Cheika planning change of Wallaby tactics
Speculation mounts Wallabies coach Michael Cheika is considering a radical overhaul of tactics.
After the expansive, lateral style of play failed to yield results last year, it’s understood Cheika is keen to revert to a tighter game plan based around hard running from the base of the ruck, which he deployed successfully when coaching the Waratahs to the 2014 Super Rugby premiership, reports the Sydney Daily Telegraph.
Cheika identified a lack of agreement with Wallabies attack coach Stephen Larkham in his post-season review late last year and Larkham was this week sacked from the role.
But Aussie Super Rugby coaches will not be looking to imitate any Wallaby game plans into their own systems this year.
NSW coach Daryl Gibson, who was Cheika’s attack coach in 2014, said: “A lot of the decisions around how you play is based on what you’ve got, you look at the 2014 team and if you were offered that forward pack you’d take it in a heartbeat.
“They were some big, bruising men. Every team adapts to what you’ve got on your roster.
“If we can be as good as what we were in attack last season I’d take that, our growth really is in defence, we conceded way too many tries and often too easily. “We are doing things differently to how Australia want things done, it’s a nice two-way conversation, I believe diversity breeds a really good outcome.” Brumbies coach Dan McKellar said there could be alignment around core skills but “I think around how one team will defend and one team will attack, that’s where the coaches have to make up their own game plans. I don’t think Michael would expect that of us.”
Australia’s coaches will also make executive calls that could overrule Cheika’s requests if they feel a particular match is too important for their own campaign for a star player to sit out.
McKellar was the centre of an ugly tug-of-war last year when he was asked to stand down David Pocock, Scott Sio and Allan Alaalatoa from a match against the Sunwolves so they could be fresh for the test against Ireland.
The Brumbies, facing crowd slumps, rejected the idea and in a compromise played the trio for the first half only.