The coach required to get the best out of Quade Cooper for the Wallabies
“Skill and confidence are an unconquered army.” So said the 17th century Welsh born theologian, collector of proverbs and poet George Herbert. After digesting a recent comment made by Rugby Australia’s new Director of Coaching Scott Johnson, I wonder if some Wallabies fans prayers have actually been answered that would satisfy old George?
In a recent press conference, Johnson is quoted, “What I’ll attempt to do … I grew up in a great era, I worked as a coach and a player through a great era of Australian rugby where we were known for our acumen and skill and I think they were two great credits to the people involved, coaches and the like.”
Therefore, logic would determine that Australian rugby is looking for a confident and skillful player oozing rugby acumen to champion the Johnson mantra. It has one! His name is Quade Cooper. The Melbourne Rebels fly-half is currently the most dangerous fly-half currently on Australian soil, if not the southern hemisphere.
With the Rebels currently leading the Australian conference after seven rounds of Super Rugby 2019, it is apparent that the often-maligned playmaker has energised and refined the Rebel’s play to great effect.
The Rebels are the must-watch side of Australian rugby and full credit must go to head coach Dave Wessels and his staff for enabling a match philosophy that is conducive to Cooper’s natural playing abilities whilst also curtailing his known appetite for risk.
The mark of a great coach is improving a player’s game. I fondly recall the anecdote of 1986 Wallabies coach Alan Jones on the successful tour of New Zealand where it is understood at half time in the second test with the Australians ahead, whilst addressing the Wallaby side Jones looked at his left winger and said, “Peter Grigg, you are playing better than you can!’
That same viewpoint is applicable to players alike. Those playing around Cooper are playing the best rugby of their careers. Rugby they themselves may not have thought they were capable of.
Billy Meakes has been on the Australian scene for several seasons now and has had stints in and out the Wallabies squad but has never broken through for a test cap. Yet since Cooper’s arrival in the Victorian capital Meakes is playing with confidence skill not previously seen and putting his name up for test selection.
“Quade has had a huge input into the way we want to play this year, and with the coaches, spent a fair amount of time on the style of game we want to play,” Meakes told Rugby.com.au.
“I think having someone so creative alongside me just allows me to do my job. He is obviously very specific what he wants from me but it comes with a sense of freedom to allow me to use my skill set to the best of my ability.”
It comes as no surprise that the leading try scorer in Super Rugby is, in fact, Melbourne Rebels winger Jack Maddocks who has crossed the paint eight times this season and the unheralded outside centre Tom English is equal fifth with five tries to his name. It is evident that both are thriving with a skillful and confident Quade Cooper running the Rebel cause.
Yet Director of Rugby Johnson should be wary of simply selecting Quade Cooper and thinking his Super Rugby form with the Rebels will materialise into golden Wallaby performances. They will not under the current Wallaby selections and game philosophy of Wallabies coach Michael Cheika.
Cheika relies on the dual openside flanker back row which ultimately weakens the Wallabies lineout and scrum. These are facets of play where the Rebels do not struggle. In 2019 both the Rebels lineout and scrum operate at over 90%.
Whilst a truly gifted attacker, Cooper like any fly-half will struggle if not given front-foot ball consistently.
Even All Blacks Coach Steve Hansen knows the value of such when he was recently quoted in Stuff, a New Zealand publication, “He’s playing behind the Rolls-Royce pack,” Hansen said of Richie Mo’unga after he had outplayed Beauden Barrett twice in Super Rugby last year.
And that is the second part of the challenge for Johnson. Not only must he convince his fellow selectors in Wallabies coach Michael Cheika and Michael O’Connor to select Quade Cooper, but he must also get them to select a forward pack and game plan that would provide such a platform to allow Cooper to bring his skill and confidence into the Wallabies camp.
Former Wallabies Coaches Robbie Deans and Ewen McKenzie both selected Quade Copper in their respective sides with polarising results. Under Robbie Deans, Cooper was not at ease and appeared suffocated and constrained. The results never materialised for Deans with Cooper as fly-half.
Yet under Ewen McKenzie, Cooper played the best test rugby of his life so far as he was given greater freedom and options and nearly took the Wallabies to a Grand Slam in 2013. No wonder Rebels Coach Dave Wessels has adopted the McKenzie line.
The Wallabies have lost consistency in the lineout since the arrival of current forwards coach Simon Raiwaliu in 2018 and I suggest he should be removed and replaced by Melbourne Rebels forwards coach Geoff Parling forthwith.
The former English and British Lions lock-forward took up a coaching role with the Rebels in 2019 and prior to commencing the role at Melbourne.
“He’s technically very, very aware and very proficient about a lot of the skills that are needed, particularly from a top-quality line-out forward,” Exeter Director of Rugby Rob Baxter told the BBC.
“But his range is broader than that – he’s got a very good knowledge of all aspects of rugby.
“He could be a fantastic acquisition, particularly in Australia. Talking to some Australian coaches, they feel they maybe lack a bit of detail sometimes in some of their application.
“That will be Geoff’s bread and butter; some of the detail around how the forwards play, but also around the breakdown and attacking patterns and the reasons for doing things defensively.”
In 2019 the Rebels forwards are an intelligent, skillful beast to contend with. In the recent Super Rugby match against the Queensland Reds, the Rebels forwards looked to disrupt the Reds forward attack at its inception instead of nullifying in later phases.
The Reds never quite got their platform from the lineout, nor could they dominate the scrum and attract penalties as they liked to do. The Rebels out-muscled and out-thought their rivals. It appears all that Baxter was saying is materialising and it is that much needed acumen Parling could bring to the Wallabies forwards in 2019.
What is quite clear is that the Rebels forwards have provided Quade Cooper with the requisite platform allowing him to unleash the likes of Maddocks, Meakes and English. The challenge now is to provide Cooper with the Wallaby platform to unleash Kerevi, Folau, Beale, and Maddocks.
Johnson must use his arrival to usher in those who can deliver the skill and acumen he seeks. With the selection of Quade Cooper and appointment of Geoff Parling as the Wallabies forwards coach at the appropriate times he can. The results of the years past echo the loudest. But will the selectors listen?
Perhaps? Or perhaps I should point them towards the prose of George Herbert who in his Outlandish Proverbs included this wisdom, “Who is so deaf, as he that will not hear?”
Michael Cheika talks to RugbyPass:
Comments on RugbyPass
Why 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.
1 Go to commentsWasnt late. Ref 2 assistants andTMO all saw it so who are you to say it was?
4 Go to commentsAre the Brumbies playing the Blues twice in a row?
4 Go to commentsBig difference from the Saders. Forwards really muscled up and laid a solid platform. Scooter brought some steel and I liked the loosie combination. Newell has been rather disappointing this season but stepped up big time - happy also to see Franks dot down. He should do that more often! Reihana had a good game and there seems to be more flair and invention with him in the saddle. McNicoll plays well from the back and is reliable plus inventive when he joins the line. Keep it up chaps!
3 Go to comments🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
30 Go to commentsJe suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
4 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusaders , you can keep going.
3 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
30 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
30 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
30 Go to comments