Eddie’s legacy

[cashead]

lol, and might I add, lmao.

[Mikey Brown]

Just had this gem pop up when I was looking for something else. How did I miss this one? What a cretin.

[Son of Mathonwy]

Just had this gem pop up when I was looking for something else. How did I miss this one? What a cretin.

Can you imagine working for this guy? Jesus.

[Puja]

Just had this gem pop up when I was looking for something else. How did I miss this one? What a cretin.

In fairness, I can understand why he's annoyed (even if he's responded in a particularly Eddie sort of way). That is a dickish and smug question to ask after your side has won convincingly.

Puja

[morepork]

He's getting ready for a gig as an after dinner speaker. But first, he has a new generation of Japanese rugby players to ruin.

[cashead]

When you look at Eddie's legacy with the Wallabies, it's basically one of experimentation when he shouldn't have, and failing. Fundamentally, brute-forcing a new generation through was something he should've started on after the world cup. Who knows if they'd have beaten a revitalised Welsh side (who also had to do a big ol' generational switch - although as I recall, it wasn't something that happened to Gatland, rather than him doing it intentionally), but they wouldn't have been embarrassed to the extent that they were.

1. The change-up to the newbies should've been a 2024 project. Take a core of new boiz to the World Cup, and once the oldies are put out to pasture one by one, you'll have that core of Wallaboiz to build around.

2. He needs someone to help him select his players. Alternatively, someone get him a Mary Worth phone, especially when he's about to give Suliasi Vunivalu a call. Her stern but sensible face will remind him never to do anything so stupid again.

[Puja]

When you look at Eddie's legacy with the Wallabies, it's basically one of experimentation when he shouldn't have, and failing. Fundamentally, brute-forcing a new generation through was something he should've started on after the world cup. Who knows if they'd have beaten a revitalised Welsh side (who also had to do a big ol' generational switch - although as I recall, it wasn't something that happened to Gatland, rather than him doing it intentionally), but they wouldn't have been embarrassed to the extent that they were.

1. The change-up to the newbies should've been a 2024 project. Take a core of new boiz to the World Cup, and once the oldies are put out to pasture one by one, you'll have that core of Wallaboiz to build around.

2. He needs someone to help him select his players. Alternatively, someone get him a Mary Worth phone, especially when he's about to give Suliasi Vunivalu a call. Her stern but sensible face will remind him never to do anything so stupid again.

What gets me is that he could absolutely have had his new generation being forced through and still got through, just with the addition of Hooper and Cooper. Probably still would've got clumped by the Welsh, but Fiji were nervous enough that being able to bring Cooper off the bench to cover Gordon's collapse, or even just having the option to have Hooper bring the boys around at half time, would probably have been enough to swing it.

Instead, he appeared to decide to drop them just to demonstrate that he was in charge and ChangesWereHappeningTM.

Puja

[Son of Mathonwy]

When you look at Eddie's legacy with the Wallabies, it's basically one of experimentation when he shouldn't have, and failing. Fundamentally, brute-forcing a new generation through was something he should've started on after the world cup. Who knows if they'd have beaten a revitalised Welsh side (who also had to do a big ol' generational switch - although as I recall, it wasn't something that happened to Gatland, rather than him doing it intentionally), but they wouldn't have been embarrassed to the extent that they were.

1. The change-up to the newbies should've been a 2024 project. Take a core of new boiz to the World Cup, and once the oldies are put out to pasture one by one, you'll have that core of Wallaboiz to build around.

2. He needs someone to help him select his players. Alternatively, someone get him a Mary Worth phone, especially when he's about to give Suliasi Vunivalu a call. Her stern but sensible face will remind him never to do anything so stupid again.

What gets me is that he could absolutely have had his new generation being forced through and still got through, just with the addition of Hooper and Cooper. Probably still would've got clumped by the Welsh, but Fiji were nervous enough that being able to bring Cooper off the bench to cover Gordon's collapse, or even just having the option to have Hooper bring the boys around at half time, would probably have been enough to swing it.

Instead, he appeared to decide to drop them just to demonstrate that he was in charge and ChangesWereHappeningTM.

Puja

The clear out before the world cup thing was obviously mad. By contrast, although Gatland made a big deal about needing to develop new players, in reality he took the best available, regardless of age.

Knowing Jones though, leaving Cooper and Hooper out could easily have been a personality/ego clash thing.

[cashead]

Yeah, meant to say it was something that happened to Gatland. "wasn't" is just a typo. I'm pretty sure every time someone like Alun-Wyn or Navidi or whomever else it was peace'd out of rugby, he probably was thinking "oh for fuck's sake."


When Eddie said "the status quo hasn't worked," like yeah, he's not wrong there, but jesus christ, when you're like 10 months out from a World Cup, and all three of the teams you're going to play in the build-up make the semifinals, you really need to rethink any plans of brute forcing new players through. The guys like Kemeny, this Hooper, Jorgensen, Gordon and Donaldson would have really benefited from time with Cooper, O'Connor and that Hooper.

[morepork]

Oh look.

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2023/ ... alia-reign

[cashead]

lol, and might I add, lmao.

[Sandydragon]

Japan used to be the second favourite team so many supporters who liked their flair and approach to the game. I can’t see jones making them better, the big question is whether he can make them so bad that they fade into obscurity again. One can only hope not and that the Japanese RFU move him on before he causes too much damage.

[Puja]

Japan used to be the second favourite team so many supporters who liked their flair and approach to the game. I can’t see jones making them better, the big question is whether he can make them so bad that they fade into obscurity again. One can only hope not and that the Japanese RFU move him on before he causes too much damage.

Jones was the instigator of that though. Regardless of all else, he was the one that got the swashbuckling style to actually result in a functional team, and kick started them with that win over SA.

Puja

[Which Tyler]

Jones was the instigator of that though. Regardless of all else, he was the one that got the swashbuckling style to actually result in a functional team, and kick started them with that win over SA.

Point of order - I'd say that it was kickstarted with THAT win over (what was left of) Wales in 2013 - their first top tier scalp IIRC.

If they hadn't got that match win under their belts, would they have had the self belief to take Italy the following year, and without those, would they have taken South Africa in 2015?

[morepork]

Jones will fuck them over. He has been continually on the defensive for years now and is too much in the habit of being an obstinate prick.

[morepork]

The Wobbalies have got Joe Schmidt.

[Puja]

A few Aussie pundits and ex-players cross at employing Schmidt, because he's "another Kiwi" and he's only committing for 2 years, but he seems like an incredibly good get for the Australians, given what he accomplished with Ireland, and then giving NZ a spine. Latham's not really ready yet, McKellar's committed to Leicester (and I'm not 100% convinced by him yet from being a Leicester fan) - I don't see who else they were expecting to get that'd be any better.

Puja

[cashead]

One of the names I saw mentioned was Andy Friend, who's now available after his tenure at Connacht. Between the two of them, I'd easily go with Joe though.