The Rogues Rant

Welcome to The Rogues Rant, an occasional look at all things Rugby.

It was interesting to see the appointment this week of Rod Kafer to a new role with the ARU. The very well respected former Brumby and Wallaby now TV Presenter has been appointed to a Coaching Development role with the ARU. He will oversee the National Coaching Advisory Panel with a view to improve and develop coaching programs around the country. Kafer was quoted this week as saying that his starting point will be to try and discover and develop an Australian style of play. His biggest job will be getting all factions of the Rugby community working together towards one single goal to create such a style. I reckon he is just the man for the job. It’s a huge job but at least it would seem that the powers that be have finally accepted that the current coaching model is broken and is in urgent need of repair. Good luck Kafe!

Wallaby coach Michael Cheika has selected eleven new players in his initial Wallaby squad for the upcoming internationals. That suggests that the coach is not happy with some of the players he has put his faith in of recent times. Clearly there is a need to have a serious look around with a lot of current players nearing the end of their time and others seeking a more secure financial future elsewhere. With what we have seen so far this year, the next few months are not looking too healthy in terms of our national team’s competitiveness. It all starts with the All Blacks in mid-August.