Deans' selection policy questioned
Mon, 30 Aug 2010 13:08
Not rated: Saia Faainga. (c) Gallo
The pressure is mounting on Wallaby coach Robbie Deans, with the media and pundits alike questioning his selection policy after the team's third successive defeat.
Australia slumped to a 31-44 defeat against South Africa in Pretoria at the weekend, despite twice leading by 14 points. They failed to score a point in the final half-hour and managed a solitary penalty, despite leading 28-19 after just 30 minutes.
It was the Wallabies' fourth loss in seven starts this year and Deans' win percentage since he took charge in January 2008 have now slumped to a mere 53 percent.
Former World Cup-winning Wallaby coach Bob Dwyer has had his weekly dig at Deans, but this time he questioned the wisdom of Deans' decision to leave four replacements unused on the bench against a tired Bok team.
Bob Dwyer's reputation as a coach is built on his two stints with the Wallabies - from 1982-1983 and 1988-1995, when he took the national team to a World Cup victory in 1991.
"Selection plays a vital role in the fortunes of a team," Dwyer, writing on his website bobdwyerrugby.com, said of the nine-try thriller at Loftus Versfeld at the weekend.
"The Boks have belatedly begun to understand that simple fact, but not so the Wallabies."
He felt the Boks had fielded their best team of this year's tournament, with Jean de Villiers and Jaque Fourie together at last in the centres. Dwyer also felt the return of tighthead prop Jannie du Plessis and blindside flank Juan Smith from injury played a big role.
However, he reserved most of his wrath for Deans' selections.
"Can someone please tell me: 'In what part of the game is Saia Faainga considered superior to Stephen Moore?'," Dwyer asked.
"Moore is a much better scrummager and line-out thrower, surely the two fundamental roles of the hooker. Then Moore is an excellent ball-carrier, compared to Faainga's modest talent in this facet of play. Both do their share of the defensive work. Moore is vastly more experienced than his younger teammate and surely this is a vital commodity in such a crunch match.
"That's the background of the two hookers.
"Now let's look at this specific game.
"Faainga struggled badly, even in the first half. He played only 30 minutes, due to a blood injury, but he still managed to give away three penalties and had two poor throws, which resulted in Springbok ball. The Wallaby scrum was, dare I say it, dusted once again, with Faainga and [Salesi] Ma'afu unable to combat the Springbok strategy.
"In the second half, his performance deteriorated still further, with even his tackling less sure. My total was four penalties, three poor throws, one missed tackle, and two ball turnovers at the tackle (although his teammates must accept some of the responsibility for this last statistic). When you add his inability at the scrum, this is a terrible performance, yet Stephen Moore remained on the bench.
"This is nothing short of bloody-mindedness on the part of Robbie Deans – and perhaps his assistants.
"I would have made the change, no later than the 50 minute mark – perhaps even before!"
Dwyer suggested the Loftus Test was a game that the Wallabies could have won.
"Yet, despite the fact that they did NOT score a point in the last 30 minutes of the game – the Boks scored 17 – and were clearly tiring, Deans left FOUR players unused on the bench," Dwyer said.
"The ARU's media releases refer to the bench as 'run-on replacements'. 'Bench spectators' might be a better description.
"Deans frequently leaves us puzzled with his handling of the bench, but Saturday's effort reached new heights.
"His pig-headedness, and/or lack of selection ability, made a significant contribution to this Wallaby loss."
He said the Wallabies were "dusted" at the scrum, at the line-out and ran out of puff.
"We had at hand, the answer to most, if not all, of these problems and we stubbornly refused to use it. How much longer are we Wallabies supporters going to be forced to tolerate this treatment?
"The Boks had their best selection of the year at hand – even the Yappies are less pig-headed than us! – and deserved their win."
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