Reds only team to ban coach Foley
Reds only team to ban coach Foley
By Bret Harris
April 12, 2008
AUSTRALIA forwards coach Michael Foley has been prohibited from working with Queensland at training despite having a hands-on role with the countries three other Super 14 teams.
As part of the ARU's "unity of purpose" among the states, Foley regularly works with the Brumbies, Western Force and New South Wales to help prepare the forwards for the Wallabies.
But Foley is only allowed to watch the Reds train at Ballymore. He is not permitted to have a hands-on role because he has different views on scrummaging to Reds forwards coach Mark Bell.
"We are extremely keen to get him (Foley) along," Reds high performance manager Ben Whitaker said.
"He sees up close how the guys are working. He is as involved as he needs to be. We have a forwards coach in Mark Bell. They have different philosophies on scrummaging.
"Mark is employed to do that job. Michael understands that and he is supportive of that."
For his part, Foley tried to play down the situation. "It's not an issue at all," Foley said. "I've worked with the other three states for the last 12 months.
"Queensland have a new coaching team and they are the only team with a full-time scrum coach.
"I've known Ewen McKenzie (Waratahs) for a long time and I introduced myself to John Mitchell (Force) and Laurie Fisher (Brumbies).
"I did the same in Queensland. I've presented myself to Queensland and offered my services, but they haven't taken me up on it at this stage.
"I'm working with three of the four states this year. Hopefully, next year I'll work with four of the four states."
But former Wallabies scrum "doctor" Alec Evans described the Reds' decision to exclude Foley from training as "narrow-minded".
Evans, who turned the Wallabies pack into a force in world rugby in the mid-1980s, said: "It is not in the spirit of Australian rugby when the Wallabies forwards coach is basically sidelined.
"Every front-rower who has aspirations of becoming a Wallaby should have the opportunity to work with the Wallabies forwards coach.
"Foley should be able to assess the players in Super 14 games and at close range at training. A lot of selection is done at the Wallabies by watching training sessions.
"The national forwards coach should have contact with the provincial sides and the players want the national coach working with them. It's schoolboy rubbish."
One of the reasons for New Zealand's success at scrummaging in recent years was the work of scrum coach Mike Kron, who works with players at every level of the game.
"Mike Kron doesn't have a magic wand, but everyone in New Zealand is working off the same page," Evans said.
"Australian rugby isn't working off the same page if Queensland isn't allowing the national forwards coach access to the players."
The Brumbies' Fisher said Foley was always welcome at the team's training sessions.
He said Foley had made a tremendous contribution to the team's set piece play.
"We are trying to encourage an Australian scrum philosophy which will be of benefit for the long term," Fisher said.
"Michael's analysis of South African and New Zealand scrummaging is great. He has been tremendous with our guys.
"I had never met the bloke until he became the Wallabies assistant coach. He has been super professional and enormously helpful.
"He has a real vision of where he wants to take the scrum and his passion for scrummaging is tremendous. We are happy to have him on board.
"It seems strange to not allow the Wallabies forwards coach to access your players. It doesn't make a lot of sense."
http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,...-23217,00.html
