Michael Cheika and his Wallabies assistant coaches have their stay of execution, but suffering Australian rugby fans have been left hanging in the breeze with the future direction of the flagship national team still uncertain. After the Wallabies produced an abysmal 4-9 win-loss record this year – their worst performance since 1958 – it was widely accepted that Rugby Australia had to be seen to be doing something to turn the team around in time for the World Cup in Japan next year.
The fate of Cheika and his assistants was meant to be decided at a RA board meeting in Sydney on Monday, but no action was taken in what amounted to a public relations disaster. Instead, RA chairman Cameron Clyne held a doorstop press conference to announce the “process” would be “wrapped up” by Christmas.
There is an uncomfortable sense of déjà vu in all of this. Remember when RA claimed it would take just 48 hours to cull the Western Force from Super Rugby? That process became painful and protracted. RA cannot afford the Wallabies issue to remain unresolved beyond Christmas. Fans are already frustrated enough.
Why the delay? RA was “not in a position to elaborate”. Elaborate on what? That in itself was a clue that behind the obfuscation something indeed is happening, but it cannot be talked about. Not yet anyway.
The first sign that RA would not make any announcement on Monday was an apparent strategic leak to the media last week that there may not be any comments for a couple of days after the meeting. But how did it go from two days to potentially two weeks? What has happened to push the timeline from this week all the way to Christmas? It suggests that something unexpected or maybe even unforeseen has occurred in the so-called process.
What the delay does tell us is that Cheika will almost certainly not be sacked. RA has had plenty of time to reach a conclusion on the head coach and his “plan” for the World Cup. If Cheika was going, he would be gone, surely. But until Santa comes down the chimney no one is really safe in this fractured fairytale.
There has been speculation about the future of Cheika’s hand-picked assistant coaches – Stephen Larkham (attack), Nathan Grey (defence), Simon Raiwalui (forwards) and Mick Byrne (skills) – with one or more expected to be released. Is this the hold-up? Is it yet to be determined how many of the assistants, if any, should go?
Cheika is a loyal man. He is also very persuasive and a natural negotiator. Is he trying to save one or more of his assistants? If RA does not sack Cheika or any of his assistants, how will they be able to fend off accusations they are sitting on their hands?
There was talk of RA appointing an independent Wallabies selector. That should be an easy sell. After all, the All Blacks have one, former Test five-eighth Grant Fox. If RA were to go ahead with this appointment, how much power would the independent selector wield and who would have the role? Would the independent selector have the power of veto? Are these questions that need to be answered before Christmas?
There has also been speculation about RA bringing home Australian expats David Nucifora or Scott Johnson to implement one of the national programs that have been successful in Ireland and Scotland respectively, although not necessarily next year. Maybe that’s it. No one is getting sacked. Just a big reform of the system. Unlikely.
And what about the board itself? Where do the individual directors sit on the issues, particularly the fate of Cheika? Are we to assume the board is unified on what needs to be done? Or is there division? Is that causing delay?
Who knows what is holding up the process other than the process itself? These are important decisions after all. The problem is the Australian rugby public is losing patience. Fans want strong leadership to not just fix the Wallabies, but the code in general. There may well be casualties as a result of RA’s review into the Wallabies, but will there be a twist in the plot?
