Rugby World Cup: What Wallabies, Rugby Australia must do to fix mess, Brendan Cannon

The time to hit the reset button is long overdue. But for Rugby Australia to really address their many problems and stabilise, there must be a truly independent review, writes Brendan Cannon.

Rugby Australia must have a truly independent review in order to stabilise after a disastrous World Cup campaign. Picture: Getty Images.

There’s been a lot of talk behind the scenes in Australian rugby about centralisation, but the biggest thing Rugby Australia needs right now is stabilisation.

We can all agree the World Cup campaign has been an absolute disaster and the time for the reset button is long overdue.

But for Rugby Australia to really address the issues and reconnect the community to the professional ranks, there must be honest conversations and a truly independent review into how we got into this mess.

There are four years until the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia; enough time to get it right, but only if we truly embrace the change required to get the Wallabies back to the top rather than simply holding onto the golden era.

Rugby Australia must have a truly independent review in order to stabilise after a disastrous World Cup campaign. Picture: Getty Images.

STABILISATION

Stabilisation will come in a multi-tiered approach, but the first thing Rugby Australia must do is get Wallabies coach Eddie Jones under tighter management.

The Wallabies head coach is one of the most prominent and prestigious positions in Australian sport and you need your coach behaving in a manner that befits the brand.

I rate Eddie as a coach but his behaviour has been really poor and unprofessional.

Rugby Australia has allowed him to behave arrogantly and condescending to the world’s media without coming out and condemning his behaviour. It’s concerning and unacceptable.

The media connects the Wallabies to our supporters and corporate partners. If a player held a press conference and spoke the way Eddie did they would be fined and possibly even suspended, so why is the coach any different?

The first thing Rugby Australia must do is get Wallabies coach Eddie Jones under tighter management, writes Cannon. Picture: Getty Images

What example does Rugby Australia want to set when you allow the coach to behave so loosely and unprofessionally on the world stage.

If that’s the impression they want Rugby Australia to have across the world, then god help us.

Nothing has been more disheartening to come out of this World Cup than to see some our staunchest and most loyal supporters, people who saved their hard-earned dollars to go to France, come out and say they’re both sad and angry at what had happened and the complete disconnect with the team because of the way the coach was behaving.

That is not reflective of what made Australian rugby great.

HARD CONVERSATIONS

Rugby Australia needs to get a better feel for the room and a better feel for its stakeholders and constituents.

But the talk about centralisation is concerning with some of the states offended by the term sheets. We need to make sure all parties are on the same bus and headed in the same direction together.

I like the fact the Angus Crichton offer has been withdrawn. That is the first step to show they’re listening to the wider rugby audience.

I did find it bemusing we were pursuing an athlete from another code who had extended time off for personal reasons this year, but we’re not going down that path anymore and that’s a positive move.

But we need to start again. Wipe the slate clean and complete a truly independent review – with the emphasis on independent.

Cannon has praised Rugby Australia for pulling their offer to Sydney Roosters star Angus Crichton. Picture: NRL Photos

The integrity of the review comes down to who undertakes it. You cannot have invested stakeholders reviewing their own processes or systems that contributed to this mess.

For integrity there must be former Wallabies captains and players involved who are respected and invested in what the game needs.

They need to be chosen to be brave, strong and truthful in their objectiveness and not bias toward those involved.

I think someone like Brett Papworth should be involved too. Rugby Australia might see him as an agitator but he understands the game, he understands the challenges and can connect community rugby to the top of the game.

If we are going to hit the reset button, lets hit it with intent of what it means and completely start again.

If that means a few on the mothership need to get off, then that is what is required.

The only way to do that is to stabilise the already rocky and tumultuous ship called Rugby Australia and to quell and settle the Indians that want to burn the castle down.

And the ultimate reset opportunity might start with the chairman.

Cannon has called on Brett Papworth (left) to be involved in an independent review.

PLAYING GROUP

We need to appreciate how unbelievably challenging this World Cup has been to the players, especially with their exposure to social media.

The negative commentary on every platform about the players and about the coach was impossible to escape.

You need to understand the impact that has on their physical and emotional wellbeing.

Now is the time that we as supporters need to embrace the playing group, support and let them know we believe in them for the future.

The wider community is questioning everything they’re all about, but we must back them for the future if we’re to turn this all around in the coming years.

If Eddie truly believes this group he took to the World Cup is the right group for the future and it just didn’t work out this time, then he needs to show stability and stick with them for the long haul.

Endure the lessons and come out the other side stronger.

But you can’t keep chopping and changing key positions. You can’t keep changing your captain.

If Eddie truly believes in this young Wallabies squad, he must stick with them for the long term. Picture: Getty Images.

There’s been far too many unnecessary changes game to game – nine, 10, front row, back row – all it’s done is create anxiety and an unstable work environment when what they needed above all else was stability.

It is hard to perform in a team that is faltering and it’s why even in a World Cup picked on youth you can’t really say any player has stood out to show they are the future.

I think the emotional anxiety fatigued the team and they carried it every game.

Even against Portugal we didn’t own them, we didn’t dominate or control the game.

We struggled against the 16th ranked nation in the world. Maybe that is how far we have slipped.

We keep holding onto the golden era and those lofty heights, but maybe this is the new rugby landscape and a true reflection of our reality.

We can’t accept that. Australia is too good of a rugby nation, we produce too many great athletes to think this is good enough.

We can win the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia. We just need to get our back of house in order.

Originally published as Rugby World Cup: What Wallabies, Rugby Australia must do to fix mess, Brendan Cannon