Deans' end

Last post was about Richie McCaw and how close could he be to the end of his rugby career.

This one is about Robbie Deans' end as Wallabies coach.

Facts:

1. In 2009, the Wallabies have played 13 tests, with 5 wins, 7 losses and one draw.
2. In 2008-2009, the Wallabies have played 27 tests, with 14 wins, 12 losses and one draw.
3. Eddie Jones was sacked in 2001 with a better success rate.
4. Deans' continuity has been a subject addressed by up to 5 different sources, including ARU boss John O'Neill in the 24 hours following the Scottish hiding.
5. This season the relation between the ARU and Australian players has been patchy at its best, and clearly Robbie Deans has been supporting the ARU. Issues have arised with Giteau, Tuqiri, and bold coaching decissions like those involving Smith, Mortlock, the captaincy and vice-captaincy have certainly not helped.
6. Australia should have never lost to Scotland.

Robbie Deans is a good coach. He is an outstanding coach, in fact. But this Wallabies team apparently has got a lot of internal issues that he has not yet managed to fix. I wonder if anyone is capable to fix them.

I don't know if the ARU should keep him or sack him, what I do know is that winning is the best way to solve them, and solving them is the best way to winning.

And Robbie Deans has not managed to do any of those things.

Robbie Deans' credit is over

Just look here.

Robbie Deans may or may not be guilty of the poor 2009 performances by the Wallabies, but he's run out of credit.

Now the Wallabies must deliver or his time as Australia's Head Coach shall be over.

At the other shore of the Tasman Sea, Henry's head stands firmly, as we all know nothing is going to remove "Ted" from his position until 2011. But then, NZ hopes may be fading, after a three consecutive losses to SA and another loss to France.

Rugby is nowadays a 4-year sport and we are right in the middle of this 4-year race with the All Blacks losing ground to first-placed Springboks and the Wallabies asking themselves if they have what it gets to go the full distance.

Why Robbie Deans is an excellent coach

I don't know if he is the best. I know, however, that I like him better than all the Meyer, Henry, Kidney, de Villiers, White, Gatland and other species that roam the world coaching here and there.

Why?


Well, forget for a moment all the Crusaders titles, right? Forget about the Super 14 and his successes. Pay attention only to his manners.

• When it was public that the All Blacks coach position was open for applicants, he looked at him and said: "I think I am ready for the next stage". He was New Zealand's people favourite but the only thing he cared about was whether he was ready or not. It is not easy to have things clear and be honest when anything in New Zealand relating to rugby has so many attention drawn.


• He is a leader and as such, cares for his people and is responsible for them. Mistakes and successes are shared and belong not to the individual. When the Crusaders fell to the Highlanders in the last rounds of the Super 14 2008, he did not blame at any player, but spread the guilt amongst all, he being the first. As a leader, what impresses me most is the freedom that he gives to his players. After her first game as wallaby coach, against Ireland, what he did was praising his players for trying new things. He said he meant them to try these things. Imagine the difference between a coach that says: "I never ever want you to do this" and another one that says "Well done, we must try new things. This time it did not work but, do you think it could work next time if ...?" The difference between making someone feel valuable and making someone feel he does things wrong.


• He is often looking to collaborate with others. I will never forget the offer he sent to all the Super 14 coaches coaching Australian sides to share their impressions about the players they were coaching. Only Laurie Fisher did not want to cooperate and it made it impossible. I imagine him being the first to give the All Blacks coaching staff his views on the Crusaders players, if needed.
  
• An important detail: He teaches, he cares. Look at him technically helping Luke Burgess, look at him telling Dan Carter to do with his future what he (Dan Carter) thinks is best.
  
• He knows what his people need. Just take a look at the wallaby camp; they are the side with more changes after RWC'07. And the season has been designed to let them grow as a group first (with a clever first test and two weeks time after it to build from it) and as a team afterwards. Just what is good for Australia.
  
• He does what he thinks is right. As when he raised Dan Carter to the vice-captaincy of the Crusaders or when he took Brett out of the semifinal against the Hurricanes to include Bateman.
  

And now, get back the memories of him riding the horses of the Crusaders to their titles and see how proud their players were of their coach the last day they were together on a field. Compare it to the Waratahs coach Mckenzie, who was sidelined by his skipper Vaugh when he spoke after the Super 14 final game.

I like Robbie Deans as coach and I think he will produce an outstanding performance for the wallabies. My question is, have Australia enough material for Deans?

Crusaders are 2008 Champions

And Robbie Deans heads to Australia with the end he deserves. Crusaders players were uttering:

"Robbie, Robbie, Robbie: oi, oi, oi!!!!"

which is a certainly funny thing to wish him good luck in the future.

Congratulations, Crusaders. And Farewell, Deans!

Super 14 final: Crusaders - Waratahs

The Crusaders and the Waratahs have shown just what the regular season suggested, that they are the best teams as both teams have made the final with certain ease.


It is going to be a very special game for Robbie Deans, who will try to leave the Crusaders with a last win, at home, in Christchurch.



Crusaders 33 - Hurricanes 22
Waratahs 28 - Sharks 13

Independent review of the World Cup.

