Sunday, July 7, 2013

Calls for McKenzie to be Wallabies coach

If Wallabies coach Robbie Deans is shown the door, which seems almost certain, the Australian Rugby Union must appoint Ewen McKenzie as his successor.

Not because he is better credentialled than 2007 World Cup-winning Springboks coach Jake White, the other frontline contender to replace Deans.

But because he is Australian and more than ready for the job. Plain and simple.

The modern world of professional sport is full of foreigners coaching national teams and there have been success stories aplenty.

But right now rugby in Australia is running a distant last behind the other three football codes in the popularity stakes and this is largely down to fans, especially casual observers, growing disillusioned with New Zealander Deans' role in charge of the Wallabies.

And with it, the Wallabies being ranked No.3 behind New Zealand and South Africa.

Imagine an Australian coaching the All Blacks or the Springboks. It wouldn't happen.

There is no doubting White could do the job.

Apart from guiding South Africa to World Cup glory, he has transformed the Brumbies from perennial also-rans to genuine Super Rugby title contenders since moving to Canberra last year.

But the ARU would be crazy to overlook McKenzie again in favour of a foreigner.

When Deans, a five-times Super Rugby-winning mentor with the All Blacks-laden Crusaders, was ushered in as Wallabies coach in 2008, he was trumpeted as a saviour for Australian rugby.

He was a breath of fresh air, encouraging the Wallabies to "play what's in front of you" and they duly spanked the All Blacks in his first trans-Tasman Test at the helm.

But the honeymoon period didn't last long and, after a series of losses to lowly-ranked Scotland and Samoa and 15 trans-Tasman bashings and no World Cup or Bledisloe Cup trophies to speak of, Deans' number appears up.

The push for White to replace Deans has gained momentum in recent weeks, but it is a push coming largely from within the Brumbies' ranks.

The court of public opinion strongly favours McKenzie, with the Queensland Reds coaching director well ahead of White in polls on various online fan forums and Twitter.

Apart from being Australian, McKenzie has all the credentials to be Wallabies coach.

The World Cup-winning prop coached the under-achieving NSW Waratahs to two Super Rugby finals in four years before transforming the Reds from cellar dwellers to title winners in the space of two years.

And while White's Brumbies have mostly shown his penchant for a South African, field-position style of game, tellingly McKenzie's Reds have thrilled fans with an expansive, exciting brand of rugby that has repeatedly yielded victories over New Zealand outfits.

Let's also not forget McKenzie also already has experience at international level.

He was assistant coach of the Wallabies from 2000-03 when Australia won the Bledisloe Cup and Tri Nations title, conquered the British and Irish Lions and beat the All Blacks in the 2003 World Cup semi-final - ironically when Deans was New Zealand's assistant coach.

Source: http://rss.skynews.com.au/c/34485/f/628638/s/2e4f2cfa/l/0L0Sskynews0N0Bau0Csport0Carticle0Baspx0Did0F88590A0A0GvId0F/story01.htm

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