Australia's new coach?

[Jess]

Phew! Glad it's 4.

But contracts don't seem to mean a whole lot these days... can just write a nice letter to get out of one...

[The InnFORCEr]

John Mitchell has been good for the force, hopefully he takes over for the role in the future.

John would make a fantastic forwrads coach in the lead up to RWC 2011, after all most of the pack will be from the Force!

Teamed up with his mate Robbie would be ideal, but I think the Kiwis will do WHATEVER IT TAKES to keep Deans at home.

Interesting few weeks ahead.

[joblot]

I would love to Robbie Deans as the National coach. I am convinced we need a former back. All the recent coaches have been front rowers, I have nothing against the front row, having been one myself. Mitchell was a back rower which links him with the backs. A combination of Deans and Mitchell (for Australia) woud be top drawer. I can not see it happening though, I think the selection panel might consider one Kiwi, but two, that would never happen.

[GIGS20]

Jake White's name has been mentioned recently. I think that sounds pretty good! He's chanced Sa from being a bunch of (for want of a better description) Pomgolians to a half respectable rugby team. Thats not a bad effort considering the convoluted political crap he has to put up with in Africa. He might just be capable of navigating the labyrinth that is the ARU and field a team heavily stacked with Waratahs and NRL players which can win despite their lack of talent and honour.

Stranger things have happened, let's face it SA is the only 3N team left in the cup!

[Jehna]

Like you said GIGST...

___________________________
Bok boss firms as successor

By Wayne Smith
October 10, 2007 SOUTH Africa coach Jake White has confirmed he would be a contender to fill Australia's vacant coaching position if the Australian Rugby Union shows any interest in talking to him.

Now that the Wallabies have been eliminated from the World Cup, it is all systems go for the ARU's six-man panel set up to find a successor to John Connolly as Australia's head coach.

While the Wallabies were still alive, there had been a reluctance to talk in detail to the two contenders already on staff, attack coach Scott Johnson and defence coach John Muggleton.

With the acknowledged front-runner for the position, Canterbury boss Robbie Deans, now almost certain to be offered the All Blacks job in the spill of positions following New Zealand's shock elimination at the hands of France, the ARU seemingly has only Australian candidates on its short list.

Super 14 coaches Laurie Fisher, Ewen McKenzie and David Nucifora are also in the running.

But White's confirmation that he would seriously be interested in coaching Australia throws an intriguing new element into the equation, one that the ARU would be crazy to ignore if for no other reason than the fact that where Connolly and New Zealand head coach Graham Henry both failed to take their team past the quarter-final stage, White's Springboks are through to a semi-final clash with Argentina.

It may not have helped White's cause that Eddie Jones, Connolly's predecessor and now special advisor to the Springboks, has strongly recommended him. But White, who looks like being ousted from the Boks' job post-World Cup as the push strengthens to take transformation to the next level by appointing a black South African coach, deserves to be evaluated on his merits.

And that includes having an unbeaten record against Australia in South Africa and several times having claimed the scalp of the All Blacks.

"I'll be honest, I want to stay in international rugby," White told The Australian yesterday. "Once you've coached in international rugby, you want to stay in it. It's in your blood. The message from my side is quite clear to any job that's available or could be available. It would be very silly of me to start worrying about any future jobs now while the campaign is not finished but afterwards I would really love to be involved in international rugby."

If Australia was to approach you? "Any international job would be something that excites me."

Meanwhile, White has more than enough on his hands against Argentina, a country that has never defeated South Africa. Given the way upsets have become the norm at this World Cup, that should put the Boks on a state of high alarm going into Sunday's semi-final.

Certainly the Boks saw from the fate of Australia and New Zealand what happens when strong favourites, as they are against the Pumas, go into the knockout stage ready for anything.

"What happened to the Wallabies and All Blacks doesn't say anything about the standard of the Tri-Nations," Springboks assistant coach Allister Coetzee said.

"Rather, it says things about this World Cup. If you're not well-prepared and you're under pressure and you're not up for it, you'll be out."

