@NTA said in Aussie Rugby in general:

@mariner4life said in Aussie Rugby in general:

Look, it's kinda stating the blatantly obvious, but if the only reason you are keeping the coach of the national rugby team in Australia is that you can't afford to replace him, then that is possibly the worst piece of governance of mainstream political sport that i have ever seen.

Which would be ignoring all the other issues they've created through shit governance and stewardship of the game.

I point you back to my previous comments regarding one DO for all of Western Sydney.

Yes, it is de rigueur to bag the tripe out of Michael Cheika and ignore all that other peripheral stuff, such as packed out Club grand finals one couldn't get a ticket to, followed by a quarter century of appalling management at State and National level, exacerbated by internecine warfare between the unions, interrupted briefly by a successful World Cup followed by a mad scramble by the ARU to spend the $42 million profit as quickly as it could. That has included new head office premises of course. Twice.

So little attention was paid to player development that we have not fielded a genuine first five since the current assistant coach for the Wallabies left the field in 2007, we couldn't field a front row for a decade without giggling with embarrassment and we had to turn to League to find some clapped out backs - one of who spent 50% of his period in the sick bay. Another spent a good deal of his time admiring Bryan Habana galloping by, turned in frustration to bonking on tour, then departed suddenly mid contract after targeting a young lady from the family of a senior rugby figure.

Not to be deterred the ARU went full blown corporate - Mosman cattle man as personality CEO 'n all, forgot the lessons of the fleeting Rodney Blake phase and plucked three wunderkind straight out of pre-school to rescue the game. They couldn't tackle, reliably pass a ball, kick it in a forward direction every time or recognise that the other blokes dressed like them were part of their team. Skipping two or three years in Club rugby possibly probably had everything to do with that. After spending a couple of million each season on their fabulous off field lifestyles their on field mediocrity per dollar shone through and that all fizzled out, praise be to Allen the Profit.

Back to coaching - when Michael Cheika was invited in the ARU needed him way more than he needed them and he did the deal a good businessman would do, including unilateral decision making. He arrived with the political protection of the most powerful NSW faction and the clear understanding that, after the board meeting to appoint him, to clap him on the back and to assure him that he had their full support and their individual vote, several of them would hurry off down the hall in whispered conversation:

"We've got to get rid of this bloke quick smart - he's from Queensland for Pete's sake / he's from New Zealand for Pete's sake / he's from bloody Randwick for Pete's sake / he's the Matraville Mafia's man. Call The Group together, we need a one year plan."

The ARU now has a new woman as chief boofhead, with no background in the game, new stationery and a very strong position on religion. Her performance has been - well - unremarkable.

It is so easy to forget the poisoned chalice handed to, and accepted by, Michael Cheika on conditions set by him. I still back him as the best available (no, no, no - Jake's best days were some years ago now) he has tried many new players and many combinations without success and the elephant in the room, to me, is the deeply embedded low quality of player stocks feeding through the system which I have briefly outlined above, and the alarming self evaluation/RUPA opinion of their worth. To repair this devastated sport is a five year task, or more, and the only innovation this Board and this new CEO has come up with to improve the quality of rugby upstream is nothing.

Brett Robinson ran a high performance program for some years but I don't recall hearing about any high performance graduates. Pat Howard just lost a similar job at Australian Cricket for Cheats - don't laugh, they may yet slot him in quietly.

The ARU has mimicked all the politically correct corporate behaviours - a management review by a former Federal Minister in 2012, former champion players who govern as ably as former champion players, new board members who have come and gone, a banker as CEO on a fabulous salary, a recent CEO who fell on his sword and an empty bank balance, new vote distribution, a new name, wymminses and a strident position on Amazon delta old growth forest fires.

Scott Johnson. Scott succeeded the reliable Roy Saunders at the Mighty Woods as first five and introduced profligate kicking of hard won ball, all day long! Eastwood had a long history of fine wingers - Ian Williams, for example - and he had Marty Roebuck up the back but, no, kicking was the way to go and we just had to get used to it. He departed with our good wishes and did alright in coaching overseas for a bit, going back in time.

With this one appointment the ARU has broadcast that they are bereft of ideas. Scott's best years in coaching are in the past but, in any event, where is the demonstrated need for a fourth coach? I haven't bothered to read about it but I assume he has some selector veto, which means division and anger and walk outs, to facilitate some cunning plan by the ARU managers-upon-managers. Enter Pat Howard, for he has famous rugby breeding?

I agree with observations up the page by:

mariner4life:

He witnessed Cheika as an after dinner speaker: "Cheika was super impressive." ... "and i have to say, my opinion has changed".

I found Robbie Deans to be as good in person too - remember, the demonstrably successful coach who our precious tulips believed was not worthy of their attention? The anti Cheika crew here have many more worthy suspects to target than him.

jegga on Nov 2:

Commenting on Dowager Auntie Raelene's stiff pursing of her lips and hands on hips at Michael Cheika, and her demand that he perform: "Poor bastard was mauled by a dead sheep".

She is fair dinkum of no worth to the ARU, useless ballast.

For rotated on Jul 9: "He (Cheika) has told us many times he is filthy rich and doesn't need the job." Has he? Really? Tell me when he has said this.

The Silver Fern

Mick Gold Coast QLD