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'Australian rugby has suffered from string of wrongly recruited Kiwis'
By Liam Heagney
Former Scotland coach Matt Williams has blamed Kiwi coaches for negatively implementing a New Zealand style of play on the struggling Wallabies that has stunted their half-back development for quite some time. Robbie Deans (2008-13) and Dave Rennie (2020-22) both had stints in charge of Australia that failed to deliver success.
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Australian rugby authorities have again looked across the Tasman to recruit their latest Test team boss, Joe Schmidt taking over following Eddie Jones’ calamitous misadventure at the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
However, while Schmidt is cut from the same Kiwi cloth as Deans and Rennie, Williams believes the ex-Ireland boss can do better than his fellow New Zealanders who were previously in charge of the Wallabies.
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Australia begin their 2024 Rugby Championship campaign this Saturday with a home match in Brisbane versus South Africa and ahead of that opener, Williams has taken a pop at the legacy of having Deans and Rennie in charge.
Writing in his latest weekly Irish Times column, the ex-Leinster coach claimed: “Schmidt was not the people’s choice for the role. Australian rugby has suffered from a string of wrongly recruited Kiwis, either as coaches or chief executives, who have disastrously driven the game in Australia so far away from its DNA that players of this generation have lost their understanding of Australian rugby’s unique identity.
“So it is understandable that the Aussie locals are highly sceptical of yet another New Zealander getting the gig as the Wallabies boss. When a leading RA official asked me for my opinion of Schmidt coaching the Wallabies, I told him that Schmidt is one of the best coaches I have ever seen but he badly lost his way in 2019.
“However, good coaches can learn from their errors and I believe that in time Joe will be a huge positive for the Wallabies. The vast majority of Wallaby supporters do not have the same opinion and they sit firmly in the ‘Doubting Thomas’ category. They need to see a lot of wins before they will believe in Schmidt.
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“Success will be a struggle for Schmidt because the production line of Australian world-class creative halves has simply stopped. For half a century the Wallabies were renowned for their exceptional halves that could create space and then exploit it. Nick Farr-Jones, George Gregan, Mark Ella, Michael Lynagh and Stephen Larkham are all-time greats.
“Over the past two decades, their legacy has been abandoned by coaches who imposed a Kiwi style of play on to young Australian halves. This has resulted in them losing their understanding of how to play a uniquely Australian style of game.
“None of this was of Schmidt’s making but it is his deepest problem. As they say in boxing, you can only punch with the fists you have, and Schmidt can only select the players at his disposal.”
Matt Williams: Joe Schmidt’s biggest problem in Australia stems from the Kiwis who came before him https://t.co/dPCPA14qaI
— Irish Times Sport (@IrishTimesSport) August 9, 2024
well matthavent seen your name as australian coach yet remember the kiwis have been approached edddie jones was great on his return wasnt he
Matt Williams shouldn't be dishing out coaching advice to anyone.
Yeah totally... They should just select an Aussie coach... maybe one from their endless pool of options and elite international coaches.
Besides upcoming halfback talent or lack thereof has nothing to do with coaches and everything to do with pathways for junior players. Australia simply doesn't have the developmental infrastructure to support players from school through to the elite levels. Hoping Waugh will help drive the change
Finally someone who sees it like me. Great analysis, or should I just chalk it off to facts as that is exactly what it is? That the Wallabies fans refuse to see?
We don't need an endless pool. We just need one. Ewen McKenzie was it but Michael Hooper and Kurtley Beale and Cheika stabbed him in the back.
It's been downhill ever since.
Schmidt is refusing to select our best players.
Waugh will only be driving what will be good for his bankrupt Tahs, which is why Schmidt was hired.
For New Zealand Rugby too then it seems.
Yes the Australian way , they lost their way well before Robbie Dave & Joe were employed , Chieka and Jones aside , they, Australia Rugby were sold down the drain from within, trying to buy back the talent that went to R L , instead of building something the young players could buy into, from the sidelines some crazy management decisions and sadly expectations without substance, I for one hope that the factions within Australia are held at bay long enough for Joe to have a chance to build some foundations to make Rugby within Australia great again.
Agreed, but unfortunately what he have is 3rd string players to work with. Semi pro at best. They play in a world class competition against world class players. You can't turn a mini into a Ferrari. A pathway needs to be implemented and he need better tools to make a success of a team like the Wallabies. No SA coach would take the job. Just ain't worth it. A coach can only do so much. I feel sorry for the players, because they are just out classed. It's not their fault, it's the boards fault. Period.
