And then there were two

[Burgs]

In what is reportedly now a two horse race, who would get your vote to be the next Wallabies Coach?

From Rugby Heaven:

The battle for the Wallabies coaching job has become a two-horse race.

Applications close on Friday in the ARU's worldwide search - but anyone considering putting in a late proposal shouldn't bother. Either Ewen McKenzie or John Connolly will be appointed to the toughest job in Australian sport in early February, when the ARU intends to make its decision public.

It is understood Australian rugby's governing body does not want a foreigner to coach the code's flagship team, which rules out former England coach Clive Woodward, who is rumoured to have applied, and former All Blacks coach John Mitchell.

The ARU launched its search for Eddie Jones's successor in newspapers nationwide and over the internet - oddly, in the days leading up to Christmas.

The advertisement stipulated that the person appointed must have "a minimum of seven years' coaching experience at the international and/or professional level, preferably at the Head or Senior coaching level".

It is a requirement that rules out Super 12-winning former Brumbies coach and new Auckland boss David Nucifora. It is doubtful whether Nucifora would have had the support of key Wallabies players, but he has had only three years as head coach at the Brumbies as well as 2005 as a coaching consultant at Auckland.

In contrast, McKenzie has spent two years as an assistant coach with the Brumbies under Jones in 1999 and 2000, four years as a Wallabies assistant under Rod Macqueen and then Jones from 2000 to 2003, and this season will be his third in charge of the Waratahs.

Connolly spent 13 years as head coach of Queensland between 1988 and 2000, which included a Super 10 win, and two years with French club Stade Francais. He returned to Australia last month after 2½ years in control of English premiership club Bath.

Interviews for the Wallabies post are likely to begin in the next fortnight, with McKenzie saying he is looking forward to it.

"It might be a two-way interview," he said last week.

Meanwhile Connolly, who writes a column for The Sun-Herald, confirmed yesterday for the first time that he was interested in becoming the Wallabies' head coach, a position he narrowly missed out on in 1995 to Waratahs coach Greg Smith.

"I have been a professional coach for a number of years and obviously it would be an honour to be appointed as Wallabies coach," he said. "But there are a number of quality people interested in doing the job. I'm prepared to listen to anything the ARU wants to talk about and will just have to see where the cards fall. At the moment it's really just a matter of wait and see."

Former Wallabies coach Bob Dwyer, who led Australia to World Cup glory in England in 1991 and has had input into the search for the new Wallabies mentor, said McKenzie and Connolly were probably the leading local candidates but that no one should be ruled out yet.

"I didn't know that seven years of coaching was going to be in the ad for the job," he said. "I would have thought that Nucifora would still have been considered, and that foreign coaches would have been considered. I'm not concerned about looks, it's results that count."

McKenzie took the Waratahs, the sleeping giants of the Super 12 competition, to their first provincial final last year and broke down many barriers in the process, including beating Queensland for the first time in the tournament's history and claiming their first win in Canberra. But in his first year in charge NSW were not nearly as successful, and in some sectors there is the feeling that he may not quite be ready for the top job.

Connolly has not been a prominent figure in Australian rugby in recent years but is not in charge of a Super 14 side, meaning he could devote all his team to reviving the Wallabies' fortunes.

[Sagerian]

Connolly sounds like the right choice but McKenzie should be allowed to help the forwards out.

[Burgs]

Crikey Sage, I was sure the "blue blood" would sway you there!
Hopefully the years of blatant Red v Blue (off the field!) are coming to an end sometime soon for the advancement of the Australian game? Not holding my breath though!
I think there are several candidates who should be able to help with specialist coaching but Connolly is the only one with the all round package for mine.
Perhaps the ARU should be holding a "Coaching Summit" each season with all the leading coaches having week long camp at Coffs with the extended Wallabies Squad prior to International season and the Wallabies Coaching Staff then taking over in the build up to the first match of the year?
Get all the brains in the same "room" and get a common direction with the best ideas.
I would include the likes of the Ellas, past Wallaby Coaches (Dwyer, McQueen et al) and the next generation coming through the club scene.
It would need a special Head Coach to allow this to happen though and not let their ego to get in the way.
Any thoughts?

[Sagerian]

Well it's a tough choice for me but I think McKenzie needs a few more years at super 14level and.. well.. some achievments before he could go for the national job.

[Sagerian]

McKenzie has pulled out too apparently.

http://www.theage.com.au/news/Sport/...655113308.html

[Burgs]

And Fisher too, although always a roughy, so looks like Connolly is an unbackable favourite for the gig.

Despite the spin doctoring, there is no way that Link would have pulled out if he thought he had the best chance to coach the national side.
("It's a very big decision for me to make and one that I did not take lightly. But when the Wallabies joined the rest of our squad on the country tour last week, I came to the realisation that I was part of something special and that I could become a much better coach by staying at New South Wales and finishing what I started two years ago.")

The departure of Kumar seems to have had a ripple effect and there seems to be a bit of a changing of the guard at the ARU.

Who else do people think may have an outside chance now that the original names have all been eliminated?

Perhaps a mass exodus from Bath to join past Head Coach Connolly is on the cards?
Currently, Australians at Bath are:
Mike Foley, Forwards Coach (50 Australian Test Caps)
Richard Graham, Backs Coach (ex Qld Reds, Australian Sevens Captain)
Geoff Clark, Head of Sports Medicine (previously medico with Brisbane Broncos NRL)
Dan Vickers, Rehabilitation Expert (previously medico with Manly Marlins NSWRU)
Scott Murphy, Head of Strength & Conditioning (former Qld Schools Captain, physical conditioning and development for Brisbane Lions AFL during three premierships, coaches Aus Olympian shot putter Jason Anzerlark)
Chris Gaviglio, Strength & Conditioning (former Aus discus champ)
http://www.bathrugby.com/29_100.php?...4f14f1cd20aaa3

Makes for a fairly formidable team who have all worked together!

[Sagerian]

Does anyone know if Nucifora actually applied? I know he's contracted but I'm just curious.

[Burgs]

My understanding is that he was approached to put in an application however he remained committed to his current contract.

[Burgs]

Word in the media is that Nucifora hasn't pulled out but also doesn't match the requirement to have coached at senior level for (I think?) seven years.
Also Robbie Deans, a kiwi and the most successful S12 coach with the Canterbury Crusaders, is a late challenge to Connolly however has to overcome the apparent unwritten biase against appointing an overseas candidate.

Read it all on Fox Sports http://foxsports.news.com.au/story/0...-23217,00.html

[Burgs]

The field continues to narrow.

From Fox Sports:

CRUSADERS coach Robbie Deans has ruled himself as a contender for the vacant Australia job.

"I'm committed to the Crusaders," the former All Black said today. With NSW Waratahs coach Ewen McKenzie announcing on Monday he wasn't interested in replacing the axed Eddie Jones, speculation was mounting that Deans was a strong candidate

Deans, reluctant to discuss the job, did confirm no-one from the Australian Rugby Union has contacted him "directly".

"I'm aware they are advertising the job and I was made aware of that ... (but) it's not an option," he said.

[Burgs]

Having seen him in action more recently than any of us Flat-top, what are your thoughts of Connolly's suitability to take over the Wallaby's?
He certainly appears to have been in charge of some good changes of fortune at Bath?