Not that this is likely to concern them, but if any team is going to turn on the entertainment in this semi-final, it will have to be the South Africans. Argentina is hardly likely to abandon the so-called anti-rugby tactics that have brought it much further in this World Cup than it has ever been before.

So the Boks are preparing for lots of box kicks, high balls, pick-and-drives and very little direct attacking involvement from the Argentinian wingers. At least, that's what the Pumas have worked on thus far and while matches like Sunday's quarter-final against an equally unadventurous Scotland will not even make the highlights reel back in Buenos Aires, at least the Argentinian rugby team is still on course to emulate the World Cup heroics of its footballing cousins.

The match promises to provide one of the great halfback showdowns of modern times, South African general Fourie du Preez against the Pumas mastermind, Agustin Pichot.

The Australian

[Jehna]

Chook...who have you been talking too?!

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McKenzie wants the top job

October 09, 2007
AUSTRALIA coaching hopeful Ewen McKenzie believes he has done enough to secure the vacant national job, despite a disappointing season in charge of the New South Wales.

McKenzie declared himself ready to take over from John Connolly, whose reign as Wallabies coach came to an end with Australia's quarter-final exit at Rugby World Cup at the weekend.

ARU officials began an immediate search to replace Connolly, with McKenzie joining the likes of ACT Brumbies coach Laurie Fisher and hugely successful Crusaders mentor Robbie Deans as candidates for the Wallabies role.

McKenzie, who ruled himself out of the running when Connolly was handed the Australian job last year, today said he would be disappointed if this year's disastrous Super 14 campaign hurt his chances.

After guiding the Waratahs to the Super 14 final in 2005 and the semi-finals in 2006, NSW finished second last this year.

Deans had been the favourite to be appointed, but he now seems likely to become the new All Blacks coach following New Zealand's early demise at World Cup.

While McKenzie's focus may be on the national job, the Waratahs continued their build-up to the 2008 Super 14 season by completing their roster with the signing of young trio Ben Mowen, Matt Carraro and Ben Batger today.
Back rower Mowen, who captained Australia at under 21 level in 2005, has moved to Sydney from the Queensland Reds while centre-wing Carraro spent last season at the Brumbies.

Fullback Batger is currently playing for Hawkes Bay in the semi-finals of New Zealand provincial competition after an earlier stint with the Brumbies.

"They've all tasted Super 14 rugby and have had significant preparation at the professional level,'' McKenzie said.

"They're all prepared to back themselves to further their careers in the presence of other experienced players already here.

"Ben Mowen has captained Queensland A and Australia at age group level and would have played much more Super 14 if it weren't for two untimely injuries."

The trio will all be in attendance when the Waratahs begin pre-season training next month.

AAP

[jargan83]

I heard about Jake White being a contender this morning on the news, the ARU would be stupid not him on any eventual shortlist

[Jehna]

O'Neill has a cuppa with Deans

By Peter Jenkins in Paris
October 18, 2007

AUSTRALIAN Rugby Union bosses met Robbie Deans in Paris on Wednesday as the New Zealander loomed as its major target in the search for a new Wallabies coach.

ARU chief executive John O'Neill last night confirmed a "chat over coffee" just hours after the Crusaders coach arrived in the French capital to attend the World Cup final on Saturday night.

But O'Neill declined to divulge any detail surrounding the talks that also involved ARU high-performance chief Pat Howard - and refused to say whether Deans would even apply for the Wallabies job.

Deans is one of six coaches on the ARU short list as it hunts for a successor to John Connolly.

Complicating the issue, however, is that the highly successful provincial mentor will also emerge as the frontrunner to take over the All Blacks if a post-World Cup spill leads to the removal of coach Graham Henry and his top assistant Steve Hansen.

"I can say Pat and I had a very pleasant chat over coffee with Robbie," O'Neill said. "It was a further opportunity to get to know each other and we spoke about a range of subjects. There were no specifics around coaching positions.

"We have had similar get-togethers with other people in whom we might have an interest.

"We have a current short list and while we have and will be speaking to them we also respect their privacy in terms of how they see their coaching futures.

"The catch-up with Robbie was very informal. We have a six-man selection committee to move forward with the process."

