So, what HAS Michael Cheika actually done as a coach?

Nepia

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="jegga" data-cid="610073" data-time="1472360334">
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Hair?
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Just habits then?

barbarian

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Kirwan" data-cid="610050" data-time="1472356815">
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This. He basically called the ref a cheat in the press conference (and in the coaches box a "fucking cheating fluffybunny"). 
 
Take a look in the mirror, you're the coach, their performance is your fault.
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Did you see his presser after Bled I? Blamed the whole thing on himself.
 
Think the media have run with the ref thing massively here, not sure how you can draw from that that he blamed the ref for the loss.
 
And I don't think comments made in the coaches box during the heat of the game are admissable at all here. Imagine similar things are said every game by coaches of all stripes.
 
All of this stuff is a distraction, and weirdly I think it's worked bloody well for the Wallabies. It's taken the heat totally off the players after another average performance. The press are talking about the ref instead of our dodgy lineout, or leaky backline defence.

Nepia

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="barbarian" data-cid="610120" data-time="1472365143">
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Did you see his presser after Bled I? Blamed the whole thing on himself.
 
Think the media have run with the ref thing massively here, not sure how you can draw from that that he blamed the ref for the loss.
 
And I don't think comments made in the coaches box during the heat of the game are admissable at all here. Imagine similar things are said every game by coaches of all stripes.
 
All of this stuff is a distraction, and weirdly I think it's worked bloody well for the Wallabies. It's taken the heat totally off the players after another average performance. The press are talking about the ref instead of our dodgy lineout, or leaky backline defence.
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So it's ok to take a shot at the ref as long as you take the blame for yourself. It was our fault we lost, oh and by the way the ref is a cheat. But, it's all good, it was our fault we lost.
 
Cheika seemed like a breath of fresh air last year, he's coming across as a knob this year, and sadly a knob who can't coach these blokes very well. I actually don't have a problem with the niggle as a tactic early on, but it clearly wasn't working and he should have stopped it at half time.

pukunui

I find it very strange how so many are claiming the niggle tactic was such a great success. They niggled so much that they didn't actually front for the rugby playing part of the game. If a 20 point loss in a must win Bledisloe game a week after a humiliation and 14 odd years since there last Bledisloe win is seen as a success then Australian rugby is in deep shit. 
Let them blame the ref. If they truely believe the ref cost them that game they are never going to improve.

Nepia

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="pukunui" data-cid="610130" data-time="1472366672">
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I find it very strange how so many are claiming the niggle tactic was such a great success. They niggled so much that they didn't actually front for the rugby playing part of the game. If a 20 point loss in a must win Bledisloe game a week after a humiliation and 14 odd years since there last Bledisloe win is seen as a success then Australian rugby is in deep shit. 
Let them blame the ref. If they truely believe the ref cost them that game they are never going to improve.
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Who's saying it was a success? I thought it was just NTA making a joke about it? Or have the media said that? (I don't read them. Although I did read the Murdoch tabloid in a cafe today while waiting for my food and they gave Kaino a 6 - while giving yellow card Coleman a 6.5 so that tells you all you need to know about that).
 
But yep, at a kind of lucky 15-9 at halftime Cheika should have said ok boys stop the niggle, hit some rucks and lets make a game of it.

NTA

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="barbarian" data-cid="610120" data-time="1472365143">
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Did you see his presser after Bled I? Blamed the whole thing on himself.
 
Think the media have run with the ref thing massively here, not sure how you can draw from that that he blamed the ref for the loss.
 
And I don't think comments made in the coaches box during the heat of the game are admissable at all here. Imagine similar things are said every game by coaches of all stripes.
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And Bledisloe 2 the presser was about execution. Actually never put any "blame" on the ref, just wanted to know why his captain wasn't given the courtesy of a chat. Never called him a cheat. Never abused him. Never said that was the reason for the loss.
 
Don't let the truth get in the way of a good story though.

NTA

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Nepia" data-cid="610133" data-time="1472367030">
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I thought it was just NTA making a joke about it? 
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Not joking, specifically. I was saying that the niggle, in as far as fronting up physically, was working to a degree, but wasn't backed up with any rugby smarts to capitalise on it.

