Mystifying lack of regret from Aussie rugby boss
Would the Titanic captain do the same again?
The Eddie Jones World Cup fiasco continues to haunt Australian rugby.
The results in France were bad enough. It now seems highly likely Jones will be coaching Japan, where he remains a revered figure after leading the Brave Blossoms to a 34-32 upset against the Springboks at the 2015 World Cup.
To be fair to Fast Eddie, he’s now apologised numerous times to Aussie fans for what happened in France at the Cup.
Rugby Australia chairman Hamish McLennan, the key man in sacking Dave Rennie and appointing Jones as Wallabies coach, has also apologised for the World Cup performances.
But remarkably, he’s also said that while hiring Jones wasn’t his decision alone, he “was certainly an advocate for Eddie, and I think given the circumstances I would make the same call again”.
There’s always been a touch of a destructive element in Australian rugby, often along state lines. A prime example has been the reluctance to appoint a Queenslander national coach. Successful Reds coach John “Knuckles” Connolly had to spend six years coaching in Europe before the powerbrokers in Sydney gave him a shot at the Wallabies in 2006.
If there’s now brutal internecine strife across the Tasman, no pleasure should be felt in New Zealand. Super Rugby, already badly missing South African teams, needs the Australian sides to be strong if the competition is to win hearts and minds.
I’m with Nigel
Nigel Owens is one of my favourite people in rugby. We’ve never met, but in 2016, he gave a wonderful charity speech in Auckland, speaking of his experiences as a young man in a conservative Welsh town when he acknowledged his sexuality.
The trauma he went through before he did must surely have been an element in how bravely he refereed, never afraid to trust his considerable skill and judgement. So it’s no surprise he feels so keenly about referees having their powers usurped by Television Match Officials.
When you’ve refereed 100 tests, you surely deserve to be listened to. He suggests a return to what TMOs were originally brought into the game for, to help referees decide whether a try has been scored. Owens believes the referee, who at the top level is now connected electronically with two sideline assistants, is the one who should make all the rest of the calls, not someone in front of a screen. I’ve never agreed with a referee more.
What does she really think?
The intrusion of corporate speak into the professional game means my nomination for the rugby quote of the year faces little competition.
A passionate outburst from Polly Barnes, the co-founder of the Women’s Rugby Association and wife of World Cup final referee Wayne Barnes, would leave other challengers kicking in the dust.
Her tweet? “What a vile atmosphere at the Stade de France. It’s just a game **** heads . . . See ya later World Rugby Cup. Won’t miss you, or the death threats.”