Ewen McKenzie Resignation

[Quick Hands]

As I see it, the next Wallaby coach should:

- be Australian
- not have any current involvement in Super Rugby
- have the relevent experience
- be able to get the immediate respect (not approval but respect) of the players
- be able to deal with the incompetent admistration of the ARU

 

[Ulrich]

I heard an interview with pulver on the radio Sat where he said that the ARU had the hearing scheduled for early last week but KBs lawyers applied to defer the hearing to give them more time to prepare his defence. Pulver said that given the gravity of the situation and the potential for it to end his rugby career they (and the ARU legal counsel) felt it was reasonable to agree to the extension.

Unless KB (Kurtley Beale) and his lawyers can somehow disprove what he had done he should be gone.

You simply can't go and send insulting texts, especially in a sexual context to people. You don't do that - ever! Period.

His texts have:

• Resulted in the resignation of Ewen McKenzie.
• Brought the ARU into the limelight for all the wrong reasons.
• Shown the lack of class on his part and in some ways also that of his teammates.
• Given the impression he's leans toward being a misogynist.
• Most importantly, brought the game into disrepute. This is Rugby Union. I don't care how things go in any other rugby code or in football, basketball, hockey, chess, darts, or fucking Sudoku contests but this game is about RESPECT.

 

[louie]

As I see it, the next Wallaby coach should:

- be Australian

why? exactly? didn't work this tie

 

[Aussie D]

The next coach of the Wallabies should be someone who can get the best out of young rugby players. Surely that man is Alan Bedford Jones.

 

[Bullrush]

It's funny he gets called disloyal, when all he is doing is chasing his goals, like any good person should, yet McKenzie walks out of his national team and is called a Hero.

Have to agree with this whole-heartedly.

As much as I do actually feel sorry for the guy, McKenzie made the decision to resign - at this stage there is no indication that he was forced is there? - so he's no less quit than Jake did.

Here's what I think McKenzie should have done. Drop every player who wasn't on board with the culture he wanted to build in the team. All of them if need be. Or at least, all of the players who didn't think would ever fully be on-board. This is why you have the NRC, so you can pick up new players who have been performing in recent competition. Take THAT team on the EOYT and go from there. If they are shit, so be it. Work towards the 2019 RWC.

Bye Beale, bye AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper), bye anyone else who thinks they have the power to tell the coach how to run the team. If Pulver or anyone else on the ARU board were un-happy with that, they can fire him.

Link had options on what he could have done, resigning is his own choice.

 

[Sandpit Fan]

I'm with Seb V on this.

Link has walked out in Aus rugby at the worst possible time. Does anyone remember his using the media to push his agenda to coach Australia, walking out on the reds (look at their form this year and tell me it didnt have an impact).

Thinking back on when Jake left. He made lots accusations that the ARU promised him the job etc. we all thought he was crazy. Given the cock up of the last two weeks and how badly the ARU has handled the situation changes my perspective on it.

One question for you:
Would you stay in a job where you were being dragged through the gutter by innuendo in national newspapers, and this was impacting and hurting people you cared about? Add the fact that your employer is not supporting you fully, and gives the impression of hanging you out to dry.

If he'd gone north the English press would have made the pack of dogs that passes for the Fairfax press here look like poodles, and that would have impacted on the team far more.

Lets move on from blaming him for resigning - better to look at the circumstances which forced him to it.

 

[the sabanator]

As I see it, the next Wallaby coach should:

- be Australian
- not have any current involvement in Super Rugby
- have the relevent experience
- be able to get the immediate respect (not approval but respect) of the players
- be able to deal with the incompetent admistration of the ARU

The only person that really fits that bill is Rod MacQueen, and I don't know how interested he'd be.

 

[Quick Hands]

I like these comments about needing a strong coach who doesn't cop any shit.

I must have forgotten all the shit sandwiches from the players that Link ate in his 4 years at the Reds.

I don't think that the comments (or not all of them anyway) are a reflection on Link, but rather a reflection on what we need - even more now.

It's quite possible that the RUPA/ARU cartel hamstrung the coach's ability to discipline errant players after a typical, knee-jerk reaction to the event's in Dublin.

Without in any way condoning the actions of some players, IMO the role of the ARU and the RUPA in this fiasco had been severely understated.

 

[louie]

Very well point Bullrush. My thoughts articulated by a smarter rugby brian... most be from where your from.


hey everyone i've just had some good news.... i just remember by grandma is from NZ! might change my loyalties if beale stays. Things are looking up!

 

[galumay]

The next coach of the Wallabies should be someone who can get the best out of young rugby players. Surely that man is Alan Bedford Jones.


Mmmm....i will avoid saying what springs to mind re your assessment, but not the type of person i would want as a national coach.

 

[Quick Hands]

why? exactly? didn't work this tie

Ah, because it's the Australian national team.

 

[Hell West & Crooked]

Unless KB (Kurtley Beale) and his lawyers can somehow disprove what he had done he should be gone.

You simply can't go and send insulting texts, especially in a sexual context to people. You don't do that - ever! Period.

His texts have:

• Resulted in the resignation of Ewen McKenzie.
• Brought the ARU into the limelight for all the wrong reasons.
• Shown the lack of class on his part and in some ways also that of his teammates.
• Given the impression he's leans toward being a misogynist.
• Most importantly, brought the game into disrepute. This is Rugby Union. I don't care how things go in any other rugby code or in football, basketball, hockey, chess, darts, or fucking Sudoku contests but this game is about RESPECT.

correct.

