Proudfoot tips ‘very, very dangerous’ Wallabies citing ‘Eddie effect’
The former South Africa and England scrum coach is in France on a mission to grow the game in Namibia, but his eyes can’t help but be drawn to one of his former bosses.
It is simple for Matt Proudfoot, the man with an attachment to just about every side at the Rugby World Cup. There is only one coach he believes will pull off a real surprise in the next seven weeks.
“Eddie (Jones) makes a change no matter where he goes,” said the South African who spent two years working under the notoriously demanding Australian as they attempted to turn around England’s flailing fortunes.
That change is yet to be seen on the scoreboard since Jones returned to his native Australia. Five matches, five losses, 179 points shipped, just 87 scored.
But Proudfoot, now in the unfamiliar role of Namibia assistant coach, dismisses those figures. He insists the signs of the ‘Eddie effect’ should be enough to get Wallabies fans smiling once more.
“They ran into the All Blacks running hot, South Africa running hot, Argentina running really, really well, in the Rugby Championship. They’ll get their first couple of wins (versus Georgia on Saturday and Fiji on 17 September) and when that team is confident that will make a big change,” the South African born coach said.
“Just look at the group of athletes they have, unbelievable athletes. Australia are going to be dangerous, very, very dangerous.”
Proudfoot on Jones is worth listening to. He is one of the few assistant coaches to have survived long under the combative Aussie.
“I loved it, I loved every part. Eddie is a really intelligent man, a tough coach, (but) he gets growth out of you, he gets growth out of the environment.”
Just six weeks ago Proudfoot, assistant coach to South Africa’s 2019 World Cup winning scrum, ‘Bomb Squad’ and all, was expecting to watch Jones work his magic from the comfort of his Cape Town sofa. After more than six years coaching at the very top of international rugby, he had intended to fulfil a promise to his daughter and spend a ‘year off’ as she finished high school.
But rugby – or more specifically another former boss – had other ideas.
“I’ve got so much respect for Allister (Coetzee, the former South Africa head coach and Proudfoot’s boss at the Stormers) and it’s always been when asked I would jump at it, no matter what,” the 51-year-old said, explaining how he couldn’t turn down the now Namibia head coach’s plea.
Joining the Welwitschias, a team yet to register a win in a record 22 World Cup matches, might seem like an odd drop down the ladder for a man used to the very biggest stage. But there were multiple motivations at play.
“As a coach to improve yourself you have to expose yourself. You have to be prepared to learn and where better opportunity to learn than where you’ve got to try something new, try something different? At the top end it’s all very small margins, at this end you can experiment, you can grow,” Proudfoot explained.
“So, personally, selfishly, it was a real opportunity to test myself and then loyalty to Allister.”
Securing the services of one of world rugby’s most in-demand and respected scrum coaches was a major coup for Namibia. It took just a week at the beginning of August for Proudfoot to know he had made the right decision.
“It’s special when players don’t moan, they just go for it, all in. When they talk about ‘Land of the Brave’ they really are – that just hooked me,” Proudfoot revealed.
Ending a World Cup record winless streak – Namibia have played 22 lost 22 matches in their seven World Cups to date – is the first priority. But just as important to Proudfoot is the feeling he is playing his part in developing the sport that has given him so much.
“This is not about winning it, it’s about respecting the game. This is where the game comes together every four years and what are you prepared to add to it? What are you prepared to give to the game? Because this is where the game grows,” he explained.
Once that is done it will be back to that sofa in Cape Town, and a chance to watch his old boss add to myth once more. Not that his long-suffering daughter can expect her dad to stay still for too long.
“It’s time for me to be a head coach,” Proudfoot said. “I’m having a look at one or two teams where I could get a foothold and put together the lessons I’ve learned from all the top head coaches I have worked with.
“She (his daughter) knows this is what Dad is and who he is.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Let’s not forget about Ardie Savea just yet.