Much has been said about the revision of the New Zealand World Cup campaign. Blames have been like knifes, thrown here and there to any unwarded back.

Our dear friends at RugbyHeaven ask why the World Cup revision has been published only after 6 months are past and the new coach is already appointed. I wonder if this terrible timing would have been so harshly criticised by them with Robbie Deans coaching the All Blacks. Richie McCaw has also been blamed of lack of leadership (again).

I have not paid much attention to any of these comments but I want to talk about the last one, appeared again within the articles of RugbyHeaven, by an ex All-Blacks coach, Laurie Mains.

Laurie Mains is surgerily right when he says that such revision cannot seriously focus only on 10 minutes of a match. NZRU should not be pleased with such a simple analysis. I mean, just remember the infamous article: "France pose absolutely no threat to the All Blacks". Even if the All Blacks would have won that match via a drop goal, it became clear that France certainly posed a kind of threat. The question after Laurie Mains article is: How did the All Blacks manage to perform worse than ever? This has not been answered yet. Laurie also asks loudly for the apparent lack of independence in a so-called independent review. Why no ex All Black coaches were asked to give their opinions?

All in all, it seems certain that NZRU should put more effort in trying to be more open. Now I wonder... Why was Deans not chosen? Has it got to do with the different ways that Deans and Henry carry these things? Is Deans too open for the NZRU?

Who would you pick as coach?

One of the stories I like most is that of Abraham Lincoln on his way to the White House. Isaac Asimov had a singular view on this in his famous book Isaac Asimov's book of facts; According to the book, Abraham Lincoln's political career was a crowned failure after the other until he became the 16th president of the United States.

We read today that Heyneke Meyer will quit coaching rugby. The coach of the only south african franchise to ever reign in Super Rugby seems to be very disappointed as he has not been given the Springboks coaching job. Well, it's a funny thing to read.

History is full of people who kept on trying until success came. In rugby, too. Take Robbie Deans, for example; Robbie Deans has a far more appealing record than Meyer can claim at Super 14 level and still, he has never had such a behaviour nor have I read anything unproper of him after the NZRU chose another candidate to coach the All Blacks. Instead, he has been appointed to coach the Wallabies. He, Robbie Deans, can deal with both success and failure and that he has shown for the last years. I have no doubt that his best years are yet to come and I'm sure of that because he's always fighting.

Would Abraham Lincoln have ever become president of the USA with Meyer's attitude?

Who would you pick as coach, a man like Deans who will keep fighting after a defeat or a man like Meyer who will step out of rugby after his last defeat?

Robbie Deans is open minded

Yesterday, we got to know Robbie Deans' opinion on the apparently taboo subject: A non new zealander to eventually coach the All Blacks. Robbie Deans seems a good pal, with no malice whatsoever, but I had the feeling that speaking too much about the politics of the NZRU shall not be appreciated in Oz.



The multitasked Crusaders coach expressed his view, very sensible, that the NZRU should (and thinks they have actually done) consider a foreigner for the job. Well, that is understandable provided he is the first Kiwi to coach the wallabies.

Today we have got to know more. He has stepped further on, saying that players of SA, NZ, AU should be able to play at any Super 14 franchise. Has he said too much? Will anyone accept it? Well, IMHO, that is quite common-sense, too! I don't think it should change things much, and, if it does at all, will undoubtedly be very smoothly. On the other hand, what is the good of binding the players to play a home Super 14 franchise? Deans' recipe would set the roots for expanding the Super 14 in a search for more investment to allow Souther Hemisphere players stay southern.

Robbie Deans is a guy that I am truly learning to respect and admire.

Over AU$ 1 Million for Stirling Mortlock

Could you refuse AU$ 1 million per year if you were offered?

Surprisingly (to me), not everyone named Mortlock as the best possible 13 in RugbyForum's poll. It is not me the one who's going to put Mortlock's name ahead of Umaga's but this is only the humble opinion of an All Black supporter.

An unnamed japanese club, however, must think that I am right to consider him one of the best centres around, as it has offered AU$ 1.25 million to the wallabies skipper. Maybe Larkham knows a little bit more about the matter, if we read between the lines.

Well, tough decission for Mortlock, ain't it? Perhaps the wallabies need him, but didn't they need Larkham as well? When will come the time for Mortlock to say farewell? Will he be offered anything better? For how long will the wallabies need him?

If Mortlock leaves, it will be a hard blow for the wallabies, but an oportunity as well. Deans task is going to be difficult anyway, but without him, a free space to find new talents is open.

As with Doug Howlett, Stephen Larkham or Chris Jack, I feel that the right time has come for Mortlock to point at somewhere else. If he stays, it will be ok, but if he has got to leave, now is better than ever.

More power on the scrum and... happier backs?

It's not only Keohane that states that the ELVs are putting more emphasis in good scrummaging. Blues hooker Keven Mealamu also thinks that easing scrums on own feed and difficulting scrums on opponent's feed can mean a definitive edge.

While the South African journalist believes the new laws will benefit the South African sides, Mealamu does not risk any such prediction.

