Category: Player news

21-Nov-2019 02:39:54 PM

By Greg Stutchbury

WELLINGTON, Nov 21 (Reuters) – Rugby Australia have made a “sensational appointment” in choosing Dave Rennie to take over as coach of the Wallabies and he will improve the team in short order, former All Blacks loose forward Murray Mexted has said.

The International Rugby Academy has launched in Australia. We’re delighted to have Investec on board as a sponsor to help us maximise opportunities for young rugby talent.

Well, that’s a wrap. The ninth edition of RWC has come to an end and it’s fair to say that throughout RWC Japan, the All Blacks remained the most popular team.  They continued to set the standard and push the parameters of attack. They developed the dual playmaker role to counter rush defence – a meritorious strategy in the spirit of progressive rugby. 

Japans performance at the RWC is no fluke.

They built their domestic competition on the back of foreign coaching expertise, mostly from New Zealand.  They embraced the opportunity to develop their most promising young players by sending them to foreign fields – often New Zealand domestic club competitions. Japanese companies with representative rugby teams form sponsorship arrangements with New Zealand provinces, sub-contracting their coaching services and investing in their players to play and experience rugby club life in New Zealand.

Good coaches develop good teams who create great players.

The RWC is creating unprecedented interest in rugby in Japan and all of Asia.

There has been a misconception that Asian rugby teams can’t compete with Tier 1 countries, because their players are physically too small. In the last 3 weeks Japan have proven this wrong. They have played 4, won 4 and topped their pool. As Jamie Joseph stated, “this is no fluke.”

World Rugby have struck gold by staging the 2019 RWC in the world’s most populated region, where rugby is growing rapidly. We’re only two weeks in and already it’s a world-class event.

Isn’t it great that we have an All Black coach with the balls to pick on current form irrespective of experience – even if it does mean dropping our best two outside backs?  He pulled it off – on the biggest stage against the best opponent.

No perceived weaknesses. Yes we have the cattle.

Now the team is complete. Providing the referees don’t destroy the flow of the game, any other team will need to play exceptionally well to beat the All Blacks.

For NZ to win a third consecutive RWC Kieren Reid will need to play at his very best.  If he does he will retire as one of the great No. 8s of All Black rugby.

My first impression is this team is strong enough across the board to win RWC Japan. 

I get the sense this highly successful and acclaimed coach and management group have thought deeply about the make-up of this team and the combinations. The physical capabilities are there. The experience and leadership are there.  The subjective category of mental strength gets a pass from me. I think this squad is risk free on and off the field.

I am a supporter of Hansen and co. They’re the real deal and have done a good job so far.  

The core roles of the Head Coach are to select the team and develop the strategy.   

There is growing speculation that Kieran Reid will play at blindside against the Wallabies in Perth this Saturday.

The All Black selectors have learnt their lesson. A draw is not a loss for the All Blacks but for South Africa it’s a win away from home and with it will come self-belief. They will be even harder to beat in Yokohama. 

Sir Graham Henry presented to the IRANZ High Performance Coaches group this week and made a remarkable statement:  60% of being successful as a coach is selection.

“We’re going to have to be hungry for success,” Steve Hansen said, after announcing the squad. In my view this is the key attribute required to win the Rugby World Cup.  We have the players, we have the history, we have the technical and tactical skill and nous.  But we won’t win the Cup unless we have sufficient hunger! We often hear comments like “we need experience at this level.” This is true, but sometimes players with experience lack the hunger.  On the other hand they have the ability to apply themselves mentally – to live, think and play in the moment, without the mind being distracted in any way or form.  This is what we call mental toughness. Most experienced players have this attribute.  The hunger is desire – to be desperate to do as well as you possibly can.

It was an absolute cracker and the Crusaders totally deserved their win.  It might have been by the narrowest of margins, but they led all the way.