
In 2016, a humiliating 3-0 home series defeat to England; in 2017 a 2-1 home series defeat to Ireland, two losses to Scotland coupled with defeats to Wales and Argentina, sides that the Wallabies had previously enjoyed superiority over were cogent evidence that the Wallabies were failing not forging ahead as the rhetoric may have suggested.
Continue reading below…
Some may point to the Wallabies defeat of the All Blacks 47-26 in Perth during this year’s Rugby Championship to refute such a slide, yet the reality is it was a one-off victory where Australia faced a New Zealand side that were not mentally attuned for that game, and when they faced off at Eden Park a week later in the Bledisloe decider, water found its level and the Wallabies were humiliated 36-0 by an All Blacks team who this time came to play.
Although Cheika has several great attributes as a coach, including passion, loyalty and desire, a legacy of his tenure as Wallabies coach will be his abject failure to take Australia from unlikely World Cup runners-up in 2015 and progress them into a serious global powerhouse.
Complicit in such an outcome has been Rugby Australia, who have also adjectively failed to curb the rot and allowed Michael Cheika and his Wallabies to master mediocrity in this World Cup cycle.
It would appear prior to leaving for Japan, RA, Cheika and the Wallabies would have you believe that there was a united front heading towards Rugby World Cup 2019.
The reality is, as it has now been made public, that RA chief executive Raelene Castle and Cheika don’t really have a working relationship, and Cheika’s relationship with Cameron Clyne, chairman of the union, does not appear much better.
Outgoing Wallabies head coach Michael Cheika has been blasted for the game plan he deployed against England. #RWC2019 https://t.co/IspMnWHwcT
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) October 21, 2019
The first question is why?
The second question is how long have these relationships been allowed to deteriorate?
The third being what affect has this souring of relationships between the parties had on the Wallabies and Australian rugby?
In any event, any business worth its salt should not be appearing united to its shareholders selling the ‘all is well message’, when the truth is that all is far from well at the higher echelons of RA.
There appears to be a lack of both moral courage and an ability to act upon it in a timely manner woven into the administration of the game of rugby in Australia.
They appear to be an organisation that champions diversity but no transparency. The mediocre performance of the Wallabies at this World Cup is the fruit such duplicity bears.
Raelene Castle has her say following Michael Cheika's parting shot aimed towards her ? #RWC2019 https://t.co/17UY4RXZoJ
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) October 21, 2019
RA can point to the recent performances of the Australian U18 side’s defeat of New Zealand 18-14 in Hamilton last month, but that is only the fourth time the Australians have won since 2008, while the U20’s painful 24-23 loss to France in the final of this year’s World Rugby Championship was the first time they have made the final since 2010.
Both sides deserve praise, but can anyone argue that there is evidence of sustained generational improvement in junior Australian rugby?
Some elder statesmen of Australian rugby have been quietly arguing for now decades that since the abandonment of the National Coaching Committee in 1996, the nation has declined in its skill base, and such a loss is ultimately affecting the Wallabies’ performances.
Former Wallabies skipper and twice World Cup-winner Phil Kearns is in unison with such thinking when he stated on Fox Sports: “Our coaching for the last 15-20 years has been terrible, not just at Wallaby level, I’m talking about juniors and the skills that we teach them, the way we ask them to play the game.
“We teach this shape and pattern and structure and process which is all rubbish, because if you can’t catch and pass and kick and tackle, you can’t play the game.”
RA and Cheika can’t hide from this issue. On May 25, 2017, Rugby Australia largely confirmed that the reimplementation of such a National Coaching Committee should occur.
In fact, Cheika said: “We’re committed to setting up a national coaching panel.
“We have set some sort of time frames around establishment of the panel,” he said on the timings of the establishment of such a panel.
“I’ve been dying to say 100 days because that’s what every American president says.
“Whatever that time is, three and a bit months, we could actually have something set up.
“No matter how you want to play the game, whether you want to play 10-man rugby, running rugby or do whatever, there’s some key fundamentals in how we’ve done things over the years and how we’d like to continue to do them.
“We’ll decide what’s in that structure of fundamentals because we certainly don’t want to play one style of footy all around.
“We want the diversity of game going on and just to support the whole coaching structure, so we’re getting better coaches and coaches from the very junior level, like commencing the under-6’s level.”
