The Rugby World Cup is overrated

The Rugby World Cup is overrated. The fact that the All Blacks’s have only won it once says more about the farcical nature of the cup than it does about them. They have consistently been the best team in the world since Rugby began.

Unlike every other team, they always want to win regardless and this has contributed to their downfall in previous World Cups. Many people call it ‘peaking’ but they are simply hell bent on winning.

Other teams tend to drop off between World Cups but not the All Blacks and why should they? Many other teams use the time between World Cup to rebuild or experiment and don’t mind losing the odd game if it helps their World Cup chances.

Too many losses between World Cups are now simply a case of 'not wanting to peak too soon' or 'we are building nicely' etc. It's become farcical and the fact that someone like Robbie Deans can keep his job because of it proves my point.

Robbie's SOS call to John O'Neill

Robbie Deans calls John O’Neill post match…

Dingo: Hey John, Robbie here.
JON: Hey Robbie, whats up?
Dingo: Not sure if you aware but we have lost Rob Horne for the season.
JON: Sorry, you are going to have to speak up. Bloody dogs barking.
Dingo: Just wondering if you could buy us a couple of League players?
JON: What? I’m not made of money you know.
Dingo: I’m getting low on stocks to be frank.
JON: Who’s Frank?
Dingo: Never mind, we’ll just have to make do with what we’ve got.
JON: Did you get up in the end? I went to bed at half time.
Dingo: Nah, but we almost won the 2nd half.
JON: Ok, got to go mate. Let me know if you need anything else.
Dingo: Will do. Cheerio.
JON: Who was that dear (JON’s wife)? Oh, it was Robbie. Bloody clown asking for some League players of all things.
Dingo: I’m still here John.
JON: Ooops, sorry Robbie…bloody iphone.

Is the writing on the wall for Robbie Deans ll?

Basically a follow up to the previous article I wrote questioning the security of Robbie Dean's coaching position.

It would be fair to say that since his appointment in 2008 he hasn't lived up to expectations.

Personally, I don’t buy into many of the excuses being offered. When the results are not forthcoming or meeting expectations people will automatically go searching for all sorts of reasons why. Some are valid, some not, but in most cases, excuses nonetheless. When your team is performing, hardly anyone talks about structure, lack of depth, injuries etc.

I have previously written an article (click on the title) that highlights how well the Australian teams went in the Super 14 this year. Had the Australian sides finished near the bottom of the ladder then it might go part way to explain why they were struggling at International level.

But the fact is, they didn’t. They had 3 sides in possible finals contention up until the last round and the Force even managed to topple the Crusaders and Stormers. Possibly the only thing that has carried through from the Super 14, is the defensive quality of the Wallabies but the rest has fallen away. Possibly the only excuse that might be relevant is the number of first choice players currently injured.

I would give Robbie Deans until the end of this year's Tri Nations and if they finish 3rd he's out. If the ARU signed on Robbie Deans to coach the Wallabies through until the World Cup next year, regardless of results, it's an oversight.

If Kevin Rudd was guaranteed to remain PM until the next election, regardless of his performance, the Labour Party would have almost certainly lost. The writing was on the wall for Kevin Rudd the moment Tony Abbott started to look good. That all disappeared when Julia Gillard was elected however.

The question remains, is the ARU bold enough to follow suit?

Is the writing on the wall for Robbie Deans?

There may still be time for Robbie Deans to redeem himself but just get the feeling he is biding his time and appears to be going through the motions.

The turning point dated back to 13th September, 2008 when the Wallabies lost to the All Blacks 24-28. Had the Wallabies won this game, it would have proven to the ARU they had made the right choice. Self belief would have skyrocketed and their decision somewhat justified. However, they fell short and have never been the same since.

I hate to draw parallels but it's hard to go past the recent happenings to a certain former Prime Minister. For example, calling Robbie Deans 'Dingo Deans' reminded me of Kevin Rudd being called 'Kevin 07' when he was elected and we all know what happened to him.

This kind of hyperbole is an illusion in some ways and disguises or masks reality. Both politics and Rugby needed some sort of saviour and both Rudd and Deans were unfairly held in that regard. Kevin Rudd's undoing was that he failed to realise he won an election, not a popularity contest. Not sure the same could be said for Deans but despite numerous bungles, back flips etc they both still managed to last 3 years in power.

Some will say it Rudd's exit was sudden but you get the feeling the rest of the party saw the writing on the wall sometime ago and it was just a matter of when.

One gets the feeling that Deans is in a similar situation but that doesn't necessarily please the fans and nor should it. Things can turn around pretty quickly and has a habit of making us look foolish but there are too many signs that would suggest the Wallabies are far from ok.