Ewen McKenzie to quit Reds in Test bid

[travelling_gerry]

Ewen McKenzie to quit Reds in Test bid

• by:Wayne Smith
• From:The Australian
• March 19, 201312:00AM

• 

Queensland's director of coaching Ewen McKenzie will depart the Reds at the end of the season. Picture: Darren England Source: The Courier-Mail



EWEN McKenzie will leave the Queensland Reds at the end of the Super Rugby season to pursue his dream of coaching at Test level.

Whether that is as coach of the Wallabies remains to be seen. Current Wallabies coach Robbie Deans is contracted until the end of the year but that could change if Australia loses the three-Test series to the British and Irish Lions in June-July.
Even then, there would be no guarantee that McKenzie, who has been regarded as the heir-apparent for the past two years, would succeed him.
Jake White has performed outstandingly as coach of the Brumbies side currently leading the Super Rugby competition, and while there remains a solid block of opinion that an Australian should coach the Wallabies, White's achievement in coaching the Springboks to a World Cup triumph in 2007 provides a powerful counter-argument.
McKenzie, who took over at the Reds at the end of the 2009 season in which they finished second last and within two years turned them into Super Rugby champions, insisted that the timing of his announcement that he will be leaving Ballymore at the end of the season was not intended to pressure the Australian Rugby Union to make an early call on the Wallabies coaching job.
"It's appropriate to be up front about it now because the (contracting) decisions on the 2014 season are being made now," McKenzie told The Australian.
"Me making my decision allows 50 other people in this organisation to make their decisions. I'd love to have the opportunity to coach the Wallabies but I don't control the timing of the ARU. Things at this level are all about timing. But this way I create my own timing."
If McKenzie's timing turns out to be astray as far as the Wallabies job is concerned, he almost certainly would be offered a head coaching position with a Six Nations side. There is not another provincial coach in the world who could match him for experience.
Indeed, the worry for Australia is that another country, with Ireland the leading contender after finishing second last in the Six Nations, will snap him up as head coach before the Wallabies position is even put up for grabs.
On Saturday, in the Reds' match against the Bulls at Suncorp Stadium, he will equal Deans's record for most Super Rugby matches as a head coach: 120 (66 with the Waratahs from 2003-08, 54 with the Reds).
His clipboard career started as a coaching co-ordinator with the Brumbies in 1998 before he served four years as Wallabies assistant coach, which meant he was in the coaches box for the extra-time World Cup final against England in 2003. He even has had experience in the northern hemisphere as boss of Stade Francais in 2008-09.
Happily for the Reds, they not only have a succession plan in place but the successor as well, with former Western Force head coach Richard Graham coming on board late last year.
"We've been planning for this because it was always obvious to us that Ewen is the best coach in Australia and was always going to end up coaching at Test level," Queensland Rugby Union chairman Rod McCall said.
"To be honest, we are fortunate to have had Ewen involved for this long. In my opinion he probably should have been coaching the Wallabies already."
Reds chief executive officer Jim Carmichael said that as speculation intensified that Deans might be replaced as Wallabies coach following the 2011 World Cup, the QRU decided it needed to prepare for McKenzie's departure.
The plan decided upon was to target and recruit his successor, promote McKenzie this year to director of coaching but still leave him in overall control of the Reds while Graham, already with the title of head coach, was groomed to take over next year.
In the event of Deans being reappointed as head coach through to the 2015 Rugby World Cup or someone else getting the job, McKenzie would have moved into a new position of director of rugby next year.
"We thought Ewen might morph into a suit rather than a polo shirt," was how McCall colourfully described the role the Reds had envisaged for him.
In effect, the move would have redirected McKenzie into an administrative role which at the time he was enthusiastic about.
"But I came to realise that coaching is what I love doing," he said. "I've been coaching at this level now for about 13 years and I'm ready to move up to the next level."
Ironically, McKenzie was offered the Wallabies position back in 2006 following the removal of Eddie Jones, only to turn it down because he didn't believe he was ready to take on the national team. Then, when he did apply for the job after John Connolly stepped down following the 2007 World Cup, he was passed over.
Pat Howard, now Cricket Australia's high-performance manager but in 2007 the man in the corresponding job in Australian rugby, initially decided to appoint David Nucifora as Wallabies coach only for events to take a dramatic turn when Deans instead was awarded the job.
McKenzie's latest decision throws the spotlight squarely on to Graham who, though nominally head coach, has been in charge of the Reds defence this season. In that role he has been an outstanding success. But questions still remain over his ability as head coach.
After 1 1/2 seasons with the Force he was sacked last April - after announcing his move to the Reds - having recorded only seven wins and two draws from 24 matches.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/spor...-1226600110105

[SNOB]

I could almost feel sorry for the Reds.
Ravi better start a book on wether RG will eventually become head coach for the Reds or some local club!

