Why coaching the Wallabies is the toughest gig in Australian sport
Unless he can find a formula that’s eluded many of world rugby’s best coaches, the next Wallabies mentor will be on a hiding to nothing, just like Michael Cheika was.
And like Ewen McKenzie was before Cheika, and Robbie Deans before McKenzie.
Coaching the Wallabies is the toughest gig in Australian sport because the Wallabies, rather unfairly, are the most harshly-marked national sporting team in the country.
Even when they’re ranked second in the world, which for much of the past 15 years they have been, the Wallabies are on the nose.
Unless they’re regularly beating the mighty All Blacks, which no team has managed since Australia’s glory days under Rod Macqueen at the turn of the century, the Wallabies are critiqued like no other.
Continue reading below…
The Kangaroos can lose four rugby league tests in a row to New Zealand and still be considered the world’s best.
The Diamonds can lose heartbreaker after heartbreaker to the Silver Ferns and are still deemed to be a cut above netball’s best.
Only Sandpaper-gate could knock Australia’s cricketers off their pedestal.
The Socceroos? Well, they can win an Asian Cup and be ranked 41st in the world, as they are now, and still be idolised.
But only World Cup glory or the return of the Bledisloe Cup is good enough for Wallabies fans.
'Thank you for believing in me, when I didn’t have belief in myself.'https://t.co/tbjqlwsqgi
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) October 21, 2019
Yes it’s time for Cheika to go after his turbulent five-year reign ended in humiliation with the clueless Wallabies now ranked seventh in the world, behind even Japan.
Yes, the next coach will surely improve the Wallabies because they can hardly get any worse.
But unless they’re beating the All Blacks and winning rugby’s major trophies, the Wallabies’s next coach will depart the job viewed as a failure just like one-time world coach of the year Cheika, McKenzie, Deans, John Connolly and Eddie Jones were.
Jones has worked wonders with England and Japan and even helped Jake White win the 2007 World Cup with South Africa.
He took Australia to a World Cup final extra time in 2003, but could never fill the golden boots of Macqueen.
‘Let the good times roll’ was the headline when Connolly was ushered in after Jones.
Instead his head was rolled after just two years, about the length of Deans’s honeymoon period.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B32Wy9vgVU7/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Australian rugby’s first foreign coach enjoyed the longest tenure – and most successful since Macqueen – in Wallabies coaching history.
Yet Deans was savagely shown the door midway through a series against the touring British and Irish Lions, with the showdown locked at one test apiece.
McKenzie, like Deans before him and Cheika after him, was also welcomed as Australian rugby’s saviour before his premature reign ended in despair.
Dave Rennie, the frontrunner to replace Cheika, is similarly already being feted as the man to revive the Wallabies’ fortunes.
But the Kiwi, or whoever takes the job, will be asked the very same question at his opening press conference as Wallabies coach.
“What makes you think your reign will end up any different to the last few Wallabies coaches?”
The answer won’t matter.
Only results – read beating New Zealand consistently – matter for the Wallabies.
AAP
In other news:
Comments on RugbyPass
It’s going to be Scott Barrett. He’s the coaches mate and captain of a previously elite team. Ardie a great option but scooter has worked with the coach and Ardie still as big a leader as needed.
23 Go to commentsI commend Colin Scotts bio All Balls. He was the first Aussie to make it to NFL. But he was poached and did a full apprenticeship at the University of Hawaii. He was 130kgs surfed played 1st grade cricket etc. big guy by normal but not NFL standards and a top athlete. Even then the nfl were picking up Tongans and Samoans for their natural size and explosive power. They want explosive power not cardio from the big boys so a guy like Taniela Tupou would have been good if picked up young enough. He has fast twitch and they’d bulk the little lad up and give him something to do. soccer teams set up academies and look for Over Sara’s talent eg Messi was at Barcelona since a teenager and harry kewell went to Leeds as a teenager like 16 or something.
11 Go to commentsThe article alludes to the fact that this isn’t about picking a captain. But picking a great captain. So who would make for a great All Black captain - not just an obvious or safe shoo-in? I’m not sure Ardie’s the guy and Barret doesn’t stand out either.
23 Go to commentsI guess we may all agree on the fact, that the ABs and Boks are the two in contest for No 1 in rugby history (the triple-A sort of) …. the Wallabies, England and France are the next tier, with Ireland being the new kid in town (AA) …. in my view it makes little sense creating imaginary competitions (unless you have too much time to waste)
45 Go to commentsWhat a joke. Total joke and the pundits commentating, all of whom know a bit about the game, could barely disguise their contempt. Reaching for the card then pulling back when he realised a red card would carry further match suspensions is simply not his decision to make. A clear and obvious influence on the outcome of this match and indeed, the championship path.
4 Go to commentsI like the idea, in NZ the Ranfurly Shield and NPC coexist, both having their own bragging rights. The World Cup would be the pinnacle, but the competition and travels of these trophies would be interesting.
45 Go to commentsDon’t worry Sonny bill Williams leave that awkward situation about the curfew in the pass whoever it was it doesn’t matter its no big deal we back our All Blacks through the storm and the thunder until we see the Sun light again.
42 Go to commentsWho listens to this retard? He was a massive liability as a player but obviously a media sensation
42 Go to commentsI’m not surprised by such ‘virtue signalling’ by Sonny Boy. Butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth. He’s such a pious Islamic muppet, imo.
42 Go to commentsI’ve actually never heard of the guy (then I don’t watch League as it is boring). But if he is good enough.. then good luck to him. If not, well, he can always return to league.
2 Go to commentsIt is pretty clear that by almost any measure that NZ are a more successful rugby nation than South Africa. Quite aside from the distasteful events during the last RWC final. NZ lead SA in all significant measurements.
45 Go to commentsDickson went to his pocket for a card, saw who it was, changed his mind and spoke at length to TMO. One angle clearly shows Care diving over a Saints player to kill the ball. 1st yellow, reason given for not Red was player was falling backwards. He was only falling backwards after contact with Lawes. Graham try should have stood. Mitchell did not have both hands on the ball, ball went forward from a Saints boot dragging over it. 2 intentional knock-on's. One of which had an overlap on the outside. If Quins are happy to win by intentional foul play, then it does not say much for them. Would appear to be a bad day for Karl Dickson, also for the RFU in appointing a Ref who spent 8 years as a player at one of the clubs.
4 Go to commentsLet’s not forget about Ardie Savea just yet.
7 Go to commentsThe URC and the Euro Championscup can’t run at the same time, basically dilutes both competitions.
2 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.
7 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 comments