Why does anyone listen to Matt Williams, why write articles around his comments. ? Irish Times is....maybe now was....a high class newspaper. I am disappointed MW is considered worthy enough to be writing for the paper.
Except he is exactly right in this instance. Australian rugby has sold it's soul.
Rennie was building nicely for 2024. Competitive at home V SA/NZ and running Ireland and France close in Paris/Dublin. Given the decent RWC draw, they were good for a potential semi final where they would have eyed toppled one of the big 4 (as England attempted) tired after a tough quarter. Instead...Eddie F**ing Jones.
I really liked Rennie too. He was building and he did a great job.
Building nicely my butt. His win percentage was 38%. He was completely hopeless. Just another kiwi trying to undermine us.
Is Matt William’s the same tit who moans about the 6/2?
Yes
Just before Rassie, Heineke Meyer was the Bok coach. He couldn't choose his own team. There was a selection panel and he had to use the players they chose. He begged them to let him choose the players as he is the coach and would know who is best for the style he coach. They refused and as expected the Boks performed very badly. He had a choice. Quit and keep his reputation as a good coach or stay and get destroyed. He quit, and because of that, SARU was very petty and cancelled his coaching license. He wasn't allowed to coach in SA anymore.
Then Rassie got the job. He had only 1 non negotiable request. He is the coach and he choose his players. Disband the selection panel. He got his way. He could choose whomever he wanted. On his request, they changed the law on eligibility and how many players he could choose from players not playing in the country. He could choose as many as he wanted. The rest is history. 2 World Cup titles and a B&I Lions series later, the Boks are back to their best. With him in charge, not only of the Boks but the whole system, he could establish a safe and strong path to negotiate talent coming through. He is still not happy as there is a lot that can change for the better. However, with so many young stars coming through, the Boks future are bright.
It is what Australian rugby need. A complete overhaul, because they got some fantastic talent, yet unable to use due to players going to AFL and RL.
Coetzee was before Rassie, and what a disaster than man was!
Matt Williams is a joke. The rugby world's cry baby. Joe Schmidt is a big catch. He might be old fashioned, but he has a keen eye for talent. The problem isn't the coaches. The problem is the quality players left in RU after they get raided at school level for RL and AFL. Effectively it's 3rd stringers playing Aussie rugby. Semi pro playing in pro leagues. It was why Eddie Jones was willing to blow money on young talent, trying to lure them back to rugby. He saw how useless they were, but he did made it worse by dropping the few world class stars they had for the WC. Joe Schmidt isn't that stupid. You need experience with the inexperienced. It's going to take time to repair the damage of 2 decades. Do not expect overnight success. His player pool with real talent is severely limited, and honestly, Australia is currently more tier 2 quality. They have the talent, but they play in other leagues. Fix the drain. Fix the system. School, club, college, province to national sides. Australia finally have the right coach to raise the Aussies back to stardom. Now give him the tools necessary to do his job.
Clearly after today's game it is obvious the Australian players have no interest in listening to some kiwi who lives in Taupo. And why would they ?
Sorry but who is this guy and who did he coach?
Leinster and Scotland.
Exactly. A coach with zero pedigree to speak of who’s been given a platform in Ireland and now this website to spout his “views”.
Yeah because the Aussies in this time period Michael Cheika and Eddie Jones were soooo much better...
Schmidt will be great for them, we'd absolutely love to have him in Wales with a similar rebuild project.
Dave Rennie was judged far too harshly and the shameful handling of his replacement of the snake oil salesman was farcical. His win rate wasn't great but when your tenure is mainly playing against NZ and South Africa teams building for a world cup, your home tour's against the French (albeit a 2nd string team but France are one of 3 or 4 nations that have the depth to easily field a very competitive 2nd team) and your union is so out of touch with grass roots talent that your rival codes can easily pick them up, you're always going to struggle.
Australian rugby's in a pit they've dug themselves. Let's just hope Schmidt has the right kind of shovel to dig them out again.
Dave Rennie's team suffered from an injury list a mile long. The team that played against Wales had 13 players out of the first choice 15 missing. They still won. Most of his tenure was with a depleted squad.
It’s all the kiwis fault mate - not ours!
If Kurtley Beale does not fall on his ass while making a routine goal kick in the first Lions Test on the last play of the match, then Robbie Deans is a hero for winning the Lions series in 2013.
As it stands, Deans has a higher winning percentage than any Wallabies coach since 2003- Kiwi or Australian.
He got sacked because he was so hopeless.