It is now 2019 and there is still not any semblance of a National Coaching Panel, as per its successful predecessor, the National Coaching Committee.
Again, the question has to be asked as to why that is?
Is this not yet another example of RA saying they will do one thing and simply failing to deliver, doing so in an alarmingly fundamental aspect of the progress of this game in this country?
“That is the way we play footy. I am not going to a kick-and-defend game,” Cheika said of his ball-in-hand style the Wallabies have employed under his reign following Saturday’s defeat to England.
“Call me naive, but that’s not what I am doing. I would rather win playing our way, that’s the way Aussies want us to play.”
Yet, two years ago, he quipped: “We’ll decide what’s in that structure of fundamentals because we certainly don’t want to play one style of footy all around.”
If these comments are not in conflict with each other, they certainly invite incoherence to the audience.
He wants to win the way Australians desire, whatever that is, yet won’t entertain a kick-defend game, but does not want to play one style of rugby all-around. It is as confusing as his selection policy.
In light of Cheika not seeking a further term as Wallabies coach, attention is now drawn to who will be his successor, but isn’t that a little bit premature?
Shouldn’t RA first be reviewed on its performance within this World Cup cycle before being allowed to make such a crucial decision of who will take the Wallabies to the 2023 World Cup in France?
But who should do it?
Well, clearly anyone who isn’t currently employed or hasn’t been employed by RA between 2015 and now should be a non-negotiable.
Perhaps the now exposed RA should allow its entire governance, systems and processes to be reviewed by a genuinely independent body or group, because whatever they are doing hasn’t worked for the Wallabies.
It’s easy to say ‘set up a body’, but there is expertise in Australia to do so, as we have seen such reviews in the governance of Cricket Australia, which has led to a clean-out in poor culture and has fostered an ethical winning environment in that sport.
"Think about peoples’ feelings for a minute. Just chill.”#rwc2019 #RWC19 https://t.co/vZVrlRnJ5K
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) October 19, 2019
As for selecting the next Wallabies coach, why leave that to this current administration? They do not deserve the confidence of such a seminal appointment.
The name David Rennie has been doing the rounds for some time as the next coach, but why?
Does Rennie have any international coaching experience in the men’s game? It does not appear so.
Apart from coaching New Zealand at an U20 level over a decade ago, the current coach of Glasgow has no experience in the contemporary international scene, yet somehow is being reported as the favoured candidate to rebuild a failing program, win a Rugby Championship, reclaim the Bledisloe and Cook Cups, and guide the Wallabies to a third World Cup crown.
Rennie may have won a Super Rugby title, but Cheika also won provincial tournaments in both hemispheres prior to his appointment with RA, and those outstanding achievements did not necessarily transfer into international success with the Wallabies.
If RA can’t implement a National Coaching Panel, surely it can implement a panel of former successful coaches to select the next Wallabies coach?
However, I’m fairly sure this well never happen, as it appears RA can’t see itself as part of the issue that ails the game in this country, and until that is addressed, I don’t expect sustained success in Australian rugby to come anytime soon.