4 Go to commentsThe URC and the Euro Championscup can’t run at the same time, basically dilutes both competitions.
1 Go to comments“While Sotutu should start at No.8 for the All Blacks against England, but it’s only in that arena that he can prove just how good he really is.” And that my friends is where simply hasnt shone despite multiple opportunities. Even in this performance you can see what did him in in the test arena..he almost always still runs at the opposition almost ramrod upright making him easier to stop than it should be.
4 Go to commentsShould have been 0-0 and a message from SR CEO to both teams - “don’t worry about turning up next year”.
4 Go to commentsGreat work Owen Franks. A great of this team, scoring his first try for the Crusaders since 2010.He was beaming, justifiably. A fine win, he and the rest did the job up front.
1 Go to commentsDanny Care. Lang in die tand.
1 Go to commentsBig empty stadium does nothing for atmosphere but munster are playing well with solid performance
1 Go to commentsYes, Fiji can win the World Cup! With that belief plus their christian faith🙏 and hard work it is achievable. Great article. Ian Duncan Fiji resident 1981-84
2 Go to commentsInteresting comments about Touch. England’s hosting the Touch World Cup this year and the numbers have exploded since their last World Cup in 2019, something like 70% more teams and 40 nations taking part. And England Touch have made a big thing about how many universities are in their BUCS University Touch Championship as well as Sport England membership. Can only see this growing even more domestically as more people become aware of it
10 Go to comments“Cortez Ratima is light years ahead of anyone on current form, while TJ Perenara has also skyrocketed into contention following the unfortunate injury to the talented Cam Roigard.” At last some sanity. Hitherto so many pundits have been wittering on about Finlay Christie to the point one wondered if they were observing a FC in a parallel universe where the FC they saw wasnt just the mediocre Shayne Philpott project of Fosters hapless AB reign in the real world. Ratima, Perenara and Fakatava are the ONLY logical 9s for Razor now Roigard is crocked.
4 Go to commentsThis game was just as painful as the Hurricanes game. It was real fork-in-the-eye stuff.
4 Go to commentsNow if they could just fire the Crusaders ground PA guy who likes to play his dance music and just loves the sound of his own voice the entire game, even when play is going on. And I thought their brass band thing of a few years ago was bad.
5 Go to commentsUnfortunately when you lose by far the two form players this season in Roigard and Aumua, you're left replacing two game changing Tanks with a couple of pea-shooters. Which is also about the speed of TJs pass.
4 Go to commentsBit rich coming from the guy with zero loyalty to anyone or any team, including happily taking a players place in a league world cup squad because well, SBW wanted to play in it and thus an already named player got told he was no longer going. And airing stuff like this, which may or may not be true, doesn't exactly say you're a stand up guy either SBW. Just looking to keep his name in lights as usual.
38 Go to commentsTamati Tua. …the Taniwha NPC midfielder. Ollie Sapsford, Hawkes Bay NPC midfielder…doing well
4 Go to commentsFiji deserve to be in the rugby championship, fans love seeing the Fijian national team play, the Fijian Drua is a wonderful idea but the players can still be stolen to play for NZ and AUS…
2 Go to commentsThe first concern for this afternoon are wheather forecast…
1 Go to commentsWhy cant I watch Rugby games please?
1 Go to commentsBeautiful shot from Finau, end of story. Gutted for Shaun Stevenson though.
4 Go to commentsThe Chiefs definitely didn’t win ugly. They had the superior scrum, a dominant lineout, and their defence was excellent once the Waratahs scored their two tries (thanks to some lucky refereeing calls mind you). They put pressure on the Waratahs lineout throughout the game, and the mind boggles as to why the referee did not award a yellow card or a penalty try against the Waratahs for repeated scrum infringements on their own try line before Narawa’s first try. And the Chiefs were slick with their passing and running angles on attack. It was a dominant performance all round, even with many questionable refereeing decisions.
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