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O'Neill open to Joey
http://www.rugbyheaven.smh.com.au/ne...623913138.html
Rupert Guinness
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
ARU boss-in-waiting John O'Neill is "open" to the idea of rugby league great Andrew Johns becoming the Wallabies' new kicking coach.
But O'Neill believes any appointment with a view to the World Cup would more than likely be on a consultancy basis rather than a full-time posting.
O'Neill, who resumes his position as ARU general manager and chief executive tomorrow, yesterday said he had spoken to Wallabies coach John Connolly about ways to improve the kicking game of the World Cup squad.
However, O'Neill said he had played no role in Johns's appearance at the Wallabies' training session at Xavier College in Melbourne on Monday.
"I have had a couple of brief discussions with John Connolly about what sort of gaps there might be in that armoury at the moment," O'Neill said.
"Certainly, John is concerned about the kicking [game] �c [that it] is not what it should be. And we are talking in general terms about how we manage that."
Johns's appearance on Monday was to help the Wallabies ahead of Saturday's Tri Nations Bledisloe Cup clash against the All Blacks at the MCG.
Johns, who was invited by the ARU, spent his time advising Wallabies kickers Stephen Larkham, Matt Giteau, Julian Huxley and Chris Latham, who is still not ready to resume playing after a knee reconstruction.
It was his second appearance at a Wallabies session this season but was not part of any formal arrangement.
Still, O'Neill stressed that the retired Newcastle Knights, Kangaroos and NSW State of Origin star was a footballing asset that the Wallabies would be wise to source. "Andrew Johns is one of the great footballers of our time," O'Neill said. "He has a great brain and has an ability to break down very tight defensive patterns with his kicking skills, and passing skills that are second to none."
Asked if he would support a call for Johns to be taken on board for the World Cup, O'Neill said: "I have an open mind to it."
However, he stressed that any move by the ARU to recruit Johns would require careful consideration. "We don't want to overcook it," he said.
O'Neill cited the losing British and Irish Lions squad to New Zealand in 2005 as an example of the ill-effects of having too many coaches on a squad.
"You can get ridiculous situations, like with the British Lions tour of New Zealand. They had so many people in support staff �c it was absurd," he said.
"So whilst having an open mind [to Johns joining the Wallabies], the balance has to be where we don't want to carry any excess baggage into the World Cup.
"We have a head coach, and two assistant coaches. It might be [that] using someone like Andrew Johns in a consulting way could be sensible."
Asked if a consultant's role could see Johns travel with the Wallabies to the World Cup and remain with them in France for its duration - or join them at certain periods in the campaign - O'Neill said: "I wouldn't even speculate on that at this stage. I would have to have a chat with John and see what his needs are."
But O'Neill agreed that Johns's presence among the Wallabies would serve as an inspiration. "If we can tap into some of his knowledge and experience, he'll be valuable."
�¡ Connolly will today announce his team for Saturday's Test.
In the Wallabies' two sessions yesterday, Giteau pulled out of the last 30 minutes of contact work in the morning and was replaced at No.12 by Scott Staniforth.
It was a precautionary stoppage due to a sore knee and he ran fully in the afternoon.
Was the wait worth it - Ya betta baby 
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