Zader

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Chris B." data-cid="610004" data-time="1472344514">
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Yeah - I guess they did eventually. But, a significant part of the answer was finding better cattle to play under the new (ELV) rules.
 
It was interesting though that they spent a season being out-coached by Puppet (who seemed to me to be about the least competent Tri-Nations coach of all time) and not finding the answers.
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That RSA side had won the World Cup and beaten the Lions and had their game plan down pat, they were a well-oild machine that dominated everyone in the line-out and their kick chase was very effective.
 
Carter was injured or just coming back from injury in 09 and yes we did lose 3 on the trot to RSA. Tom Donnelly came in to help provide a short term fix for the team and we ditched the wide men who couldn't handle the high balls. And basically ran the ball from everywhere and stopped kicking the ball to the Boks. The Wallabies copied the template.
 
And the rest is history. 2009 was the All Black annus horibilis and their response to that laid the foundations for subsequent success.
 
This is pretty close to rock bottom for the Wallabies, they don't have great depth but enough good players to be #2, it will take time to match the ABs skill level. They need to change captain, Stephen Moore isn't a very good player and he needs to be allowed to work on his game, he is a rubbish captain. They need to lose the niggle, and then work incredibly hard & smart. By next year they could be a very different prospect. Mick Byrne is a coup.
 
Thought ALB had a fine debut, a 21 year old kid who looks like the finished product already.

Nepia

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="NTA" data-cid="610135" data-time="1472367136">
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Not joking, specifically. I was saying that the niggle, in as far as fronting up physically, was working to a degree, but wasn't backed up with any rugby smarts to capitalise on it.
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I don't actually think it did work, the ABs put on two tries early while the niggle was in full string. I think despite predictions this test was always going to be closer and that was borne out. The niggle cost Australia a man when they were in the game and could have had a real push after half time.

NTA

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Nepia" data-cid="610141" data-time="1472367452">
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I don't actually think it did work, the ABs put on two tries early while the niggle was in full string. I think despite predictions this test was always going to be closer and that was borne out. The niggle cost Australia a man when they were in the game and could have had a real push after half time.
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Coleman's actions went beyond niggle in terms of pissing the ref off, and not picking your moment. Doing it in front of the ref with a forceful shoulder instead of just letting the opponent run into you and trip over is taking it too far.
 
Should have done what Cane did - wait until the ref's eyes are somewhere else, then shove him.

Nepia

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="NTA" data-cid="610144" data-time="1472367596">
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Coleman's actions went beyond niggle in terms of pissing the ref off, and not picking your moment. Doing it in front of the ref with a forceful shoulder instead of just letting the opponent run into you and trip over is taking it too far.
 
Should have done what Cane did - wait until the ref's eyes are somewhere else, then shove him.
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Hahaha - that is the funniest description of a late no arms tackle I've ever heard.

Chris B.

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Zader" data-cid="610138" data-time="1472367283">
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That RSA side had won the World Cup and beaten the Lions and had their game plan down pat, they were a well-oild machine that dominated everyone in the line-out and their kick chase was very effective.
 
Carter was injured or just coming back from injury in 09 and yes we did lose 3 on the trot to RSA. Tom Donnelly came in to help provide a short term fix for the team and we ditched the wide men who couldn't handle the high balls. And basically ran the ball from everywhere and stopped kicking the ball to the Boks. The Wallabies copied the template.
 
And the rest is history. 2009 was the All Black annus horibilis and their response to that laid the foundations for subsequent success.
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Yep - they basically marched up the field, stole our lineouts, forced a penalty that Morne Steyne kicked - rinse and repeat. And of course they were using the high ball that Habana especially was much better at than our guys.
 
We had Beaver for the first two tests in 2009 and Danny Boy came back to run the Boks close at home. 
 
In 2010, Tom Donnelly and ultimately Sam Whitelock (and the return of Ali Williams) helped to strengthen our lineout - but, the emergence of Kieran Read to supplant Rodders was also crucial in shoring up our lineout.
 
If we'd had to persist with Isaac Ross, Rodders, Beaver and Sivi - I'm not sure we would have fixed things in 2010.

Nepia

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Chris B." data-cid="610149" data-time="1472368027">
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Yep - they basically marched up the field, stole our lineouts, forced a penalty that Morne Steyne kicked - rinse and repeat. And of course they were using the high ball that Habana especially was much better at than our guys.
 
