0
Elsom reveals Brumbies' dramas
- Wayne Smith
- From: The Australian
- April 27, 2010 12:00AM
WALLABIES captain Rocky Elsom has confirmed he had a disagreement with Brumbies coach Andy Friend in the build-up to last weekend's Waratahs game but insists there is no disharmony within the ACT side.
Any discord within the Brumbies is entirely directed at the referee, who dealt so harshly with them when they lost in Sydney to the Waratahs, the same man who is scheduled to control their next match, against the Queensland Reds in Canberra on Saturday night -- Steve Walsh.
It is understood the Brumbies are attempting to persuade SANZAR referees boss Lyndon Bray to rescind Walsh's appointment, believing they have no chance of getting a fair go from him if he controls the final Australian derby of the season.
"I don't know if we would turn up," said Matt Giteau, when asked how the Brumbies would react if Walsh is not stood down. "What's the point?"
Asked for his opinion of Walsh's decision to disallow what seemed an obvious try by Brumbies centre Adam Ashley-Cooper, Giteau responded: "Like everyone who knows rugby, that was a try."
ACT boss Andrew Fagan last night refused to comment when asked about the moves to remove Walsh. But it is understood the club sought the support of ARU high performance manager David Nucifora -- the Brumbies coach when they last won the Super rugby title in 2004. SANZAR has introduced a promotion-relegation system for referees and indeed dropped another Australian referee, Paul Marks, after his failure to award a match-winning penalty try to the Sharks against the Waratahs earlier this season.
Elsom yesterday also poured cold water on suggestions that his personal relationship with Friend, whose contract with the Brumbies runs through until the end of the 2011 season, was a potential deal-breaker when he decides whether to remain in Canberra next year. "No, I don't think so," Elsom said. "That's not a real issue."
Friend confirmed to The Australian last week that there were too many voices giving opinions on the field and stressed that for the Waratahs match the talking would be done by captain Stephen Hoiles and the halves pairing of Josh Valentine and Matt Giteau. Conspicuously, he made no mention of the current Australian captain having any input. Australian rugby circles were buzzing last week about a showdown between the Brumbies coach and his star recruit and even Elsom admitted everyone he saw had been questioning him about it.
"Look, we had a disagreement but we're fine now," Elsom said. "There's no real tension. It was awkward for the other players who watched it. He said this happened. I said that happened but after that we were fine."
Elsom insisted that while there were some things that the players were not happy with in terms of their own performances, they were working with the coaching staff to fix it. "That's the way it's got to be," Elsom said. "There is no disharmony. Disunity is not something we've got in our bag at the moment."
That is just as well because the Brumbies will need to find their long-lost A-game if they are to maintain on Saturday their record of never having lost to the Reds in Canberra.
"They're causing a lot of trouble," said Elsom of the Queensland side. "Their forward pack has performed better than expected and that's giving Will Genia and Quade Cooper the platform to do what they do.
"They're playing well enough to topple the best sides."
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news...-1225858532960
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by jargan83
