Harsh reality: Deans has done his dash
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-union/union-news/harsh-reality-deans-has-done-his-dash-20120407-1wi07.html#ixzz1rMmdOSdu
2. Should Robbie Deans be the Wallabies coach at the next World Cup?
''Judge me on the World Cup'' was the call … third place, but my thought is that the Wallabies were far from being the top dog. The loss against Ireland was a head-scratching moment. No change in the game plan. They were limited in the way they played and perhaps the personnel chosen to do the job. For me, it was wrong all over. The decision to offer and sign Deans to an extension before the World Cup was an oversight. Like all of us, you are judged on your performances, and the performances have been below par. A harsh reality but a necessary assessment to make sure the Wallabies rise to the top again. Will Deans be there in England? I don't think so. Someone else will be at the helm.
3. Are rugby nations too obsessed with the four-year cycle of the World Cup?
Winning a World Cup is the pinnacle of a player's career and we have seen how it can affect players and teams in both a positive and negative sense. There is too much emphasis on the six or seven weeks of a World Cup. Looking back to 2011, if France had won, it would have been a blight on the integrity of the organisers after they lost two of the four pool matches. The rating system in place now should be given more emphasis. The World Cup will forever continue to give bragging rights to the winners but not necessarily the best team in the world takes the title.
6. How do you rate the standard of refereeing in the Super Rugby competition this year?
Referees are becoming too pedantic. There are too many variances and interpretations in the game to keep it consistent. Every chance the assistant referee gets, he is on the mike telling the man in the middle something that will have no bearing on the game. The influence on the game is fast becoming too much. Remember going to a game and not mentioning the referee? These days they are providing too many headlines. One of the best calls I have seen was from new ref Glen Jackson. What seemed like a complicated knock-on in the in-goal area was quickly summed up as a restart at the 22. Assistants ran from everywhere and the audio was deafening but the right call was made. Well done, Jacko.
8. What rule needs to be changed?
The field goal and penalty goal. The value for these points is too much. I sound hypocritical as I was the first to run to the mark and point to the posts but games are being determined by these outcomes. The value of a try should be more than two penalty goals. People want to see teams go for a try more often than go for goal. There has to be a balance and at the moment it is in favour of the three-point option.
9. Should Australian rugby recruit any more NRL stars?
Been there, done that. The experiment in the early 2000s may have got a pass mark. However similar the games are, they are poles apart in the understanding of the game, but if you asked them to run, pass, kick, tackle or lift weights, they no doubt would do that well. The skills that you develop when you play your junior rugby take time, a learning process.
10. How do you fix scrums?
Remember who you are talking to. I was a back … Push Harder?
No comments:
Post a Comment