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Bring back Folau? RWC winning Wallaby coach's radical, wrecking ball suggestions for saving rugby in Australia

Rugby Australia have announced further job cuts.

Bob Dwyer, the World Cup-winning coach who helped turn the Wallabies into a major rugby force, has launched a withering attack on Rugby Australia, insisting he “couldn’t care less” if the governing body declares bankruptcy. Dwyer is also calling for an end to players being exiled from Test selection when they take up lucrative contracts abroad.

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Under what is known as Giteau’s Law, currently a player can only be considered for Test selection if they have played 60 times for the Wallabies. However, Dwyer sees no merit in this artificial rule and wants Australia to follow South Africa’s lead and pick the best players regardless of where they are based.

Dwyer, the man who led Australia to the 1991 Rugby World Cup, told RugbyPass: “You would have players at the top of the game being paid by someone else and you get them released at agreed times. I reckon that is the best deal you could have and all we need to do is what South Africa have done and consider anyone for selection, and that would be perfect. Would South Africa have won the World Cup without their offshore players? Not a hope in Hell.

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“The Giteau Law is not a law and is just a decision that was made and it is changed all the time. There are heaps of guys who could then be considered.”

Rugby Australia are predicting massive losses of around £60m that could see them unable to survive and they are reportedly even struggling to pay the controversial award of millions of dollars to former Wallaby full-back Israel Folau, who was sacked for his views on homosexuality. “Israel Folau is playing league – and what a fiasco that was for RA. I would have a chat to Folau about coming back because we have players currently in the game who have committed various offences,” said Dwyer.

Against a backdrop of increasing demands for Raelene Castle, the RA CEO, to stand down, Dwyer believes the game has been “horribly badly run” and that it will take something as dramatic as the total financial collapse of the Union to force what he believes is a much needed reset for the sport in Australia. Castle has instigated cost-cutting at RA which has seen her own salary slashed by 50%, staff wages drop by 30% and 75% of staff stood down until July 1.

Dwyer has tried for years to make RA understand the damaging disconnect that has been created between the clubs and the Union. He wants the current board to be ejected and people with a true understanding of how rugby is run in the country given the task of reviving the ailing governing body.

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The World Rugby Hall of Fame member, who also coached Leicester and Bristol before returning to Australia, recently stood down after eight years as President of the famous Randwick club where he helped guide the careers of Eddie Jones, Michael Cheika, David Campese and Simon Poidevin.

Dwyer’s passion for the game remains as strong as ever and he added “I thought some years ago that we would have to hit rock bottom before change was forced upon the Rugby Australia administration – I mean the board who supposedly run the show. In the last six or seven years they have really taken their eye off the ball and it has been horribly badly run and they have set about changing the make-up of the board from constituent bodies (the states) to a much smaller representation along with so called independent board members. Now that has become a farce.

“What I see happening is that RA will be bankrupt, the board will have to resign and we can go back to having a board with proper representation of the people who are the game. Before last week there were 150 employees at RA running the men’s and women’s national teams and the sevens. I haven’t got the foggiest idea what all those people do.

“What RA failed to understand is that they are Rugby Australia, not Rugby Wallabies, and if you don’t get that then what do you understand about the game? You are supposed to be running the game in the country and the Wallabies are a product of how well you run the game. The absolute stand point is that the Wallabies are not Australian rugby – they are the pinnacle of Australian rugby.”

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Dave Rennie, who has been appointed to replace Cheika as Wallaby head coach, is reportedly ready to walk away if Castle is ousted from her role with former Test hooker Phil Kearns supposedly being lined-up as the new CEO. Dwyer dismisses the potential loss of Rennie, stating: “If Dave Rennie wants to go because Raelene is going then that’s OK. We will get someone else. He seems to be a very decent person but we don’t want someone to stay coaching the team because he likes the CEO. What has that got to do with anything?

“I have tried for years to explain to the senior members of RA that the Wallabies or Super Rugby are not the sport of rugby in this country – that is the outcome of the sport of rugby. Club rugby in the two strongholds of Brisbane and Sydney is currently going brilliantly. It’s phenomenal with record crowds at the end of season matches plus crowds getting bigger. One of the Brisbane clubs had an open day for the new season from Under 7 to seniors had 2,500 kids registered.

