Coaches Worst Decision

Due to media expansion over the years we have been able so see more and more games from all Competitions and all Levels on a regular basis that rugby never had and during this time there have been some howlers of selection by coahces.

I think the most obvious one of recent years was Mallett picking Bergamasco at No9 against England. So what has been your coaches worst howler in terms of selection (Club or Country)

For me of late I think it was Jenkins picking Will James in 2nd row and AWJ in back row gainst England 4 yrs ago. More recent it has been Gatlands insistence on picking Bennett.

It's a close call.

It might be playing full back Christian Cullen at center in against France in 1999 with form center Pita Alatini out of squad.

It could be playing full back Leon MacDonald at center against Australia in 2003 with Tana Umaga sitting in the stands, next to Daniel Carter.

Or it just might be playing full back Mils Muliaina at center against France in 2007 after discarding form center Ma'a Nonu for the RWC.

I'm hoping it won't be the disasterous decision to play Auckland's form full back Isaia Toeava at center in a knock out RWC game in 2011 with Smith, Fruean, Kahui not in the squad.

Bergamasco at scrum half was definently the worst I've ever seen! Second to that... PDV's decision to take off all his best players with,what, 30 minutes to go in the first British & Irish Lions test in 2009 thinking the match was done and dusted. The Lions very nearly came back to win the match... I think they even had two disallowed tries in the last 10 mins!

Not taking Phil Vickery off of the field after 15 mins in the first Lions test in 2009.

Bergamasco... that was an entirely different level of madness and just a disaster o every level. Goes without saying!

In recent times for Ireland, O'Sullivan picking Trimble and Horgan together as a centre partnership. For Ulster, preferring Rob Dewey at 12 to Paddy Wallace a few years ago made Baby Jesus cry.

EOS and his non use of his squad at the 2007 RWC.

gatland putting hook at fullbacK?

welshy,

Thats not his best but far from him worst IMO.

Hes not made it yet, but Robinson picking graeme morrison ahead of an in form Sean Lamont and in doing so negating any attacking flair Jackson brings to the team.

it will happen.

Hmmmm, not sure where to start with Scottish selections.

Andy Henderson on the wing.
Roland Reid on the wing.
Gregor Townsend at 12.
Brendon Laney at 15.
Kenny Logan at 15.
Marcus Di Rollo at 13.
Chris Paterson on the wing.
Hugo Southwell at 12.
Ben Hinshelwood at 13.

That's just the backs.

Highlights in the forwards are Mattie Stewart and Ali Dickinson at tighthead, Dougie Hall at hooker, Nathan Hines or Ali Hogg at 6 and Andrew Mower at 7.

A big thank you to McGeechan, Dixon, Williams, Hadden and Robinson at various stages for bringing us the above clangers.

I disagree that putting Bergamasco at scrum half was a bad idea. They had something like 3 injured scrum halves, he'd played their before for Stade and he fills in when the scrum half isn't available.

The biggest man sausage-up was not having a contingency plan in place in case Bergamasco didn't work at scrum half

How about the Noon/Tindall centre partnership. The most capped pairing in the centre for England in the 2003-2007 era (I think)

HammerofThunor wrote:How about the Noon/Tindall centre partnership. The most capped pairing in the centre for England in the 2003-2007 era (I think)

I think Henry Paul at 12 has to take the biscuit during that period.

SCW lions team of 2005.



Also Rob Moffat's selection policy at Edinburgh, "play well and I will drop you"

From a recent welsh point of view Jon Davies being moved out to the wing (injury to winger, can't remember who) and having Jamie Roberts and Andrew Bishop stay in the centre. For heavens sake Roberts is/was a winger and Foxy is an out and out centre.

funnyExiledScot wrote:Hmmmm, not sure where to start with Scottish selections.

Andy Henderson on the wing.
Roland Reid on the wing.
Gregor Townsend at 12.
Brendon Laney at 15.
Kenny Logan at 15.
Marcus Di Rollo at 13.
Chris Paterson on the wing.
Hugo Southwell at 12.
Ben Hinshelwood at 13.

That's just the backs.

Highlights in the forwards are Mattie Stewart and Ali Dickinson at tighthead, Dougie Hall at hooker, Nathan Hines or Ali Hogg at 6 and Andrew Mower at 7.

A big thank you to McGeechan, Dixon, Williams, Hadden and Robinson at various stages for bringing us the above clangers.

Oh christ, I feel sick.

Dean Richards substitution tactics...

England Decisions -

Andy Farrell, Henry Paul - fast tracked into England side.

Ian Balshaw getting caps post 2004.

Tim Payne and Wilson ever getting caps! Distinctly average players.



Quins -

Bloodgate

Letting Gary Botha, Mike Ross go at the same time!

Oh Iestyn Harris being brought to union at all, let alone being put into the international (and RWC) teams with little or no understanding of union. I remember his first match for Cardiff RFC, against Llanelli RFC, he batted the ball intentionally into touch, and it was given as a line out because he didn't know that it was illegal.