The selection panel, chaired by O'Neill, includes Howard, ARU directors Mark Connors and Rod McCall, former high-performance chief Brett Robinson and former Wallaby Michael Hawker, now the head of IAG.

Candidates for the Wallabies post will be officially interviewed in Sydney on November 9, with Blues coach David Nucifora likely to be the leading contender if Deans decides not to stand.

The other four in the race are New South Wales Waratahs coach Ewen McKenzie, Brumbies coach Laurie Fisher and current Wallabies assistants Scott Johnson and John Muggleton.

The ARU's hopes of landing Deans are clearly tied to what happens across the Tasman in the wake of the All Blacks quarter-final departure from the World Cup.

While the 1999 and 2003 New Zealand coaches - John Hart and John Mitchell - were dismissed almost immediately after their sides were beaten in the semi-finals, Henry has neither resigned nor been pushed two weeks after the All Blacks loss to France.

There has also been public support for his retention with a telephone poll of 750 Kiwis, conducted by a research company, revealing that 61 per cent believed Henry should be reappointed.

Asked who they would want as Henry's replacement if he is dumped, 56 per cent of respondents were uncertain.

Thirty per cent listed Deans as their preference while Hansen received just 3 per cent of the vote.

The coaching position in New Zealand might also swing on a possible reshuffle in the administration.

Incoming chief executive Steve Tew is a known Hansen supporter.
But several critics have called for Tew to be sacked along with the coaching staff, given his knowledge and support of the All Blacks World Cup preparation.


The Daily Telegraph

[Jess]

whoa whoa whoa... White?!?

No thank you! I could not handle seeing his face anymore than we already do! Eeek!

[Happy]

White would be fine, as long as they go through all the staff and clean them out, the assistant coaches must go, the fitness support staff (mostly for the front row) must go .. I doubt very many people can honestly say they did their best getting that train wreck to where it stopped. I agree with Eddie, "Look where you kicked me out and look where you're at now"

Clean the entire Wallaby culture out, if not for 2011 then for 2015!!!

[Flamethrower]

McKenzie, who ruled himself out of the running when Connolly was handed the Australian job last year, today said he would be disappointed if this year's disastrous Super 14 campaign hurt his chances.

After guiding the Waratahs to the Super 14 final in 2005 and the semi-finals in 2006, NSW finished second last this year.

Why not give him a run at the top job. He's only going downhill at the Tah's.

[James]

If the NZRU sack Graham Henry, like myself and alot of people are expecting, i think that Robbie Deans would be the next coach of New Zealand should he be offered the job of course. So the ARU needs to get in asap and at least make an offer to him, he can accept or refuse the offer. Nucifora had a falling out with the senior players at the Brumbies didnt he?? But with the retirements of Gregan and Larkham that shouldnt be a problem (i'm not saying that they were the insigators of that unfortunate business at the Brumbies a couple of years ago but i'd heard that it ws basicly a coup led by SENIOR players)

Don't quote me on this but I think the falling out was about player rotation. I think Nucifora could see that when the likes of Larks and Gregan and Mortlock and others retired there would be a big hole in the Brumbies squad and wanted to give more of a run to younger players to get their skills/experience up and smoothe the transition. I don't think they took well to that because who really wants to be on the bench? I think that was it- mind you it was a year or two ago and I might have read it from a Growden article on a day he consulted the fountain sauce bottle so who knows.

[JediKnight]

Why not give him a run at the top job. He's only going downhill at the Tah's.

I'm with FT - give McKenzie a chance. He's going nowhere with an ever-diminishing pool of talent in powder blue. I'm sure he'll bring home the bacon with some decent players in the Wallabies squad.

[The Lone Hydrangea]

Lets get this straight..Jake is a gobby muppet who doesnt speak Afrikkaners which is like having a small social disease in rugby circles in the Republic. He might be prickish but he does have a bit of nous. Perhaps we need a outsider for the main gig?
There is no obvious candidate here......apart from Mitch.

[Jess]

Were you complimenting or insulting him TLH... I'm not quite sure.