Ewen McKenzie quits as Wallabies coach: John Eales describes departure as sad sight

JOHN Eales described the sight of Ewen McKenzie walking off for the final time as Wallabies coach as “one of the saddest sights I’ve seen in sport”.

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AUSTRALIAN Rugby Union director John Eales described the sight of Ewen McKenzie walking down the Suncorp Stadium tunnel for the final time as Wallabies coach as “one of the saddest sights I’ve seen in sport”.

Eales learned of McKenzie’s resignation on Saturday morning when his former World Cup-winning teammate broke the news to a stunned ARU.

Eales will be involved in the process to appoint a replacement, noting “there’s a lot of pressure on to do it quickly and do it well.”

“The really difficult thing is ... that it was such a surprise to receive that this morning,” Eales told Fox Sports.

“It means there has to be a lot of conversations.

“What is a great measure of Ewen as a man is the fact he didn’t tell the team before the game.

“He didn’t want this to be about him in any way. He wanted them to play the game and he was going to walk away quietly.

“That image of him walking down the corridor on his own is one of the saddest sights I’ve seen in sport.

“Ewen can be very proud of a lot of the achievements of the team at this time. He walks away on the wrong side of that fine line of sport. There have been a lot of us just on the wrong side, and there’s been a lot of us just on the right side. The sentiments on either side is a massive difference. We saw the dark sentiments then.”

Ewen McKenzie departs after announcing his resignation as Wallabies coach.

McKenzie’s former Wallabies front row partner, Phil Kearns, said he was “shattered” for the former national coach and lamented the internal leaks to the press that prompted his premature demise.

“His treatment in the press was horrific,” Kearns said.

“When you can just write rumour — and Ewen knows the people who have been spreading the rumour and there’s not much he can do about it — the press goes and runs with it. It’s an incredibly hard time for him because he is a man of deep integrity.

“Ewen has never said a bad word about anyone. He has carried on his business to the best of his ability. This is a really bad moment, the way he’s been treated, in Australian rugby.

“A professional sporting team is now a workplace. In that environment, in a workplace environment, you must adhere to the laws and regulations of every other workplace. That line has been crossed but not by Ewen. Ewen has paid the price for someone else’s indiscretion.

“I’m shattered for Ewen McKenzie. He is a fine human being.”

George Gregan said McKenzie had begun to make noticeable improvements to the Wallabies after inheriting a team fresh from a stinging series defeat.

“He worked so hard to get himself into position to being head coach of the Wallabies,” Gregan said.

“He wants to do everything he can to make the players better. That’s what makes him a very good coach. It’s a really sad sight seeing him walk through the corridor there because he’s given so much to the country.

“When he took over the Wallabies team it wasn’t the easiest time. We’d just come off a series loss against the British and Irish Lions and then he had to come straight into a Rugby Championship. It’s not easy.

“The changes we saw by the end of the season last year, you could see them coming together as a team. You could see bits and pieces, particularly during the French series. It’s a real shame because tracking towards a rugby World Cup you could see the positive signs.”

Ewen McKenzie has resigned as coach of the Wallabies.

Eales hinted that the ARU would move swiftly to appoint a replacement for McKenzie.

“This process was gone through just a year ago,” Eales said.

“There will be a list of people who have been spoken to before. There’s a lot of knowledge around about the skills of different people. You have to go out there and see who’s available and you have to it quickly. There’s a lot of pressure on to do it quickly and do it well.”