In other news:
Comments on RugbyPass
Thanks Nick, and totally correct. Definately too many teams which is unfortunately an effect of the 21st century hubris that began after our 2nd World Cup win. Honestly we weren't like that before then. If NZ beat us in a Rugby League or cricket series (which has occasionally happened) they don't all of a sudden think they are our equal or even better than us. Unfortunately for Australia, we got carried away with ourselves and wanted to jump from 4th biggest football code to biggest…in 5 minutes. More teams, more matches against the All Blacks (so we could beat them even more). Bring it on. It’s been all down hill since then. Assuming Melbourne are gone, there are very good reasons to keep the remaining 4 in SR, or so it would seem. The Force?…wronged previously, and have $s. Surely not. The Brumbies?….easily the best performed. Surely not. The Waratahs?….most players (50%) and most followers. Surely not. The Reds?….easily the best current team, and nearly as many players and followers as the Waratahs. Surely not. I’d argue that based on how strong the combined Reds n Rebs would be and how strong a combined team of all of the other Oz SR teams would be, we have players for 2 teams…..which would be good. Good enough for a propper SR competition…or maybe good enough for Japan….if they’ll have us. Existing SR teams?….keep them and have them play a second tier…or maybe NZ's NRC….if they'll have us. This is biting the bullet. We have the cattle
1 Go to commentsbest news and very helpful
4 Go to commentsA year ago Ireland and France looked impressive. In this 6N neither looked special. Both have lost good players, but more importantly teams have figured out how to shut them down. In particular the Irish loss to a rebuilding England and the home game struggle against a brave Scotland did nothing to prove that the Irish RWC result was undeserved. If the Scots can shut down the Irish attack, then SA can do so with interest. Rassie will have watched that game with confidence. Farrell is smart, and the Irish team is talented, so we should expect a more creative game plan in SA. But if all they bring is what they showed against Scotland then Ireland is going to struggle against the Boks. It was a fun 6N tournament, but the win for Ireland was as much about weak competition as about Irish brilliance. It was mostly due to France being off the boil, Wales and Italy not being contenders, and Scotland being a home game. England are looking much better, but “much better” should not be enough to topple a team that is supposed by some to be The Best in the World. I hope that Ireland can bump it up a notch or two for the Bok tour. A year ago they were fantastic to watch. It would be great to see that again.
24 Go to commentsLooking forward to the Wallabies being competitive again. No doubt that Joe can get them back on track.
1 Go to commentsThanks, Nick, not only for this fine article, but for all the others during 6N 2024. I really enjoyed this 2024 tournament, and felt it was one of the best for many years. That final match in Lyons was really good. England were certainly unlucky when that speculative hack by Ramos lead to a French try. It could just so easily have landed in English hand.s, and they score at the other end. I did think though that the French played some great rugby, and some of their driving play in the forwards was just fearsome. I watched Meafou with interest, and he has a good start to his career. It is interesting to compare him with Will Skelton. Lot of similarities, though so far Meafou has not shown any offloading threat. All credit to Borthwick for being prepared to change, and what great result, even if that last game was lost at the death. I feel they are a real chance to cause the AB’s problems this winter/summer. Finally a comment on Ireland. I thought their last game was their worst, and they did not look like the world’s No 2 side at all. What really worries me is that the loss to England was, in my view, down to poor decision making by the coaching group, and ofc Andy Farrell wears that. It was a big mistake to move JGP away from scrum half. Murray should have been the one to go to the wing. And the “finishers” should have been on the field earlier. And this is the second time this has happened. The RWC Qf against the AB’s, and not getting Crowley onto the field was a huge mistake. Finally, finally, watching Italy play was a joy. How wonderful that they are no longer the punchbag of the 6 N.
43 Go to commentsGreat story. Rugby needs new investment in teams like Brussels another pro league in Europe would be great.
1 Go to commentsAlso, looking at the data from last year, it seemed like by far the two biggest predictors of success were (1) kicking more than your opponents, and (2) having a higher rate of line-out wins than your opponents. I haven’t gone through the stats this year with a fine tooth comb, but the increase in kicks per game and the increase in tries from lineouts would suggest that these two metrics are only getting more important. England’s move away from a kick-heavy game to win against Ireland was seen by some as evidence that running rugby is on the rise. Alternatively it could be taken as evidence that if one team kicks more, and the other team wins more lineouts (as England did) a match is bound to be close to a draw.
2 Go to commentsI have been finding it odd that points per 22 entry has become such a talked about stat, given that your points per entry can be driven down by having more entries. These data would seem to confirm that it isn’t a useful metric, or at any rate is less useful than total entries.
2 Go to commentsI think the last two games England have played is some of their best rugby they have played under Borthwick. There has been a lot more attacking instinct and as a reward have created some well worked tries. Ollie Lawrence is a good foil at 12 as he offers the hard direct lines whilst the rest of the backs can play open. As much as it pains me to say but I do hope England keep playing this way. On a side note my favourite try of the weekend was Lorenzo Pani’s for the nice loop play that put him away and his finish was excellent. Thanks as always Nick.
