At the media conference after the close-run Wallabies victory against the Pumas on the Gold Coast, coach Ewen McKenzie was asked if he was satisfied with the play of "four, five, and six."
The questioner was Scott Allen, an experienced coach in Queensland. McKenzie dismissed the inference the middle row of the Wallabies pack, with the exception of Michael Hooper, is performing below par. The coaching staff, McKenzie explained, had statistics about the players concerned that gave him a good understanding about what was happening on the field.
Bill O'Reilly, a long-time cricket columnist for the Herald after his distinguished career as an attacking spin bowler, was once asked why he didn't attend media conferences. "My editor," the great man thundered, "wants me to tell readers what I think and not what Allan Border thinks."
I have a certain sympathy with this attitude. But if coaches and captains are going to have media conferences after Tests, then they should give informed answers to the questions raised. The fact of the matter is that the Wallabies four, five and six (Sam Carter, Rob Simmons and Scott Fardy) have not provided the grunt in the engine room of the pack to give the fast, clean ball, from set pieces and rucks, the Wallabies backs need to cut capers against their opposition.
The announcement of the squad to play the Springboks next weekend at Cape Town confirms McKenzie's complacency about the performance of his middle row players. The usual suspects are all there. But there is no room for Will Skelton, although the giant is the only Wallaby second-rower, admittedly coming on as a reserve against France, who has made a big impact on the opposition in Tests this season.
Skelton has been sent back to the National Rugby Championship to get fit, apparently. This is a player who played with splendid energy, skill and power for the Waratahs. He is a cult hero for supporters. But he is now ranked below journeymen players.
The crowd numbers for the Tests against the Pumas at the Gold Coast (14,281) and the Springboks at Perth (25,718) were disappointingly low. The ARU's chief executive, Bill Pulver, thinks the massive loss to the All Blacks in Auckland has severely damaged the credibility of the Wallabies. Wallaby supporters, like supporters in all the codes around the world don't take kindly to seeing their team being thrashed.
There could be other significant factors, though. Two hours before the Gold Coast Test there was a broadcast of the All Blacks – Springboks match. Thousands of local ex-pat New Zealanders would have watched this match at home or in bars. The stadium at the Gold Coast, too, is somewhat isolated and lacks the atmosphere and the history to be a viable and attractive Test venue.
The ARU needs to follow the example of most of the major rugby nations and play Tests at a handful of heartland grounds, Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, and ANZ Stadium and Allianz Stadium in Sydney. The Wallaby Tests should be showcase events for the rugby code. They should not be missionary efforts to promote rugby in alien territories. Super Rugby and the NRC tournament can provide this service.
From talking to many rugby people and from a close reading of the rugby sites, I sense that there is a feeling in the rugby community that there is a sense of drift in the leadership of the game in Australia. Ewen McKenzie is Coach Grumpy who is not delivering on his promise that "I know how to defeat New Zealand teams."
The ARU, too, seems to be indifferent to the concerns of supporters. The opening match of the NRC, for instance, featured two teams playing in yellow jerseys. Nothing annoys viewers more than colour clashes like this. There was no defence of the referee George Clancy (and the Wallabies) when he was severely criticised for giving a yellow card to Bryan Habana for a dangerous tackle on Adam Ashley-Cooper. Ashley-Cooper missed the All Blacks Test with a neck injury.
The Wallabies are a work in progress. But it's time for the Wallaby coach and the ARU to raise their game.
