Deans Sacked McKenzie To Be Named Coach Of The Wallabies

[TRF_stormer2010]

All the development money should go to frontrowers. The rest can be poached from league.

Now, a bit more seriously, I do rate Benn Robinson. And I think that Kepu is a decent tighthead (I know that for the #3 nation in world rugby you'd expect more), but Deans' obsession with playing Alexander at tighthead just shows that he never thought scrummaging was important at all. The few games where Deans picked a scrum-oriented forward pack I think they've done ok (first 20 minutes against France in 2012 or last year's TRC against the AB or last year's series against Wales). Basically, whenever Alexander started or came on, he would concede penalties immediately.
Basically their tightheads are either absolute crap in the scrum and decent in the loose or the other way round. You need him at least to be decent-decent or good-crap.

Fixed that; we are precious that way.

 

[admartian]

Fixed that; we are precious that way.[/QUOTElol yeah bet me to it.

 

[Maxwell]

McKenzie definitely needs some playing changes. IMO Wycliff Palu is a total myth who lack explosive power and fitness to complete at No 8. He is more like a lumbering 2nd row. Dennis never stood out in his Wallaby runs and is more a solid S15 player. Higginbotham is the man whenever he returns to full fitness. The scrum problem is obvious and Kepu was certainly better than Alexander, although a few other props should be thrown in the mix like Scott Sio.

The backs if everybody plays in position should be ok if as we expect Cooper returns. I can see Folau on one wing and O'Connor on the other. Beale may be benched and possibly Mogg into 15.

 

[ratsapprentice]

Certainly the team can improve significantly if the correct players are picked!
I don't think you can solve the scrum issue over night, as it's a cultural issue (how many years have we known about it?).
But you can certainly improve it.
I think you may have also found someone in Mowen (and possibly Higginbotham too) who can lead the team in lieu of Horwill, which a lot of you guys seem to worry about.
Toomua/Cooper could be quite an effective pairing.

 

[Amiga500]

Yez should never have let Angry Tom Court go. :lol:


[not really joking either - the man is a good loosehead scrummager.]

 

[UilamOsa]

It must be just me that doesn't actually rate McKenzie. Winning a Super15 competition does not a Class coach make. Look what happened to the last AUS coach.

I would've went with Jake White to rebuild too the World Cup and then hand it over to McKenzie.

Don't get me wrong - he's a fairly intellectual person, knows the concepts, and apparently might just be great man-manager but I honestly don't think he's the long term answer for AUS rugby...yet.

I also don't think Quade Cooper would've saved the Aussies during the Lions Tour.

Not a Deans supporter - he should've been released - just not thinking that McKenzie will change too much.

 

[lynam1104]

It must be just me that doesn't actually rate McKenzie. Winning a Super15 competition does not a Class coach make. Look what happened to the last AUS coach.

I would've went with Jake White to rebuild too the World Cup and then hand it over to McKenzie.

Don't get me wrong - he's a fairly intellectual person, knows the concepts, and apparently might just be great man-manager but I honestly don't think he's the long term answer for AUS rugby...yet.

I also don't think Quade Cooper would've saved the Aussies during the Lions Tour.

Not a Deans supporter - he should've been released - just not thinking that McKenzie will change too much.

Your probably right that White is a better coach and for most countries he would've been the better choice but McKenzie has 2 key advantages.

1. Hes Aussie, Deans being Kiwi was part of what made him so unpopular a lot of Aussies just judged him as a kiwi rather than a coach. There probably wouldn't be the same level of feelings for a South African but after one foreign coach's regin went so badly the ARU probably feels the need to build up some goodwill form the public which will be easier with a national coach.

2. The style that McKenzie teams play is more expansive and more exciting. For the ARU this also key as Union in Aus has to fight for veiwer ship and your average bloke dosen't want to see White's well refined and precise game plan where not rugby is played in your half they want to see the 100m trys that the Reds come up with.

IMO those factors that swayed the decision in McKenzie's favor

 

[profitius]

Irish/Munster folk thanks for you input into Tony McGahan. There is already mixed sentiment about it as a lot of us rebels fans felt that the incumbent (totally overused term in rugby these days) coach Damien Hill was tracking well with the rebels. Can you elaborate more on how he got them playing "ugly rugby". I like to know more about his style of play.

The way Munster played under him was just to crab wide all the time. He started with a bang but once teams worked out the way Munster played under him they were easy to defend against. He is a good defense coach and helped things behind the scenes at Munster like improving the academy etc.

 

[UilamOsa]

Your probably right that White is a better coach and for most countries he would've been the better choice but McKenzie has 2 key advantages.

1. Hes Aussie, Deans being Kiwi was part of what made him so unpopular a lot of Aussies just judged him as a kiwi rather than a coach. There probably wouldn't be the same level of feelings for a South African but after one foreign coach's regin went so badly the ARU probably feels the need to build up some goodwill form the public which will be easier with a national coach.

2. The style that McKenzie teams play is more expansive and more exciting. For the ARU this also key as Union in Aus has to fight for veiwer ship and your average bloke dosen't want to see White's well refined and precise game plan where not rugby is played in your half they want to see the 100m trys that the Reds come up with.

IMO those factors that swayed the decision in McKenzie's favor

1. Deans being Deans is probably what made him unpopular . I suspect you're right, hopefully I'm wrong about McKenzie, and if i'm not at the very least it'll quell the barking from the Campese, O'Dwyer & co about "Aussie's should coach Aussie" because the best coaches should coach the best teams. Other countries get it, why doesn't Australia? (If in the event that would happen to NZ - I would accept that - because Wayne Bennett & the Kiwi's)

2. Again you're correct, but knowing my Aussie mates i'm pretty sure they'll take a winning Australia over a pretty Australia. The Australian mentality is usually to accept nothing but 1st place - i'm sure they wouldn't accept a pretty team performance but a loss for the Ashes. The other thing is that McKenzie's theory about expansive play has already been tried in International Tests by the All Blacks, and they had mixed success with that. I think the best template of this would be (for me) the 2003 All Blacks.