43 Go to commentsMost exciting player on the planet right now, worth the price of a ticket.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith and Ireland live rent free in Safa’s heads. Their comments only triggers because its true. If the Boks had dismantled a 14 man AB’s, then there would be more respect. But they didnt, in fact quite the opposite, the 14 man NZ were clearly better. And the Bok have always been ordinary between RWC’s, thats why their supporters are now ‘only RWC’s matter’. They know thats BS. Its BS to both AB’s and Bok’s due to their history. But now its all the Safas have. Now we’ll hear excuses when they lose “oh we didnt have all our players available, the ABs/France/Eng/Irel were at full strength”, forgetting for a minute that its because of their own dumb policy. Oh well, makes a change from blaming ‘cheating refs’.
24 Go to commentsNo Nick, they did not, in fact, justify any ‘probables’ label. At no time did they seriously compete for the championship. Ireland led from start to finish and in the end, as a result of glaring referee errors, were never under serious pressure to lose their crown.
43 Go to commentsMoney for him, and his family, has been the sole motivator since he signed for Queensland aged 17. Why else sign for Melbourne. Tupou is poorly advised. If he’d stayed and developed in NZ he would have had a long Test career. If Leinster offer him a few more coins than he’s currently earning, he’s goneburger.
4 Go to commentsFinn. No one would say Ford had played well up until the last game. One standout performance in 5 is hardly in form . It should be a given that a 10 will control play . Not in Fords case be praised for suddenly doing so. Where was he against Scotland ,Italy. The pundits were saying how far away from play he was standing and one even said that the Ireland game was his last chance saloon to perform . Not exactly top form catching anyones eye. If he can play like this game after game then great. Keep him in . But after 90 odd caps we all know he just doesnt keep it going . By all means keep him there but the issue is that Borthwick will persist even when he plays poorly. Which is more often than not. Thats why i am concerned that Smith ,despite fab form , cannot get a game at his preferred spot. Can you imagine Ford at full back .
5 Go to commentsI do not really get why put Ollivon at 6 when he’s a 7, while Cros was the best Frenchman of the tournament, playing at…6. His only game replacing Aldritt at 8 doesn’t change much in terms of his impact. Lamaro was also outstanding in that brilliant Italian side, probably better than Reffell. So putting 2 Welsh players from the wooden spoon holders, and none of the 4th nation (Scotland) is also strange. Is it about showing that in this harsh transition Wales is, there were some standouts…?
6 Go to commentsThe events at this year’s six nations should undermine many of the arguments made against promotion and relegation between the six nations and the REC. If Italy had been allowed to yo-yo between divisions it conceivably could have really hurt their development, but if Italy, Wales, and Scotland are all at risk of relegation, with none of them being relegated more often than once every 3 or 4 years, you’d have to back all of them to muddle on through it, especially when you factor in the likelihood they’ll still be guaranteed world league matches against tier 1 opponents. Another way of looking at italys resurgence would be to say that the development model of adding an extra team to the six nations has worked, and now must be done again. Georgia could join to make it a 7 team round robin, and if and when Georgia demonstrate an ability to consistently win games, Portugal can also be added to make it an 8 team 2 conference competition. Frankly at this point I think it falls to world rugby to demand that the 6N act in the interests of the game. If the 6N won’t commit to expansion then the 6N teams should be handicapped in world cup draws (i.e. world cup seedings would not be based on their ranking points, but on their ranking points minus a 5 point penalty).
6 Go to commentsSteve Borthwick deserves credit for releasing the shackles on his England side and letting them play in a manner that somewhat resembles the top sides in the Gallagher Premiership. Will they revert to type in New Zealand in July.?
43 Go to commentsJames Lowe wouldn't get in any other 6N team. He's a great example of Farrell’s brilliance, and the Irish system. He is slow. His footwork is poor. But he fits perfectly in that Irish system, and has a superb impact. But put him in another team, and he'll look bang average.
6 Go to commentsCrusaders reached their heights through recruitment of North Island players, often leaving those NI teams bereft of key players. Example: Scott Barrett and Sam Whitelock robbed the Canes of their lineout and AB locks. For years the Canes have struggled at lock. This rabid recruitment was iniated by rule changes by a Crusader dominated NZR Head Office. Now this aggressive recruitment has back-fired, going after young inside back Hamilton Boys stars. They now have 4 Chiefs region 10s and not one with the requisite experience at Super level. Problems of their own making!
4 Go to commentsOver rated for a long time…exposed at scrum time too.
4 Go to comments