On the other side, the first pre-Season duel among two Super 14 sides has witnessed a Crusaders side triumph over the Chiefs. It is important to recall that both teams have experienced men in their full-of-All Blacks packs. The score, 55 - 33 could mean nothing at all or could be explained by this extra space after the scrum that the ELVs provide.

Are we at the gates of a more spectacular rugby? Or are we just at the pre-Season? Can a new law put more emphasis in scrummaging and still be a bless for hungry-at-tries backs?

Rugbycan blog is right; South Africans should not be so confident on their scrums

(Update at 21:12 GMT: Robbie Deans considers ELVs should reward expansive rugby)

(Update at Jan 28, 10:18 GMT: Robbie Deans enthusiastic about ELVs)

(Update at Jan 29, 09:04 GMT: ELVs get the pass mark of coaches and refferees)

Laurie Fischer does not want to help Deans.

Yesterday we were surprised at Robbie Deans' proposal of a plan for all 4 Australian Super 14 sides coaches to be involved in Wallabies players selection.

Today, Brumbies coach, Laurie Fischer has been very harsh on Deans proposal. Apparently Laurie Fischer does not have anything against helping the Wallabies, but he does have it against helping the Crusaders coach.

"I certainly won't be discussing the relative strengths and weaknesses of my players until he has finished up with the Crusaders in the Super 14. You are talking about two sides here who could be in the Super 14 final."

Laurie Fischer was among the candidates for the Wallabies coach role when NZRU selection of Graham Henry left Robbie Deans "available" although he still had a one-year contract with the Crusaders. The ARU immediately added Robbie Deans to the list of candidates and eventually he got the job. NZRU allowed Deans to keep his Crusaders coaching job until the end of the present season and perhaps Fischer thinks Deans is going too far away

This arises some question as if retaining the Crusaders job was a good idea for Deans. I think Deans should have resigned perhaps even before the outcome of the Rugby World Cup, at the end of Super 14 2007 season. I don't doubt he can still do a wonderful job for the Crusaders but, won't everything be easier for him as Wallabies coach when he is not bound to the Crusaders?

Obsession, the downfall, Deans says.

The Wallaby coach has done a little bit of talking to the media for the first time after his arrival to Australia and he has said two things that seem of real interest:

1. New Zealand is full of talent, and the key is "what you do with it".
2. Obsession with World Cup has been All Blacks' downfall.

It is his purpose to go step by step, week after week, in his new job.

What do you think? Were we all too anxious at winning the Cup and was that our downfall?

Robbie Deans to coach Wallabies

"I am ready for the next stage" Robbie Deans said early this week.

And this next stage has just started today 3.00 AM (which is 3 PM or so on the other side of the world)

The ARU appointed for the first time in its history a foreigner for the Wallabies coach job and Deans gets thus the deserved opportunity that the NZRU didn't give to him. It is going to be a busy season for Robbie Deans as he holds the Cursaders coach job, and it is going to be interesting to see him coaching at the Cursaders the players that he will eventually face as rivals some months after (or, seen from the other side of the Tasman, it will be interesting to see him against the teams whose players he is to coach some months after).

Some online media keep their particular "crusade" on who's best, pointing to the Bledisloe will as the judge (As though it would be fair for anyone).

For my part, I can only wish him the best results as Wallaby coach except when he's facing the All Blacks; here or there, in Canberra or in Dunedin, in Durban or in Buenos Aires.

It's hurting New Zealand's rugby

I find complete nonsense this everlasting gossip about who's in the pole position to become the next All Blacks coach. I think it does not do any good. Today we have an apparently contradiction in different news by RugbyHeaven and New Zealand Herald.

This has even gone so far in the case of RugbyHeaven that it even dares critizising the board composition.

I would like this week to pass, it is Friday 7th and the board will have made its decission on who's the next All Blacks coach. I would also love not hearing anything else from now on about this matter until it's over.

I bet it won't be easy.

The New Zealand Herald on All Blacks coach election

«With Henry and his cohorts having thrown their hats firmly back into the ring, the NZRU board must now decide if it wants to risk losing Deans to Australia in order to persevere with the regime that failed in France.»

The New Zealand Herald, Tuesday 27 November 2007

I have usually considered that newspapers here in Spain spread bullshit. "Selling news" is a business that in this country means feeding lies to people. The most absurd thing in this nonsense is that people are eager to buy these lies. Lies usually look like this: "We who vote for X are right, others are wrong". Ok, it's normal. This is Spain and we are quite stupid... people don't even know about rugby, here :-P

But I thought this was some kind of spanish folklore, and I can't really believe that on the opposite side of the world The New Zealand Herald is so biased in favour of Robbie Deans' as the next All Blacks coach.

There are, I think, two different things that should never be mixed; news and opinions. News are the plain facts; opinion is what we think about it. A newspaper should never mix them.

In this blog, you will find a clear support of Graham Henry in his goal of being re-appointed as All Blacks coach. I think that four more years would be a rare continuity which New Zealand's rugby needs. Besides, I trust Henry. But this is just the opinion of one person - the author of this blog - and it does not by any means replace in any way any newspaper whose main goal should be Information.