Former Australian Rugby Union chief executive John O'Neill has put the heat on incumbent boss Raelene Castle, saying there needs to be a “radical overhaul” and “urgent repair” of a Wallabies coaching set-up he believes is simply not working under Michael Cheika.
O’Neill rarely weighs into rugby matters nowadays after stepping down following two stints as chief executive of the then ARU but he felt compelled to have his say on an issue he believes could haunt Australian rugby for years to come if something is not done.
Scathing: Former Australian Rugby Union boss John O’Neill.
The Wallabies won four of 13 matches under Cheika this year and since the World Cup Australia have tasted victory in only 17 of 42 games.
No Wallabies coach under O’Neill would have survived the axe with such terrible numbers and RA is already under a mountain of pressure to show they are not sitting on their hands.
“They have to act in the best interests of Australian rugby and the reality is the statistics don’t lie and a radical overhaul is an option that must be considered seriously,” O’Neill told Fairfax Media.
"The health and wellbeing of Australian rugby relies inevitably and conclusively on the success of the Wallabies. The current state of the Wallabies’ performance, and therefore Australian rugby, needs urgent repair on and off the field.
"In my opinion, tinkering is not an option. The leadership of Australian rugby has nothing but difficult choices to make. There are no easy answers but that goes with the territory that is the role of the governing body.
"A comment was made at the Bradman Gala Dinner recently where cricket was described as a 'dysfunctional family'. The Australian rugby family is equally dysfunctional. Just like cricket, when the Australian cricket team is on top of the world, Australian cricket feels good about itself.”
RA has already had dialogue with former Springboks and ACT Brumbies coach Jake White as well Scotland-based Scott Johnson about potentially getting involved as a director of rugby.
Cheika will front the RA board on December 10 to ultimately learn his fate as the governing body considers whether to stick with a coach contracted until the 2019 World Cup or start again.
Public discontent is at an all-time high and many believe that if Castle, chairman Cameron Clyne and the board are reluctant to make changes, they should fall on their swords if the Wallabies perform poorly at the World Cup, which starts in less than 10 months.
O’Neill, who does not know Cheika on a personal level, questioned how RA could not make changes in some capacity after yet another a shambolic year in which Australia managed to claim a number of further unwanted records.
“Michael has been a very successful coach, however, there are certain confronting performance issues that coaches and players have to be held accountable for," O'Neill said. "It just goes with the territory. Tinkering is not an option.”
O’Neill did not leave all the blame with Cheika though, saying Australia’s players had plenty to answer for as well.
“There's a direct correlation between great teams and great coaches," O'Neill said. "In all of this it's not just the coaches that have to be under the microscope but the players too.
“Rod Macqueen, Bob Dwyer and Alan Jones were blessed to have great players and therefore they were known as great coaches, but you've got to have outstanding cattle to start with. At the same time, they were some of our greatest ever rugby coaches.”
O’Neill rubbished the theory it was too close to a World Cup to sack Cheika by referencing what happened when he was in charge of Football Federation Australia 13 years ago.
Frank Farina was sacked as Socceroos coach in 2005, three months out from the start of World Cup qualifiers after Australia failed to win a game at the Confederations Cup.
It was a bold call at the time but signing Guus Hiddink on a short-term deal, with enticing incentive clauses in his contract, proved a masterstroke as the Socceroos not only qualified for their first World Cup since 1974 but also got out of the group stages to make the round of 16.
At the time, O’Neill said: “We did not spent a lot of time debating. We saw that it was the right decision.”
RA will be reluctant to pay Cheika out for 2019 if they were to sack him given its shaky financial situation.
However, there is a strong view among influential rugby figures that short-term failures will result in long-term pain, and therefore the financial outlay would be worth it.
There is a chance RA will instead opt to replace one of more of Cheika’s assistants.
Attack coach Stephen Larkham, defence coach Nathan Grey, forwards coach Simon Raiwalui and skills coach Mick Byrne face a nervous wait to see whether RA buys Cheika’s vision that all four should be around next year for the World Cup in Japan.
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