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My vision for the Wallabies
Ewen McKenzie | September 22, 2007
It's no secret that I've thrown my hat into the ring for the Wallaby head coaching position but what's not so well known are my thoughts on the top job.
In recent years the Wallabies have been coached in a variety of ways.
The most successful international rugby programs have not only delivered world cups but maintained success in between.
Maintaining momentum in Australian rugby is a skill. John O'Neill can do it, Rod Macqueen understood the dynamics and I believe Pat Howard also understands the complexities. The new coach will have to add to the momentum.
The Australian Rugby Union will compare the current set-up with other successful models and it will also examine the recent past.
You don't need to go too far back to look at the culture and dynamics created in the days of Macqueen, our most successful Wallaby coach. He did it with cutting-edge planning, good management, assembling quality players and engaging staff to compliment strengths and weaknesses in the program.
He also dedicated time to engage the nation and stakeholders. It was a constant vigil throughout his term and critical in helping the Wallabies to win regularly.
There is always luck along the way but having worked with Macqueen in the Bledisloe and Tri Nations cup winning teams of 2000, and the series win over the Lions in 2001, I learned to appreciate the bigger picture.
Macqueen demonstrated that the coaching of the team was only a part of the job. Remember the Wallabies only form between June and November but the national team program is a year-round business.
Moving through the next four-year cycle is going to take some lateral thinking. The game needs smooth transition to new rules, consolidate its heartland and its role in sustaining Wallaby success, restructure the development of players and take a strong stand on the way we approach our playing program in between world cups so that all Test matches matter.
One of the keys for the Wallabies is to assemble a like-minded bunch to attain these goals.
Recruitment and selection sound simple but in reality it's the opposite. Succession planning is the head coach's bread and butter.
The four years between world cups requires the selection of athletes in critical playing positions that can contribute to a game of variety. A long term vision is essential.
It would be ridiculous to expect or try and homogenise the Australian provinces into a single playing style. Rather we should encourage and celebrate the diversity as this gives us players to play anytime, against anyone, anywhere.
The job of the head coach will be to communicate with the provinces. The states need to understand how the Wallabies want to play and how they can be part of the program. Conversely, the head coach needs to understand the provinces' demands and aspirations. It's a two-way street.
So what are the priorities? Fixing our record on the road and in the wet is a good start. This will require attitude, knowledge and skill.
Culture is critical and starts with the team but needs to extend to the organisation and grassroots and this is where the head coach must be able to have influence.
If the team goes well the expectation is that the base goes well too.
Graham Henry and Clive Woodward have also been very good at engaging the broader rugby family in their respective countries to help deliver a championship team.
Not heroes for a day but champions for a term. If we win the cup in October our real challenge is going to be whether we can make the hard decisions to move forward or whether we join England and spend the next four years standing still.
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