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The notorious record of John Mitchell's disruptive coaching career

By Ben Smith
John Mitchell's coaching path has left a trail of disenchantment.

The Bulls and head coach John Mitchell seem headed for an unceremonious and bitter divorce, with reports of a move to be England’s defence coach a ‘done deal’ despite Mitchell’s current contract running until the end of 2019.

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Mitchell has been upfront in the media about the Bulls resourcing issues, using public statements to push for a larger recruitment budget, which has reportedly caused unrest amongst the Board.

He has never been one to shy away from taking a hard-line stance, but his growing list of shortstop destinations raises questions about whether Mitchell does more harm than good for each organisation he joins.

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Former Lions player, Jonathan Mokuena, tweeted at the time that keeping Mitchell around “will be the biggest mistake in the history of South African rugby if you allow that demon back at the Lions” during the coach’s stand down in 2012 after being investigated following player complaints.

“We are humans, not animals. We are adults. You don’t curse and swear at adults who are married and already have children – that is not how you treat people,” he elaborated.

With England already under pressure to perform under Eddie Jones, could putting a divisive Mitchell into the mix be like adding kerosene on a fire?

His longest tenure as a head coach is the five years he spent at the newly formed Western Force from 2006-10. Unsurprisingly, midway through his stint in 2008 he was stood down as the club investigated his behaviour after complaints about the treatment of players and coaching staff.

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“I have always had an honest and open relationship with the players, and nothing will change,” he said in 2008 during the Force player revolt.

“Having said that, as a head coach you have always got to look to evolve, and I am always looking to evolve.

He retained his position following the investigation. Had he been forced to leave that would have been in line with the duration of Mitchell’s other coaching stints – 2 to 3 years at most. In 22 years of coaching, he has held appointments at 16 different teams across six countries, yet the results have been sub-par with the exception of his short stint at the helm of the All Blacks.

The NZRU’s decision to let Mitchell go after just two seasons in 2003 was motivated by his relationship with sponsors and media, which had deteriorated as the game was entering professionalism. He restricted access to his players and treated the media with disdain, causing conflict with the direction of the organisation.

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By all accounts, Mitchell is a deep thinker, with a ‘religious’ dedication to self-help philosophy, which is iterated by his ‘management speak’ and talks of ‘journeys’ for each team. Contrasting that is an ‘old school’ approach to rugby, with a preference for hierarchical standings within teams bound together by an alcohol-fuelled culture.

In his first coaching stint at Sale in the late 90’s, he details a ‘team-building’ exercise he enforced on his team in his book.

“I called the players in for what I called a recovery; in effect, a team-building exercise. I got the forwards and backs out on the field, placed cones to demarcate where they should run and sent them on their way,” wrote Mitchell.

“Afterwards, I called them back into the club, where I had a 55-litre keg of beer waiting for them. I told them that no one was leaving until we had finished the keg, and if anyone needed to go to the toilet, he would have to nail his pint first.”

His booze culture in the early 2000’s led to criticism from former All Blacks, especially from former captain Anton Oliver who claimed in his own book that Mitchell ‘allowed, encouraged and participated’ in a serious drinking culture that impeded the team from sticking to basic schedules – at times the team’s travel could be delayed so that the coaching staff could recover.

Mitchell later rubbished the claims as ‘garbage’ and explained ‘the problem was my more social approach was in conflict with the previous management’s culture’.

His Super Rugby coaching stints at the Force and Lions ended in controversy when players complained about his methods and how they were being treated. In 2015, the Stormers were reportedly close to signing Mitchell but backed out due to concerns raised from the senior players over his appointment.

Player embarrassment and humiliation seems to be a byproduct of his coaching that causes Mitchell’s issues with his teams. He was accused by his players at the Lions of ‘violating the dignity’ of a player by continuously berating him in front of teammates with obscene, abusive language.

“The nature of the (players’) complaints is so serious that we have suspended him (Mitchell), pending further investigation,” club president De Klerk said at the time in a public statement.

In his book he details a ‘shaming’ exercise he used at Chiefs trainings in 2001 to highlight poor performers.

“Whoever missed the most tackles in a game was given a pair of white gloves to wear during training. These were known as the ‘Fijian policemen’, and Roger [Randle] was the first to receive them.”

The problem with Mitchell seems to be the relationship side of coaching, where there is a consistent track record of player conflict and building resentment that ultimately derails the relationship. It’s not just at one stop either, with players across multiple countries and cultures having problems with him.

With such a detailed rap sheet, it’s stunning that there seems to be more suitors looking to line up his services. There isn’t a more disruptive coach in the game that has had as many fallings out with their employer than Mitchell has.

The Bulls look to be the latest to join that list, with England’s RFU short odds to be the next.

Eddie Jones is a polarising figure in his own right, and pairing him with John Mitchell looks like a sure way to create more problems. Mitchell has not held an assistant role since 2000 when he held positions with Wasps and England. A power struggle is bound to unfold with this England team as two egos try to lead this team.

With Mitchell’s history of dividing locker rooms and putting players offside, this is a disaster waiting to happen.

In other news:

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Jon 3 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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john 6 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

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Adrian 8 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

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T
Trevor 10 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

21 Go to comments
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