Some very poor decisions last night. Deja Vu 2007. The referees have to get their act together.

In terms of potential Australian coaches if it were me I'd be looking for :

1) Eddie Jones (In my opinion an Australian Coach will get a lot less natural pushback from fans, management, and especially players).

2) Jamie Joseph / Tony Brown.

3) Dave Rennie a far and distant third option.

DR may be the only one of those three available or willing to consider the position.

networkn:

 

In terms of potential Australian coaches if it were me I'd be looking for :

 

1) Eddie Jones (In my opinion an Australian Coach will get a lot less natural pushback from fans, management, and especially players).

 

2) Jamie Joseph / Tony Brown.

 

3) Dave Rennie a far and distant third option.

 

 

 

DR may be the only one of those three available or willing to consider the position.

 

I cant see them bringing back Eddie Jones. My pick would be Dave Rennie. We could save the ABs and push for Foster to be the Aussie coach

MikeB4:

 

I cant see them bringing back Eddie Jones. My pick would be Dave Rennie. We could save the ABs and push for Foster to be the Aussie coach

 

You think Foster shouldn't be considered for Coach of the AB's despite his long tenure and the work he has done to defeat the rush defense not to mention the attack of the AB's in general is his masterminding?

networkn:

 

 

 

You think Foster shouldn't be considered for Coach of the AB's despite his long tenure and the work he has done to defeat the rush defense not to mention the attack of the AB's in general is his masterminding?

 

 

 

Correct

MikeB4:

 

networkn:

 

 

 

You think Foster shouldn't be considered for Coach of the AB's despite his long tenure and the work he has done to defeat the rush defense not to mention the attack of the AB's in general is his masterminding?

 

 

 

 

Correct

 

So who is your next coaching team for the AB's?

What do they need saving from?

networkn:

 

MikeB4:

 

networkn:

 

 

 

You think Foster shouldn't be considered for Coach of the AB's despite his long tenure and the work he has done to defeat the rush defense not to mention the attack of the AB's in general is his masterminding?

 

 

 

 

Correct

 

 

So who is your next coaching team for the AB's?

 

What do they need saving from?

 

 

 

I believe that Hanson/Foster have become too predictable. Going forward we need to bring in a whole new regime. I also don't believe that Foster is the best choice but  he will be the choice of the NZ Rugby. The next few years will not be good for the ABs. 

South Africa will be pleased they will face the structure of Wales rather than the unpredictable French. They really did monster the Japanese team in the second half.

I have read that South African fans are complaining about bias from Wayne Barnes. I think they should consider themselves lucky that he made an on the spot decision for the yellow card in the tenth minute. If he had referred it and then watched half a dozen slo-mo replays, the yellow may have been a red and the outcome of the game a lot more in the balance.
Barnes has become “Wayne the explainer”, constantly telling players what they can and can’t do. It does let the game keep moving, but what it screams out to me is that the game is too complicated, rules too open to interpretation and players have come to expect to play right up to the edge of the rules and expect to be coached by the refs. Barnes had a good game, but is only human.

If the IRB want it to truly be a world game they need to tweak two things;

Do away with rolling mauls, where half the forward pack are effectively offside and running interference (it’s not American football).

Limit scrum resets to two. If it is reset a third time (ie no free kick or penalty awarded) then it should be an uncontested (golden oldies) scrum.

Probably won’t suit the way some teams play, but would improve the entertainment and flow of a game.

People (well, Stuff anyway) are raving about Richie Mo'unga's "Magical match turner", but the picture shows someone else doing a really great job for which he gets no credit:

Good on Angus Gardner, AR

MikeB4:

 

networkn:

 

MikeB4:

 

networkn:

 

 

 

You think Foster shouldn't be considered for Coach of the AB's despite his long tenure and the work he has done to defeat the rush defense not to mention the attack of the AB's in general is his masterminding?

 

 

 

 

Correct

 

 

So who is your next coaching team for the AB's?

 

What do they need saving from?

 

 

 

 

I believe that Hanson/Foster have become too predictable. Going forward we need to bring in a whole new regime. I also don't believe that Foster is the best choice but  he will be the choice of the NZ Rugby. The next few years will not be good for the ABs. 

 

I don't they have become predictable, sure after the last world cup defensive structures adapted to our attack but I think its been shown that over the years Hanson/Foster continue to evolve the game plan even if it means the ABs look pretty average over a season or 2.

PolicyGuy:

 

People (well, Stuff anyway) are raving about Richie Mo'unga's "Magical match turner", but the picture shows someone else doing a really great job for which he gets no credit:

 

 

Good on Angus Gardner, AR

 

Why?

throbb:

 

I don't they have become predictable, sure after the last world cup defensive structures adapted to our attack but I think its been shown that over the years Hanson/Foster continue to evolve the game plan even if it means the ABs look pretty average over a season or 2.

