Wallabies in dire straits ahead of World Cup and there’s no hope on horizon
The end of the Wallabies' 2018 campaign could not come quick enough for Michael Cheika and his squad, and it seems appropriate it closed with a convincing defeat to England.
Why appropriate?
The 37-18 loss at Twickenham, the Wallabies' ninth defeat from 13 Tests this year, showcased how much Australia is struggling in men's rugby and no spin can be applied when assessing its chances at next year's World Cup in Japan.
But the problems faced by Australian rugby go deeper than matchday results, as drastic off-field change must take place if the Wallabies are to return to their status as a superpower of the sport.
So, where does Australian men's rugby sit ahead of the 2019 World Cup and how can it move forward?
Sacking Cheika is the wrong move
Elite-level team sport operates on win-loss records, so it is little wonder those commentators calling for Cheika's sacking have latched onto the fact Australia has produced its lowest winning percentage in a calendar year since 1958 (in seasons consisting of 10 or more Tests).
Four victories from 13 Tests — at 31 per cent — is unacceptable and Cheika has now lost nine matches in a season twice, with his 2018 return as Wallabies coach matching his 2016 record.
Getting rid of Cheika, however, is not the answer.
There are several reasons Cheika has not been able to do the most he can with this Wallabies squad, namely he does not have the players at his disposal, nor is he being assisted by the administration of the game in Australia.
Additionally, the World Cup in Japan is only 10 months away and there is hardly a plentiful list of available candidates in Australia and overseas who could slip into the role should Rugby Australia give Cheika his marching orders.
It must be acknowledged Cheika has not helped his cause with questionable team selections and poor matchday strategy during the 2018 international season, but sacking the coach would be the wrong move in the build-up to the World Cup.
Rugby Australia's system 'is not right'
Eddie Jones may now be coaching England, however he is better placed than most to comment on Australian rugby's problems, as he coached the Wallabies from 2001 to 2005 before being sacked.
He faced similar off-field issues to what is confronting Cheika, and he did not hold back in identifying the influence enjoyed by New South Wales and Queensland in Australian rugby when he spoke to the media after England's defeat of the Wallabies.
"You can criticise a coach but if your system is not right then you have to look at the system and if I was involved in Australian rugby, and I am not, you cannot have two of your biggest provinces bankrupt and still having all the control in the game," Jones said.
Raelene Castle has copped far too much criticism during her first 12 months as Rugby Australia chief executive, given she hardly took charge of a well-oiled machine. However, she has no choice now but to adopt a tougher stance in running the game.
For Jones, much of it comes down to Rugby Australia using a centralised system where it takes greater control over its four Super Rugby teams.
"With Ireland and New Zealand — particularly with Ireland — if you have a centralised system for a small player pool you can be a very good team and consistent and Australia doesn't have that and that is what they need and that advice is for free," he said.
Rugby Australia would be wise to take note of Jones's "free" advice, as the error of its ways up to this point may continue to have an impact beyond next year's World Cup.
No light at the end of the tunnel for Wallabies
Australia has plumbed the depths of despair in men's rugby on a number of occasions, including 1977 when it did not even play a single Test because of financial reasons, and 1997 when the Wallabies were humiliated 61-22 by South Africa, a result that led to then-coach Greg Smith being sacked.
But in both years there was always light at the end of the tunnel.
The 1977/78 Australian schoolboys team, who completed its tour of Japan and Europe undefeated, featured 10 future Wallabies, including the Ella brothers, and is regarded by many as the greatest national side Australia produced at any level of rugby.
And when the Wallabies were stumbling 20 years later in the early stages of the professional era, Australia possessed arguably the best under 21 side in the world, which illustrated its pathways were on the right track in terms of nurturing junior talent.
The fact Australia's pathways are broken is among the reasons the Wallabies have struggled in 2018.
Get rid of Australian rugby's old school-tie mentality
No-one with their finger on the pulse can suggest the current crop of talent coming through the ranks of the men's game is providing any reason for optimism about the Wallabies' future chances at the World Cup.
The cupboard is bare, evident by the results of Australia's under-20 program, which has failed to register even a top-four finish at the world championships since 2011, while the national schoolboys side has not beaten New Zealand in six years.
A focus on school rugby is crucial because for far too long students at public schools have been neglected, as many in the positions of power in the sport have wanted to maintain the image that it is the domain of the private schoolboy.
It was galling to hear former Australian Rugby Union (now Rugby Australia) chief executive Bill Pulver in 2016 describe public schools as being a "massive opportunity" for growth in rugby, seemingly ignoring they had already produced so many of Australia's most talented players.
Mark Ella, David Campese and George Smith — to name but a few — attended public schools, while the likes of Michael O'Connor, Ray Price and Russell Fairfax could have enjoyed lengthy careers in international rugby had they not switched to rugby league when the 15-person code was still amateur.
Rugby Australia needs to be proactive when it comes to improving the pathways in men's rugby but as Jones pointed out, the national governing body needs to get its house in order on a number of fronts.
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ABC .net
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