The job nobody wants
30 Jan 2006
John Connolly will fulfill a lifetime ambition when he is named as Wallaby coach next week.
The former Reds coach was not among the favourites to succeed Eddie Jones when the job was first advertised, but is the last man standing after the other leading candidates withdrew or showed no interest in applying.
Waratahs coach Ewen McKenzie opted to stay in Sydney after receiving a better package and more control over the team, while new Blues coach David Nucifora – who was shafted by the Brumbies two years ago – has opted to stay in New Zealand, at least for the moment.
“The timing would not have been right for me and also you have family issues as well where you’re moving around from place to place all the time, and that can become quite difficult for coaches,” Nucifora told the Sydney Morning Herald. “But mainly I had a commitment to meet with these guys and I’m really enjoying it and I think that’s not to be overlooked and I’ve also been given a good opportunity being the first Australian to coach in New Zealand.”
Meanwhile, Greg Growden reports that the ARU are trying to get former Wallaby coach Rod Mcqueen back on board as an assistant/advisor to Connolly.
At least two officials have been eager for Macqueen, who is part of the selection panel to appoint the new Australian coach, to take a more senior hands-on role in the 2007 World Cup campaign.
45 Comments
30 Jan 2006, 12:06 pm
Bwahahahahahahaaha
30 Jan 2006, 12:07 pm
Give it to Straeuli or Putt
30 Jan 2006, 12:11 pm
Yeah – Putty’s your man!
30 Jan 2006, 12:15 pm
no
take kobus van der merwe.
30 Jan 2006, 12:19 pm
wonder if it’s too late for me to apply?
30 Jan 2006, 12:19 pm
Putt – what a f&*% wit.. He was actually the main reason for the Sharks terrible season…
Can anybody name the Australian front row at the 1991 world cup – Ewen Mc Kenzie is one of them????
30 Jan 2006, 12:23 pm
Bigg
Was Phil Kearns there?
30 Jan 2006, 12:27 pm
i dont know, but they could scrum at least
30 Jan 2006, 12:29 pm
Al baxter?
30 Jan 2006, 12:29 pm
Spook – yes Phil Kearns, Ewen Mc Kenzie & someone else???? If one of you get it thats impressive…
30 Jan 2006, 12:41 pm
Tony Daly?
30 Jan 2006, 12:43 pm
Give them Markies!
30 Jan 2006, 12:54 pm
Xaviera Hollander?
30 Jan 2006, 13:01 pm
robd, i think you’re right. i think it was before dan crowly came onto the scene.
30 Jan 2006, 13:05 pm
this is actually a no-brainer. it would’ve been suicide for mckenzie, nucifora or deans to take up the coaching position right after a gruelling s14 season. that would’ve left them with less than 18 months to prepare for the world cup.
knuckles is the best option; he’s available immediately.
30 Jan 2006, 13:25 pm
Tony Daly, Phil Kearns, Ewen McKenzie
30 Jan 2006, 13:27 pm
1991Rugby World Cup Final: Australia 12 England 6
Australia: Marty Roebuck; Bob Egerton, Jason Little, Tim Horan, David Campese; Michael Lynagh, Nick Farr-Jones; Tony Daly, Phil Kearns, Ewen McKenzie; John Eales, Rod McCall; Willy Ofahengaue, Simon Poidevin, Troy Coker
England: Jon Webb; Rory Underwood, Jeremy Guscott, Will Carling, Simon Halliday; Rob Andrew, Richard Hill; Jason Leonard, Brian Moore, Jeff Probyn; Paul Ackford, Wade Dooley; Mickey Skinner, Peter Winterbottom, Mike Teague
30 Jan 2006, 13:44 pm
I got it first!
30 Jan 2006, 13:54 pm
Daly, Kearns and McKenzie was our last really strong front row combination.
30 Jan 2006, 13:59 pm
Well done RobD. It just shows us Sharkies are on the ball
30 Jan 2006, 14:12 pm
Thanks Fawtly.
30 Jan 2006, 14:16 pm
Rob D – I have been out the office… Impressive well done… Tony Daly it is… He kind of reminds me of Matt Dunning?? Fat boy
30 Jan 2006, 14:46 pm
had lots of hair, right?
30 Jan 2006, 15:04 pm
daly had curly hair
30 Jan 2006, 15:05 pm
yeah – looked like a big poof…
30 Jan 2006, 15:12 pm
I look like a **** with puffy cheeks…
30 Jan 2006, 15:46 pm
So a guy who coached the least successful Australian S12 team is now going to coach the canary yellows???
Actually I hear they wanted Straueli, but the Sharks were idiotic enough to employ him first, so he was unavailable.
30 Jan 2006, 15:53 pm
As in typical Aussie fashion, they will come out with new coach and whoop everyone lol.
30 Jan 2006, 15:56 pm
have they considered asking eddie jones to re-apply? I cant believe John Connelly is a better man for the job. He led the Queensland reds to nothing. and then took over at bath and achieved. well, nothing.
30 Jan 2006, 15:56 pm
And Tony Daly scored the winning try in that final
30 Jan 2006, 15:57 pm
The Shackledraggers got it wrong in the first place to appoint Jones. He’s an inbred yimie who rode Macqueen’s coat tails built on the success of the Brumbies.
