Payto & Panda: Ewen McKenzie likes limited planning for Bledisloe; Tahs enjoy bull-riding
EWEN McKenzie believes the Wallabies could have a crucial advantage over the All Blacks heading into the Bledisloe Cup because of limited planning.
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WALLABIES coach Ewen McKenzie believes his side could have a crucial advantage over the All Blacks heading into the Bledisloe Cup because of limited planning.
Unlike previous Bledisloe campaigns where Wallaby players were drafted into camps and overloaded with information, McKenzie has allowed them to remain with their Super Rugby franchises until the end of the season, as he did leading into the French series.
“We took a gamble on that, and I was really pleased, it was an underlying success, bringing the players together in a week and then playing,” McKenzie said.
“I might say something different in 12 months’ time but I just think it had the right feel for me, where we allowed the Super teams to keep preparing unimpeded. We stop today, and tomorrow we prepare as Wallabies and get on with it.
“We didn’t overlap it, and I think that worked quite well in the Australian environment.
“I know the All Blacks have a camp next week, I assume the Crusaders guys are not involved. You end up with an overlap.
“We didn’t do that in June and it worked for us.
“Allowing players just to have one focus on their minds is a good thing, so they’re able to concentrate – so you don’t have to remember two sets of lineouts overlapping. Things like that were appreciated by the provincial teams and it worked for us too.
“That’s a collaborative approach to getting through a complicated season.”
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YOUNG gun Lalakai Foketi could sensationally sign for the Waratahs after changing his mind about defecting to French club Bayonne.
The Australian under-20s vice-captain signed for Bayonne two months ago in what was a big blow for the game.
The outstandingly gifted centre, tipped as a future Wallaby star, was lost to Australian rugby until a dramatic change of heart.
The Rebels rookie is now attempting to get out of his deal, but word from Melbourne is that if he remains in Australia, he will join NSW.
Foketi’s possible signing would be a coup for the Tahs, who are losing outside backs Alofa Alofa to France and Cameron Crawford to Melbourne.
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GIVEN that the old grudges between NSW and the ACT have been reignited this week, we thought it fitting to revisit one of the great stinks between the Tahs and Brumbies.
The infamous sideline brawl in 1997 between Brumby Troy Coker and Waratahs lock John Welborn was indicative of the dislike between the franchises, and now Coker has finally opened up on what caused the punch-up.
“He was puncing around with his chest out and I might have given it to him about being a ‘two-Test veteran’,” Coker told our man in Brisbane, Jim Tucker.
“There was this entitlement thing around NSW rugby that the Canberra boys had a real distaste for.”
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NUMEROUS Waratahs players spent their weekend off at the bull-riding last Saturday, and star centre Adam Ashley-Cooper was in awe of the athletes’ “nuts”.
The Tahs gang dressed as cowboys for the occasion and witnessed the brutal and thrilling action of the final round of Australia’s Professional Bullriding Association circuit at Homebush.
“There was about 13 or 14 of us that went out there, and we all dressed up for the occasion as you do,” Ashley-Cooper said.
“It was a really good experience, and being up close to the bulls, it’s incredible, they are powerful animals.
“It is understated how brave those blokes are. They get on these huge beasts and have to hold on for eight seconds, and anything can happen once they’re off.
“And then the bull fighters who protect them, so you have the bull-riders who have big nuts, and then the bullfighters who have even bigger nuts.
“They’re the first blokes straight in there once the bull-rider is bucked off.”
No better way to build team spirit before a semi-final, then.
Originally published as Payto & Panda: Ewen McKenzie likes limited planning for Bledisloe; Tahs enjoy bull-riding