 

[Bullrush]

One question for you:
Would you stay in a job where you were being dragged through the gutter by innuendo in national newspapers, and this was impacting and hurting people you cared about? Add the fact that your employer is not supporting you fully, and gives the impression of hanging you out to dry.

If he'd gone north the English press would have made the pack of dogs that passes for the Fairfax press here look like poodles, and that would have impacted on the team far more.

Lets move on from blaming him for resigning - better to look at the circumstances which forced him to it.

OK....Link knew exactly what job he was getting when he applied for the Wallabies role right?!?

 

[Biffo]

It was a primary problem with picking Deans at the time. Now I hear he has walked out on another club as well?

Robbie D has "walked out on another club"?
pray tell

while you are at it, your use of "another" suggests that Robbie D had previously walked out on a club.
pray tell which club and when.

 

[Pfitzy]

Unless KB (Kurtley Beale) and his lawyers can somehow disprove what he had done he should be gone.

You simply can't go and send insulting texts, especially in a sexual context to people. You don't do that - ever! Period.

His texts have:

• Resulted in the resignation of Ewen McKenzie.
• Brought the ARU into the limelight for all the wrong reasons.
• Shown the lack of class on his part and in some ways also that of his teammates.
• Given the impression he's leans toward being a misogynist.
• Most importantly, brought the game into disrepute. This is Rugby Union. I don't care how things go in any other rugby code or in football, basketball, hockey, chess, darts, or fucking Sudoku contests but this game is about RESPECT.

Don't forget: "destroyed the career of a member of the ARU while putting her under a great deal of personal stress".

We need to drop players to show no one is safe. More importantly, we need to drop administrators.

If Beale manages to see this through and STILL be in the Wallaby squad, it will be a tragedy for commonsense and the rugby values Pulver espouses.

It well be an even BIGGER tragedy if his management team just use this to piss off to the NRL, per Gagger's point in the podcast.

 

[Scotty]

yes, good points there.
as a matter of interest, who are the "senior players" that are commonly referenced?
i can never quite work out who they are and whether they vary from game to game.

Anyone willing to stand up and take control in the circumstance - so I guess based in last night and the last two weeks - no-one qualifies!

Seriously though Link was relying on the likes of Horwill, Hooper, Alexander, Robison etc to act as leaders and make critical decisions to finish off games. We haven't been getting that.

Not blaming white at all but have to wonder if there would have been a different result if we had the likes of a Genia come on to take control. We just don't seem to be getting much from some of the other experienced players.

 

[Sandpit Fan]

Have to agree with this whole-heartedly.

As much as I do actually feel sorry for the guy, McKenzie made the decision to resign - at this stage there is no indication that he was forced is there? - so he's no less quit than Jake did.

Here's what I think McKenzie should have done. Drop every player who wasn't on board with the culture he wanted to build in the team. All of them if need be. Or at least, all of the players who didn't think would ever fully be on-board. This is why you have the NRC, so you can pick up new players who have been performing in recent competition. Take THAT team on the EOYT and go from there. If they are shit, so be it. Work towards the 2019 RWC.

Bye Beale, bye AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper), bye anyone else who thinks they have the power to tell the coach how to run the team. If Pulver or anyone else on the ARU board were un-happy with that, they can fire him.

Link had options on what he could have done, resigning is his own choice.

Agree 100% with your comments about what he should have done. Whether there's another story about whether he could have done it, given the poisonous state vs state vs ARU mess the game overall is in, would be interesting to know.

The rest, not so much. The Brumbies were sailing along smoothly before White decided to have a dummy spit and bail out - he wasn't subject to the same crap which McKenzie is going through.

 

[Quick Hands]

The only person that really fits that bill is Rod MacQueen, and I don't know how interested he'd be.

No one said it was going to be easy - there aren't that many people qualified to coach the national team at any time.

 

[Train Without a Station]

I don't think that the comments (or not all of them anyway) are a reflection on Link, but rather a reflection on what we need - even more now.

It's quite possible that the RUPA/ARU cartel hamstrung the coach's ability to discipline errant players after a typical, knee-jerk reaction to the event's in Dublin.

Without in any way condoning the actions of some players, IMO the role of the ARU and the RUPA in this fiasco had been severely understated.

The comments are being made as if Cheika and his no nonsense approach will make a difference. Link had a no nonsense approach and look where we are.

The only change we will get by solely appointing Cheika for example, is to ruin his coaching reputation also.

 

[Viking]

What is that - an Order?

I am questioning his Loyalty: STRAIGHT UP and FLAT OUT.

I don't agree with what Link did - but the circumstances are quite different - and if you don't think that a Wallaby Coach ought to have some level of loyalty to Australian Rugby - and show some inclination towards its success at various levels of the game, you are a bigger fool than you sound.

It was a primary problem with picking Deans at the time. Now I hear he has walked out on another club as well?

Yes the circumstances are different.
Jake white left with the Brumbies in a good place. A clear plan for the future and coaches to take his place.
McKenzie left with the Wallabies in a panic.

McKenzie is in the highest level of coaching but quit when it got too tough.
Jake wasn't coaching a national team, he left a super rugby team with the desire to coach a higher level.

I'm sorry to disagree with you mate, but walking out on your national team does not compare to walking out on a super rugby team - at the end of the season (not half way through like McKenzie).