The Wallabies as whole were built too much on the Brumbies philosophy: Buy as many good players as possible. Pay them too much. Teach them to play robotic NFL/NRL esque rugger. Suck the life out of any true Australian Rugby Union tradition by prostituting itself out to League and foreign players. The last Wallaby team that I respected was the 1991 RWC champions. Where are Farr-Jones, Horan, Little, Lynagh et al?
Connoly is a much better coach than Jones ever was. It is a pity that he has to take the reigns of a travelling roadshow disaster. He may build a great team, but won’t see the benefit of it in his own tenure.
30 Jan 2006, 16:12 pm
I heard clive woodward has applied for the England bowling coach position after Allan Donald withdrew his application….. Or was that the Aussie Moaner job… or the Bafana manager/coach…..or…..????
30 Jan 2006, 16:14 pm
Connolly a poor Reds coach, you are joking. The only thing that held him back, was his conservative game plans. He wasn’t given the job in the past as he wound up NSW and their old **** brigade.
30 Jan 2006, 16:16 pm
yomama, jones won a super 12 title that’s what got him the job.
Connolly won Super 10 titles with the Reds and took them to the top of the table in ’96 ( i think ).
30 Jan 2006, 17:42 pm
These ausies laughed at us and now we having the last laugh.
I wonder what does Clyde “the ausie” Rathbone have to say about all this.
30 Jan 2006, 17:58 pm
Knuckles Connoly is useless. This is the start of a few dark years for the boys from down under. No depth at junior levels, serious injury concerns, and now a useless coach. shame….
30 Jan 2006, 18:01 pm
Fawlty, Willie O scored the try – not Tony Daly.
30 Jan 2006, 18:10 pm
cheetha you goose. McKenzie and Daly scored the tried try.
As for the depth at junior levels (semis in under 19s and runners up in the u/21s).
31 Jan 2006, 00:39 am
BrumbyIV, THat too was built on Macqueen’s good work.
31 Jan 2006, 03:50 am
As a South African fan living in Australia I cannot help but have a quiet chuckle about the Aussies’s scrum problems. I have to swallow enough from their supporters at my rugby club every year.
Just one little thing to think about. If I am not mistaken the frontrow that struggled so much on the end of year tour is exactly the same one that had so much success for the Tahs during the super 12 and actually demolished the Bulls in the semis – maybe that is a point to ponder.
31 Jan 2006, 05:18 am
Yomama, from your opinion, you could say that Nucifora benefitted from Macqueen’s although he did his best to change what was already successful (in terms of culture).
31 Jan 2006, 10:51 am
Willi O set up the try. Tony D pounced on the ball to claim the try
31 Jan 2006, 16:42 pm
Daly and McKenzie both had their hands on the ball when the try was scored. I think McKenzie was officially given the try.
1 Feb 2006, 09:18 am
1991: Wallabies pip England
World Cup final, 2 November 1991
Twickenham
Australia 12
Try: Daly
Con: Lynagh
Pens: Lynagh (2)
England 6
Pens: Webb (2)
England had spent the entire tournament relying on their forwards and the boot of Rob Andrew.
But bizarrely they threw that out of the window come the final, instead opting for a more open, running style in a bid to crack the Australians.
It failed as the Wallabies took victory courtesy of a solitary converted try.
Again the final was not the classic many had hoped for, aside from two major turning points.
The first came in the opening half when the mighty Willie Ofahengaue broke from the line-out, ripping through the English defence in the process.
As the Wallaby forwards burrowed towards the opposition line, Tony Daly pounced across for the four points.
England were by no means out of the game after the restart and came within a fingertip of scoring.
Facing a 12-3 deficit, England boasted a clear overlap but David Campese pounced to knock forward a pass to the open Rory Underwood.
SKIPPER’S VERDICT
I recalled childhood memories of FA Cup captains at Wembley
Farr-Jones on lifting the Cup
Read his full story
Referee Derek Bevan opted for a penalty despite arguments from the English camp for a penalty try.
To this day, the argument drags on.
England insist Underwood would have easily ran in for the score, while the Australians argue he would have been caught by their back-tracking defenders.
Full-back Jonathan Webb slotted over the penalty but England’s only clear-cut chance had gone.
Campese, despite the infamous incident of the final, had proved to be one of the stars of the tournament as Australia went on to win as clearly the best side in the event.
——————————————————————————–
Australia: Marty Roebuck; Bob Egerton, Jason Little, Tim Horan, David Campese; Michael Lynagh, Nick Farr-Jones; Tony Daly, Phil Kearns, Ewen McKenzie; John Eales, Rod McCall; Willy Ofahengaue, Simon Poidevin, Troy Coker
England: Jon Webb; Rory Underwood, Jeremy Guscott, Will Carling, Simon Halliday; Rob Andrew, Richard Hill; Jason Leonard, Brian Moore, Jeff Probyn; Paul Ackford, Wade Dooley; Mickey Skinner, Peter Winterbottom, Mike Teague
1 Feb 2006, 09:18 am
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/rugby_world_cup/history/2960338.stm
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