Quins -

Stuart Abbott from Wasps -was supposed to replace Will Greenwood but played a few times and was then constantly injured.



DeWet-Barry - we must have payed a lot for the SA international, he didnt do or add anything for quins as i remember!

SS,

Yeah thats a good one though I still wonder how much he was thrust on the then Welsh coach due to the fact that they funded his move.

Ugo Monye at full back for England in recent matches.

How about the Noon/Tindall centre partnership. The most capped pairing in the centre for England in the 2003-2007 era (I think).

Putting form premiership centre Ollie Smith on the wing and allowing Noon and Tindall to continue at centre. That was cringe worthy especially with attacking fly half Charlie Hodgson at ten, he must still have nightmares about try to play flat and trying to invite those two onto his bullet passes with the only player that could read what he was trying to do stuck out on the wing. Also refusing to call up Austin Healy despite being desperate for a 9 and 10 of sufficient attacking quality. Some of the many things I hold Andy Robinson responsible for, worst England national coach ever.

Playing Staunton at 12 vs the Ospreys in the HEC. Playing a HEC game without a recognised points kicker. Playing Hougaard ever. Couple of Tigers classics.

RuggerRadge2611 wrote:SCW lions team of 2005.



Also Rob Moffat's selection policy at Edinburgh, "play well and I will drop you"

Agreed, both quite horrible. Moffat set Edinburgh and Scottish rugby back by a year. His deliberate policy of dropping form players marks him out as the most clueless coach in the professional ear bar Marc Lievremont. In fact they should almost certainly work together somewhere after the World Cup.

One of the things that bothered me most about SCW was what he said after the tour. Rather than standing up to admit his many mistakes, he said that in an ideal world you'd pick your test XV on day one of the tour and wrap them in cotton wool, rather than having to play touring matches. In that statement, he revealed that he completely misunderstood what had gone wrong and how to prepare for Test rugby. He was (and I'm sure still is) a great rugby coach, but how on earth he got it so fundamentally wrong on that tour I'll never know.

irishlondon wrote:Dean Richards substitution tactics...

Bingo - a genuine worst decision contender!

On the Bergamasco, there wasn't anyone else around. If you have a pleb in there with a better option available, then it is down to the coaches. For SH Bergamasco was little the last and only option available.

Picking Gough, D Jones in the second row against Fiji and all three back row forwards out of position!

Picking Cooper, G Williams, T James, A Powell against England 2010.

Probably Graham Henry bringing on Arwel Thomas for Neil Jenkins to finish off the South Africans!
Wales lost the game...

Haha GreyGhost, wonder who you'll pick at 13 for this world cup? Sivivatu? Btw, don't think Nonu was the form centre back in 2007, he was still maturing and learning all he could from Umaga. Super rugby form was good but he didn't seem to transition it into the international arena... not until a year after anyway.

If Smith doesn't play 13 for us then I fear the French will win the WC

funnyExiledScot wrote:

RuggerRadge2611 wrote:SCW lions team of 2005.



Also Rob Moffat's selection policy at Edinburgh, "play well and I will drop you"

Agreed, both quite horrible. Moffat set Edinburgh and Scottish rugby back by a year. His deliberate policy of dropping form players marks him out as the most clueless coach in the professional ear bar Marc Lievremont. In fact they should almost certainly work together somewhere after the World Cup.

One of the things that bothered me most about SCW was what he said after the tour. Rather than standing up to admit his many mistakes, he said that in an ideal world you'd pick your test XV on day one of the tour and wrap them in cotton wool, rather than having to play touring matches. In that statement, he revealed that he completely misunderstood what had gone wrong and how to prepare for Test rugby. He was (and I'm sure still is) a great rugby coach, but how on earth he got it so fundamentally wrong on that tour I'll never know.

Totally agreed about the 2005 Lions. When magic 2003 world cup pixie dust faded away, here was a manager who was more concerned about having Alistair Campbell at his arm and getting an engineered picture with Gavin Henson than the development of the squad. It was obvious that the feeling in the touring party was appalling. You have to really be going some to manage that on a Lions tour.

The one that moved John Smit from one of the best hookers in the world to one of the weaker loose-heads. Ok, he might have lost his place to Bismarck Du Plessis but that was not reason enoughto move him out one place as he isn't that effective as a prop.

Tight-head

Tight-head/loose head - it's the same thing to the better looking blokes like me who played one row further back in the scrum. Three fat lads leaning into 3 equally fat lads, all make lots of manly grunting and straining noises and then they all fall over and we start again. You get my point, though.

InjuredYetAgain wrote:Tight-head/loose head - it's the same thing to the better looking blokes like me who played one row further back in the scrum. Three fat lads leaning into 3 equally fat lads, all make lots of manly grunting and straining noises and then they all fall over and we start again. You get my point, though.