When it comes to coaching, it takes more than knowledge of the game to be able to deliver and become a great coach. It takes leadership, persistence and the ability to trust in your players. And get your players to trust in you.
Some notable coaches from the past, who have succeeded in the coaching seat are, former Wallabies coach, Rod Macqueen, former All Blacks coach, Sir Graham Henry and British and Irish Lions coach, Warren Gatland. All have proven they have the skills to lead a side to victory. So I guess you could say, it’s not all about which players you have in your team. It can come down to having a fine coach, who knows how to teach and develop players both individually and collectively.
This week, it has been revealed that Western Force coach, Michael Foley, could have his job on the line if he doesn’t lead the Perth based team to at least two or three victories within the first eight weeks of the Super Rugby competition.
Now, some people will say “what’s so hard about that?”. But when you look into the ratio of wins to losses for the Western Force over the years, it’s more likely an “easier said than done” situation.
Before, I get into a discussion about the performance of the Western Force over the last couple of years, let’s have a look into the career of coach Foley.
Starting his playing career in Queensland with the Queensland Reds, Foley played 111 games for the team. His international career started when the Wallabies took on Canada in the 1995 Rugby World Cup. From there he went on to play 50 test caps for the Australian team, including being included in the victorious 1999 Rugby World Cup winning side.
Taking into consideration that Foley was involved in a fair few games for the Wallabies in their biggest winning era in recent history, and also the fact that he has coached a few different teams over the years – he was forwards coach for Bath in the Aviva Premiership, as well as assistant coach for the Wallabies and the Waratahs – you would think that this would set a team like the Western Force up for victory.
Although they haven’t been known for their wins since being established and joining the Super Rugby competition in 2005, with the players they have the Force definitely have the ability to go further than they have ever gone before. But what is stopping them?
There were some high points for them in last week’s loss to the NSW Waratahs, so they must be doing something right. It just isn’t enough at this point.
Having only four games last season, it seems a huge challenge is on deck for the Westerners. So it is understandable that the coach is the first person who receives the brunt of the bad press. This was the case a couple of seasons ago for ex Blues coach, Pat Lam. And also more recently, Wallabies head coach Robbie Deans.
So it seems that Foley may be following in the same footsteps and receiving the same scrutiny. The solution – make sure his players play as a team and build up consistency on basic handling and tackling skills. Only then will they be able to show us what they can really do.
This week’s challenge is facing the ACT Brumbies at Nib stadium. With the Brumbies being one of the more consistent team in the competition, some may say that the money is already in the bag. We shall have to wait and see if Foley responds well to having rumours spread about his job security.
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