October 18, 2009

Sun-Herald: There's been a lot of talk this week about turmoil within the team and senior players not getting on with coach Robbie Deans. What light can you shed on the situation?
RE: I think one thing people have to keep in mind is that when a team is consistently winning games you only really get stories about how well things are going and if we're not winning as often as we'd like to, then those articles are going to pop up. It's a lot easier for everyone to get along when things are going well than when they aren't. The best thing we can do to get through it is start winning games so people have something else to talk about. In any workplace you're going to have the odd conflict from time to time. I've never played in a team that has been perfect.

SH: You're considered a relatively quiet guy who is not renowned for a love of the press, how have you found your first week as captain?
RE: I am pretty quiet off the field but media responsibilities are part of being captain and I probably see it as a little bit of a challenge. I don't mean to come across short at times, being at press conferences more often takes a bit of getting use to. But I'm enjoying it. And Berrick loves a chat (laughs), so he's great for that sort of stuff as vice-captain. I'm just getting used to being part of the meetings and functions now.

SH: How was your appointment received by your teammates and how did you tell them?The boys just came up to me and I spoke to everyone in the group and I think for the players it's a bit like selection. You don't necessarily have a say but then of course you gauge the reaction from how they are one-on-one. It's been fine so far. But you don't really know for sure until you get stuck into the job, particularly when things get hard. That's when players get a feel for how well someone's going in the captain's role. So at this stage there hasn't been too much feedback or anything for them to gauge my captaincy from.
RE:

SH: How much of a benefit, if any, will your experience of playing in Ireland have on the spring tour?
RE: Yeah, I guess that could help at times. We've got some staff who have some experience there, too. From playing over [there] I'm aware of players who maybe we wouldn't have much of an idea about. But it's one thing knowing what players are capable of and another stopping it. It's not like in soccer where you can identify someone's weaknesses and exploit that - good players in rugby tend to play well all the time. You can limit it. I guess the best thing I've taken from it is a good understanding of the different styles of rugby each nation plays.


SH: What are you expecting from the other teams?
RE: I think particularly these home nations have pretty distinct styles. If you look at the way Wales play, you could describe what they're going to do and it'd be reasonably accurate for the game. Even though you know what's coming, because they've been doing the same thing for a couple of years now, they do it really well and they're very comfortable with the style. It takes the pressure back off themselves.

SH: What about Ireland and England?
RE: Ireland are a little bit less predictable because the way they want to play doesn't always work out for them but they've got enough good players to get through a game off the cuff. England have had a lot of success with the short kicks, the grubber kicks into the in-goal. And there are not many teams that run like that, it's a bit like a rugby league strategy where your halfback gets out and runs a play that attracts the other halfback so there's no sweeper for the grubber into the in-goal. Particularly in the Six Nations last year, they had a lot of success running that type of play.

SH: Sounds like you're angling for the coach's job …
RE: (Laughs) It was sort of force-fed to me a little bit when I was over there. I'd do a little bit of work around the games so I'd have to watch them. And also you pinch plays from time to time. If they work, you steal them and we borrowed a few during the season at Leinster.

SH: Did the lure of the captaincy entice you to return to Australia?
RE: If the captaincy was something I was angling for I don't think ducking off to Ireland and cutting my contract short would have been an ideal move. It's fair to say that I wasn't particularly thinking of captaining Australia when I left. I don't think it'd really crossed my mind to tell you the truth. I suppose because there are a lot of good players in the Australian side who could be captain. There always has been.

SH: Have you surprised people by accepting the role?
RE: I'm not sure. Maybe a little bit. I am pretty quiet. I talk a lot on the field but I don't really say too much off of it. The family were a little bit surprised because I wouldn't really talk about it too much.

SH: Will you be urging Robbie Deans to employ any of the tactics that helped Leinster win the Heineken Cup?I don't think so. We were an extremely tight unit and in rugby terms it was a very simple game plan we employed. Not that the Wallabies run with an overly complex one now, but it was simple and one that really suited that particular team. It helped everyone play pretty well - guys who've lacked stability in their career really blossomed. You were hard pressed to find a guy who wasn't playing well, which helped a lot. But it's not the type of game plan that I think would work for the Wallabies. I think it'd be too restrictive on the talent we have. I wouldn't want this team to play that. But there are definitely some tactics to look out for that can help us.

RE:

What about the conditions?
RE: They're something we're wary of. They change on a regular basis and in particular the fields get quite soft, so it affects your footwork. We're used to reasonably firm pitches so that will make things different.


THE ELSOM FILES: FROM BULLDOG TO WALLABY
Age: 26
Born: February 14, 1983
Birthplace: Melbourne
School: Nudgee College, Qld
Teams: Waratahs, Brumbies, Barbarians, Leinster, Australia
League: Played two seasons in Jersey Flegg for Bulldogs 2001-02
Position: Back row
Height: 197cm
Weight: 112kg
Test career: 44 matches (43 starts, 1 substitute)
Test debut: Australia v Samoa June 11, 2005
Highlights: Scored a hat-trick of tries against Japan at Lyon and France in 2007 World Cup
- Voted by public as Wallabies' outstanding player in 2008;
- Represented Irish province Leinster in the 2009 Heineken Cup and claimed the man-of-the-match honour in their Murrayfield triumph over Leicester;
- Became the 76th captain of Australia when coach Robbie Deans announced his squad for the 2009 end-of-year tour.