[Alison]

If RG does take over, they will go from having "the best coach in Australia" to the worst coach in Australia. Shame.

[Rex Messup]

Pat Howard is a gimp. he's now wrecking our cricket.

Link was always having a title shot. Why would he step aside to allow a dribbler like RG into camp?

He will be coach of the wallabies in 2014 unless dingo clean sweeps the Lions, wins the ugby Championship and Bledisloe

The form of the Brumbies has made Link nervous so he's putting it out there before jake White gets the job

This is like Rudd V Gillard

[GIGS20]

If RG does take over, they will go from having "the best coach in Australia" to the worst coach in Australia. Shame.

That's a little flattering to Braindead Dick. It implies there are coaches outside Australia who are worse than him.

[shasta]

Peter De Villiers and Eddie Jones.
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[Sheikh]

That's a little flattering to Braindead Dick. It implies there are coaches outside Australia who are worse than him.

Robbie Deans?

[GIGS20]

Peter De Villiers and Eddie Jones.
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Tough call, but I'm sure both DeVilliers and Jones have coached teams which have won before.

[travelling_gerry]

Rats! Say no more.

[Ecky]

I could almost feel sorry for the Reds.
Ravi better start a book on wether RG will eventually become head coach for the Reds or some local club!

He already is head coach of the Reds!

[GIGS20]

That will make it a very short priced favourite.

Maybe we could run a book on whether Braindead will ever ACT as head coach of the Reds or will the rot be discovered before Link pulls the pin and they be replaced at the same time.

[SNOB]

He already is head coach of the Reds!

In name only it appears to me. Links appears to be head coach to the rest of the world though.

[Piston]

McKenzie's latest decision throws the spotlight squarely on to Graham who, though nominally head coach, has been in charge of the Reds defence this season. In that role he has been an outstanding success. But questions still remain over his ability as head coach.

At least we have established that RG's strength is defence. Even when he is in charge of attack, then he makes the oppositions defence look good!
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[Tazzmania]

He is a shrewd man, the timing of this with the loss to the Force and the Brumbies starting to open a good lead at the top of the table, is very good. (and Cheika stumbling a bit at the moment)

In a year or two Jake White will be hot favourite for the Wallaby job, if the Brumbies continue to perform and a tenure of plus minus four years could take McEwan passed his use by date, he is trying to say take me after 2013 or you may never get me. (Brave or very stupid?).

He has timed it very well to coincide with both France and Ireland underperforming up North, but his time with Stade Francious was not covered in Glory, and he could end up with someone like Canada, USA or even Japan instead.

[PeterM]

EWEN McKenzie says he is ready to step up and coach the Wallabies and he doesn't believe he's placing any added pressure on incumbent Robbie Deans by saying so.

McKenzie announced on Tuesday that he will leave his post as Queensland Reds director of coaching at the end of the current Super Rugby season as he hopes to step up to a Test head coaching role.

He said the Wallabies job or an overseas national team post interested him.

But he was adamant he announced his decision now to give the Queensland Rugby Union clarity in their planning rather than to throw down the gauntlet to Deans.

Deans is contracted until the end of the year but that may change if Australia loses the three-Test series to the British and Irish Lions in June-July, having been in the role for almost five years.

"I don't think it will put pressure on Robbie Deans at all," McKenzie said in Brisbane.

I don't think this will change anything in his day to day (life).

"I have made the decision because it is about doing the right thing by the Reds.

"I could have waited until August and said 'by the way I am leaving'.

"I spent a lot of time here trying to rebuild a team and reputation. It has been a four year assignment which I have enjoyed."

McKenzie joined the second-last Reds in 2009 and guided the franchise to their first championship by 2011 as well as back-to-back Australian conference titles.

Richard Graham was appointed head coach for the Reds this year while McKenzie assumed the role of director of coaching.

McKenzie denied he had been approached by Ireland despite being touted in a newspaper report as a possible replacement for their coach Declan Kidney after they finished second last in the Six Nations.

"You guys love conspiracy theories," McKenzie said of the Ireland speculation.

McKenzie was in line for the Wallabies job in 2005 after Eddie Jones was dumped but did not consider himself ready for Test duty.

"It is seven years later. If I wasn't ready I wouldn't say I would be - I am ready for the next level," McKenzie said on Tuesday.

He said there was no "tipping point" that made him walk away from provincial rugby.

"This is about providing clarity," he said.

"We are in the recruiting phase for 2014 and I think it was important to provide certainty to the staff and players as to what were my intentions.

"But I am still here running this Reds program this year and we are still hopeful of being successful - then we will see what happens.

"I have been a head coach at this level for nine years and as assistant for another three.

"From a coaching challenge point of view I would love to be able to coach at a higher level.

"But wanting it and getting an opportunity are two different things.

"If there are any opportunities I will have a look at it."