We had Beaver for the first two tests in 2009 and Danny Boy came back to run the Boks close at home. 
 
In 2010, Tom Donnelly and ultimately Sam Whitelock (and the return of Ali Williams) helped to strengthen our lineout - but, the emergence of Kieran Read to supplant Rodders was also crucial in shoring up our lineout.
 
If we'd had to persist with Isaac Ross, Rodders, Beaver and Sivi - I'm not sure we would have fixed things in 2010. 
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We ran too much that year and kept coughing up the ball in silly positions so that half the time they didn't need to march up the field to force the penalty.
 
Then DC did a kick instead of going through the hands in the Tron! :ireful:
 
That was a bad year, but I think it contributed mightily going forward. I hope this is just a bad year for the Wallabies. ;)

Zader

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Chris B." data-cid="610149" data-time="1472368027">
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Yep - they basically marched up the field, stole our lineouts, forced a penalty that Morne Steyne kicked - rinse and repeat. And of course they were using the high ball that Habana especially was much better at than our guys.
 
We had Beaver for the first two tests in 2009 and Danny Boy came back to run the Boks close at home. 
 
In 2010, Tom Donnelly and ultimately Sam Whitelock (and the return of Ali Williams) helped to strengthen our lineout - but, the emergence of Kieran Read to supplant Rodders was also crucial in shoring up our lineout.
 
If we'd had to persist with Isaac Ross, Rodders, Beaver and Sivi - I'm not sure we would have fixed things in 2010. 
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You do have a good point re the cattle, I forgot about Ross or maybe just suppressed the memory!!!

nostrildamus

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="sparky" data-cid="610093" data-time="1472362444">I once knew a guy who used to shout "look a flying pig" before trying to take someone else's food or beer, Cheika reminds me of that.</blockquote>I assume you mean Cheika reminds you of the guy you mention, not the flying pig.

barbarian

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Nepia" data-cid="610123" data-time="1472365700">
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So it's ok to take a shot at the ref as long as you take the blame for yourself. It was our fault we lost, oh and by the way the ref is a cheat. But, it's all good, it was our fault we lost.
 
Cheika seemed like a breath of fresh air last year, he's coming across as a knob this year, and sadly a knob who can't coach these blokes very well. I actually don't have a problem with the niggle as a tactic early on, but it clearly wasn't working and he should have stopped it at half time.
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I was responding to Kirwan's post, where it was proposed he needed to 'take the blame himself' which he clearly already has.
 
I think if Eddie Jones said what Cheika did it would be a 'cunning ruse, designed to dictate the media narrative for the next week'. If Cheika does it though he 'looks like a knob'.
 
To be brutally honest I don't care what you think of him off the field. We all think Steve Hanson is a cnt but fuck me if he doesn't get results.
 
The issue isn't the post-match pressers at all. It's the motivation within the playing group, what goes on behind closed doors. Obviously something isn't right at the moment. I didn't think we were that far off the mark against England, but we've taken a big step back since then. I wonder if it's just confidence, and all they need is an easy win or two to right the ship. Sadly they aren't going to get that for a looong time.

nostrildamus

"We all think Steve Hanson is a cnt but fuck me if he doesn't get results." Do you?

barbarian

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="nostrildamus" data-cid="610166" data-time="1472369388">
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"We all think Steve Hanson is a cnt but fuck me if he doesn't get results." 
Do you?
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He's a bitter, grumpy old bastard. Would hate to be sat next to him on a long flight.
 
Doesn't mean I don't think he's the best coach in the world, and respect the shit out of his ability.

Donsteppa

The difference between Jones and Cheika is that one is getting results. 
John Hart could have spoken exactly like Steve Hansen in late 1998, but at the time we'd have all said he "looks like a knob" too...

NTA

I don't know Hansen that well, so wouldn't know if he's bitter, but he certainly looks like a grumpy bastard.
 
I suppose at best, he's taciturn. Certainly he seems to endear himself to Kiwis with his unsmiling, patronly visage. 
 
When you're riding the best horse in the show, and everyone is on donkeys, you don't need to smile and shout and laugh I guess. He's very quick to fire a shot as a result.

The Silver Fern

So, what HAS Michael Cheika actually done as a coach?