0
So correct me if I am wrong but that is "held" as in the past-tense?Rugby World Cup: players praise Wallabies coach Michael Cheika for uniting rival franchises
Iain Payten
The Daily Telegraph
April 01, 2015 6:08PM
AUSTRALIA’S World Cup hopefuls have been asked by coach Michael Cheika to rate their Super Rugby form each week online as part of the Wallabies’ campaign to bring back Bill for a record third time.
Cheika revealed the unique self-assessment project on Wednesday as he and Wallabies players talked up the benefits of the three-day camp held in Brisbane at the weekend.
A group of 51 players and coaches got together and though no training was done, Cheika said a combination of laughs, deep-and-meaningful honesty sessions and some hard strategic thinking saw the Wallabies aspirants begin the all-important work of bonding ahead of the World Cup.
“One of the big parts about being successful in rugby is having a team that’s close, and united. Good team spirit,” Cheika said.
“We had a bit of fun while we were up there, and we got serious on a few issues as well.
“What’s best was the players had the opportunity to mix in a genuine environment where they could talk about footy, talk about what they want to do later in the year and talk honestly in front of each other.”
“They were very receptive to ideas and they weren’t shy to speak when we asked them about some topics that maybe footballers aren’t always talking about in front of other footballers. It was really positive.”
Michael Hooper, the Wallabies captain last year, said the camp had been a “monumental leap forward for us as a group.”
“That’s what Michael has tried to get. He has tried to get us playing against each other one night and be really good mates again the next day,” he said.
Wallabies hopefuls have been tasked with the job of assessing their own form each week, said Cheika, primarily based around unspecified “criteria” he deems important to the Wallabies’ gamestyle.
The criteria would likely include things like work rate, support lines and effective contact.
“Every team is playing differently so we are not worried about the shape of the game at all,” Cheika said.
“We have asked them to go through their game and critique their performance on those criteria mainly so they can understand the criteria. Not as much about scoring and reviewing.
“They will continue doing that. We have an online system week by week going forward to the end of the season, so we can track form.”
Cheika praised Australia’s Super Rugby coaches for allowing the mid-season camp to proceed, despite the fact many sacrificed preparation time for their next Super Rugby games.
“The coaches have been outstanding. Everyone has their own issues around coaching but no-one hesitated for the release of their players,” he said.
“Everyone is putting in around the country to make sure they’re doing their little bit, so the team can be successful later on in the year.”
Lets look at the logistics of last weekend for the 5 teams prospective Wallabies to attend a camp in Brisbane:
- Reds - played at home in Brisbane on Friday night
- Rebels - played in Wellington Friday night, not that far to fly to Brisbane
- Waratahs - played in Sydney on Saturday night, not far to get to Brisbane
- Brumbies - Bye
- Force - IN DURBAN!
If they are being so bloody inclusive why the hell wouldn't they have held it in Melbourne this week where the Rebels are hosting the Reds, the Force and Tahs have the bye and the Brumbies would have a short trip down from playing at home in Canberra???