1
DUNCAN JOHNSTONE
Last updated 11:18 08/10/2014
Outspoken former All Blacks coach John Mitchell says Australian rugby players "don't have much respect for authority" compared to their New Zealand and South African counterparts.
Mitchell airs his views in his autobiography titled Mitch - The Real Story.
Mitchell has vast coaching experience in New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and England.
As the Wallabies get set to deal with the latest episode in the troubled career of Kurtley Beale, Mitchell provides a fascinating summation of the Australian mindset, drawn from his time in charge of the Western Force in Super Rugby from 2005 till 2010.
"One thing I picked up is that Australian players like to take ownership quickly," he wrote.
"They don't have much respect for authority and constantly challenge you to relinquish your leadership, even when it involves ideas and strategies.
"This is very different from the ethos I have found in New Zealand and South African rugby.
"It might be because the playing group in Australia is comparatively so much smaller. There are only seven schools in Brisbane where rugby union is played and two private schools competitions in Sydney. The schools in Perth are new to the game.
"So there is a self-preservation instinct, in the sense that they see selection as more important than their development. Australian players always need to be selected to play and there is a greater awareness or rival codes, such as rugby league and Australian rules football.
"The players' association in Australia is also extremely influential, and the player unions that exist within the teams are much more prominent in Australian sides than elsewhere."
Mitchell coached in England, including a stint as England's assistant coach, before coaching the Chiefs' Super 12 side for 2001. He coached the All Blacks from late-2001 until the 2003 World Cup when he was axed after their semifinal exit.
He subsequently moved to Perth, but left the Force job prematurely.
He moved on to South Africa where he now lives.
He coached the Golden Lions in Johannesburg from 2010-12 before making a widely publicised exit amid reported concerns over his player management, although he was subsequently cleared.
Mitchell is now involved with university rugby in Durban where he also does TV analysis and is chief executive of Egli, a manufacturing company in Pietermaritzburg.
He has been linked to the Sharks Super Rugby job vacated by Jake White.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/i...-for-authority