“No matter what happens, rugby in Australia will never cease to exist.”

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O
Oh no, not him again? 1 hour ago
England internationals disagree on final play execution vs All Blacks

Okay, so we blew it big time on Saturday. So rather than repeating what most people have all ready said, what do I want to see from Borthwick going forward?


Let's keep Marcus Smith on the pitch if he's fit and playing well. I was really pleased with his goal kicking. It used to be his weakness. I feel sympathy for George Ford who hadn't kicked all match and then had a kick to win the game. You hear pundits and commentators commend kickers who have come off the bench and pulled that off. Its not easy. If Steve B continues to substitute players with no clear reason then he is going to get criticised.


On paper I thought England would beat NZ if they played to their potential and didn't show NZ too much respect. Okay, the off the ball tackles certainly stopped England scoring tries, but I would have liked to see more smashing over gainlines and less kicking for position. Yes, I also know it's the Springbok endorsed world cup double winning formula but the Kiwi defence isn't the Bok defence, is it. If you have the power to put Smith on the front foot then why muzzle him? I guess what I'm saying is back, yourself. Why give the momentum to a team like NZ? Why feed the beast? Don't give the ball to NZ. Well d'uh.


Our scrum is a long term weakness. If you are going to play Itoje then he needs an ogre next door and a decent front row. Where is our third world class lock? Where are are realible front row bench replacements? The England scrum has been flakey for a while now. It blows hot and cold. Our front five bench is not world class.


On the positive side I love our starting backrow right now. I'd like to see them stick together through to the next world cup.


Anyway, there is always another Saturday.

7 Go to comments
C
CO 2 hours ago
Scott Robertson responds to criticism over All Blacks' handling errors

Robertson is more a manager of coaches than a coach so it comes down to intent of outcomes at a high level. I like his intent, I like the fact his Allblacks are really driving the outcomes however as he's pointed out the high error rates are not test level and their control of the game is driving both wins and losses. England didn't have to play a lot of rugby, they made far fewer mistakes and were extremely unlucky not to win.


In fact the English team were very early in their season and should've been comfortably beaten by an Allblacks team that had played multiple tests together.


Razor has himself recognised that to be the best they'll have to sort out the crisis levels of mistakes that have really increased since the first two tests against England.


Early tackles were a classic example of hyper enthusiasm to not give an inch, that passion that Razor has achieved is going to be formidable once the unforced errors are eliminated.


That's his secret, he's already rebuilt the passion and that's the most important aspect, its inevitable that he'll now eradicate the unforced errors. When that happens a fellow tier one nation is going to get thrashed. I don't think it will be until 2025 though.


The Allblacks will lose both tests against Ireland and France if they play high error rates rugby like they did against England.


To get the unforced errors under control he's going to be needing to handover the number eight role to Sititi and reset expectations of what loose forwards do. Establish a clear distinction with a large, swarthy lineout jumper at six that is a feared runner and dominant tackler and a turnover specialist at seven that is abrasive in contact. He'll then need to build depth behind the three starters and ruthlessly select for that group to be peaking in 2027 in hit Australian conditions on firm, dry grounds.


It's going to help him that Savea is shifting to the worst super rugby franchise where he's going to struggle behind a beaten pack every week.


The under performing loose forward trio is the key driver of the high error rates and unacceptable turn overs due to awol link work. Sititi is looking like he's superman compared to his openside and eight.


At this late stage in the season they shouldn't be operating with just the one outstanding loose forward out of four selected for the English test. That's an abject failure but I think Robertson's sacrificing link quality on purpose to build passion amongst the junior Allblacks as they see the reverential treatment the old warhorses are receiving for their long term hard graft.


It's unfortunately losing test matches and making what should be comfortable wins into nail biters but it's early in the world cup cycle so perhaps it's a sacrifice worth making.


However if this was F1 then Sam Cane would be Riccardo and Ardie would be heading into Perez territory so the loose forwards desperately need revitalisation through a rebuild over the next season to complement the formidable tight five.

28 Go to comments
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