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The 'copy and paste' antics of Gary Ella in failed Leinster spell
A lot of water flowed under the bridge in Dublin before Leinster eventually became the European powerhouse they are now revered as and the mishap 2003/04 season they spent with Gary Ella in charge has now been damningly recalled by Willie Anderson. The former Ireland skipper has written his autobiography Crossing The Line, which is being published this month by Reach.
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In a thoroughly entertaining run through the life and times of the 66-year-old, who was capped on 27 occasions by his country, there are plenty of chapters devoted to a varied coaching career that included stints with Dungannon, London Irish, Leinster, Scotland and his native Ulster.
It was Matt Williams who originally got Anderson in the door at Leinster as his assistant but the Australian’s decision to leave to take up the Scotland job in 2003 left Leinster recruiting in the southern hemisphere for a replacement head coach.
They plumped for Ella, the six-cap Wallabies midfielder, but his time in charge was short-lived, Leinster calling it quits after just a single frustrating season. Forwards coach Anderson twigged early on that this was how it would ultimately work out for the Australian following an incident that occurred in the Irish province’s settling-in period with their new boss.
In the book written in conjunction with Brendan Fanning, Anderson recalled: “I don’t think Gary’s coaching career was in the same ballpark as his playing one. He inherited a wounded Leinster squad with a pretty obvious division in it. There were the stars who were never going to get dropped, and the bag holders who got to stand there and admire them.
"As a technical rugby coach, he was clueless"
– Ex-Ireland skipper Willie Anderson has written an excellent autobiography which includes a vivid account of his short-lived stint working as an assistant to Clive Woodward at London Irish
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) September 2, 2021
“Gary is a grand guy but he needed to grab the bull by the horns, take the opportunity offered by a season with maybe over 30 games in it, and drive us on. Early in the journey, he asked Brett (Igoe, another assistant coach) if we had a computer. Brett wasn’t sure if he was taking the pish. Then Gary gave him a floppy disk that contained the New South Wales Waratahs playbook.
“‘Mate, can you go through that and everywhere you find a reference to New South Wales or the Waratahs can you change it to Leinster?’ Brett did that. Then he had to park himself by the photocopier and run off maybe 35 copies – each the size of a small telephone book – and distribute them to the squad.
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“I watched this unfold and asked myself why Leinster had given the job to Gary Ella instead of me. Yes, I wasn’t the finished article – I had issues that needed constant work – but I was passionate about the job and bringing something to it. I understood what was meant by ‘The Leinster Way’ and wanted to add to it. I didn’t want to copy and paste the Waratah way on Leinster.
“The season was a long, slow slide backwards. I followed the same routine as the previous season but with less enthusiasm. Had I been more invested I probably would have shouted sooner when it was clear Gary was drifting.
“The untouchable players didn’t take to him and when that happens there needs to be a confrontation to deal with it. Gary wasn’t cut out for that. And it wasn’t my job to intervene. I was the assistant for a job I clearly was never going to get, so I focused on what was in my job spec.”
Leinster replaced Ella with Declan Kidney for the following 2004/05 season while Anderson headed to Scotland to rekindle his relationship with Williams by becoming assistant coach of the national team.
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It's now 32 years since Willie Anderson incredibly went nose to nose with Buck Shelford in Dublin and a new book has revealed how an ex-All Blacks skipper unwittingly played a part in the infamous haka incident https://t.co/iwAwWtLFzu
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) September 2, 2021
Comments on RugbyPass
Lets 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?
10 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.
9 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.
10 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.
22 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.
9 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.
14 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 commentsWhat a player! Not long until he’s in the England side, surely?
5 Go to commentsHe seems to have the same aura as Marcus Smith - by which I mean he’s consistently judged as if he’s several years younger than he actually is. Mngomezulu has played 24 times for the Stormers. When Pollard was his age he had played 24 times for South Africa! He has more time to develop, but he has also had time to do some developing already, and he hasn’t demonstrated nearly as much talent in that time as one would expect. If he is a generational talent, then it must be a pretty poor generation.
6 Go to commentsThe greatest Springbok coach of all time is entirely on the money. Rassie and Jacques have given the south african public a great few years, but the success of the springbok selection policy will need to be judged in light of what comes next. The poor condition that the provincial system is currently in doesn’t bode well for the next few years of international rugby, and the insane 2026 schedule that the Boks have lined up could also really harm both provincial and international consistency.
22 Go to comments