 

Agreed. If they were as predictable as people claim they would have been undone by SA and Ireland already. 

If we get beaten by England, it will be as much about the team(s) on the day. 

As someone said, thanks to Foster and co, the rush defense is dead.

I'd be interested to know what it would look like if Foster was head coach and Scott Robertson as assistant coach with a potential view for SR to take over at some point. A whole big clean out is a massive loss of IP, on top of a loss of top players. 

Like in 2015, we will lose a lot of caps in the coming few weeks, I don't think we have QUITE the spine we retained in 2015, the likes of Read etc to remain, though we have huge talent in a lot of positions. 

I think the AB's may struggle under Foster in the coming couple of years potentially, but it won't be as much a result of his predictability or "staleness", rather a reflection on the huge number of changes in general that would occur.

I haven't been a big fan of Scott McLeod as replacement for Wayne Smith, but his defense work has jumped up a huge level in the past 12 months, and I wouldn't have any issue with him staying. 

clevedon:

 

PolicyGuy:

 

People (well, Stuff anyway) are raving about Richie Mo'unga's "Magical match turner", but the picture shows someone else doing a really great job for which he gets no credit:

 

...

 

Good on Angus Gardner, AR

 

 

Why?

 

He had to run to get there. If it had been a marginal call and he'd been further away then it could have wasted time or got the wrong judgement.

I've noticed several times that he keeps quiet and lets the main referee do the job. This is unlike other ARs who insert ill-judged comments that have wasted a lot of time or produced unfair penalties.

networkn:

 

I couldn't or wouldn't have dare dreamed of such a scoreline against Ireland. As Handle said, if we front up like that two more times, I expect us to be very good odds to lift for a third time.

 

I don't remember the last time that I watched an All Blacks test without any real apprehension about the result.

networkn:

 

Steve Hansens call to drop Franks was a good one, I watched Franks in Semi for Canterbury, he's hardly moving. Compare that to the carrying of the forwards in the QF it was chalk and cheese.

 

I was surprised that Franks shown up so badly by the Wellington forwards who were particularly active and effective. But I don't think that he'll be happy with how he played either.

networkn:

 

I feel the hate towards Chieka is absoloutely foul and ridicoulous. The guy had one of the hardest in rugby given he got next to no support until ultimately it was really too late. His relationship with I think it's a pretty decent coach, but a horrible selector and the structures put in place to help him were a year too late. I think he gave everything he had. He looked as broken as anyone I've seen in recent times. He was right to ask for compassion, and right to resign. Dave Rennie is heir apparent, but I wonder about Jamie Joseph being a possibility if he misses out on the AB's job. I couldn't see him being that happy as an assistant coach for the AB's either.

 

Agree that such animosity is "foul and ridiculous". I like seeing a passionate coach like Cheika - he made each test a greater spectacle. Even at his worst he has been a lot better than having Robbie Deans there.

I don't really understand why Cheika couldn't have a good relationship with the ARU heads. But what he said just confirms the visible distance between the administration and their chief coach. If they wanted to look more united then they could have fronted up together on the issues with Folau. Instead they put in an additional layer (director of rugby) between themselves and him. They might have been better off making Johnson the new attack coach which would have given them a good head start rather than waiting until June for a replacement. Also, Johnson is apparently good on skills which would also have helped earlier this year. Anyway, now Castle defends the review outcome and Cheika resigns as he promised, but nobody takes responsibility for the continuing failures of Australian rugby.

I support the NZ system of promoting assistants to lead because it has so much natural potential: to enhance teamwork and long-term relationships (with selectors, administration, and other coaches but also with us fans); to allow programme development; to provide clear career opportunities; to get greater certainty and stability. So I don't have any reason for not appointing Foster. Even so, I'd happily support Joseph coaching the ABs with Brown as an assistant.

If that pair did get to coach Australia then I'd expect Australia to become a serious challenge by 2021 at the latest. IMO they would be a far better option than appointing Rennie.

Hammerer:

 

clevedon:

 

PolicyGuy:

 

People (well, Stuff anyway) are raving about Richie Mo'unga's "Magical match turner", but the picture shows someone else doing a really great job for which he gets no credit:

 

...

 

Good on Angus Gardner, AR

 

 

Why?

 

 

He had to run to get there. If it had been a marginal call and he'd been further away then it could have wasted time or got the wrong judgement.

 

I've noticed several times that he keeps quiet and lets the main referee do the job. This is unlike other ARs who insert ill-judged comments that have wasted a lot of time or produced unfair penalties.

It was a penalty and he was already standing there ready to put his flag up if the kick went out - ie doing his job, nothing special at all?