Robert Howley is off to Coach Bath after the Rugby World Cup...!

by maestegmafia Wed 29 Jun 2011, 10:31 pm

It appears Howley is the man that Ian MacGeechan, former coach, colleague and admirer wants.

According to the Western Mail a number of sources have confirmed Howley is red-hot favourite to fill the role of coach vacated by discarded Australian Steve Meehan.

Read More http://www.walesonline.co.uk/rugbynation/rugby-news/2011/06/28/rob-howley-in-line-to-take-bath-job-after-world-cup-91466-28958797/#ixzz1QhdxFHd8

There is a rumour that should Gatland retain his position in a post World Cup performance review that, allegedly, will see Gatland gone should Wales not progress to the Quarter finals, he will have a serious clean out of the backroom staff with a view to a fresh future.

Something I am many fans on 606 should welcome.

May the speculation begin...!

by welshy824 Thu 30 Jun 2011, 12:02 am

yes, i hope gatland stayed after world cup but with this news its even better, wales seriously need a backs coach to help the backs get some form. i mean no disrespect to howley as he was a very good player but we really seemed to be lacking things in the backline

by kiwicraving Thu 30 Jun 2011, 6:26 am

edwards needs to go as well, he's been found out and wales wasps and the lions have all suffered.

by dogtooth Thu 30 Jun 2011, 7:34 am

if howely goes to work under geech he could really develop as a coach and could one day take the top job at a region.

a good move for howley.

by Luckless Pedestrian Thu 30 Jun 2011, 9:11 am

welshy824, the question is how much freedom / influence Howley is allowed with Wales. If Gatland's overruling him when he suggests anything outside his narrow gameplan, it won't matter who the new backs coach is. I'd rather see the whole lot of them go.

by maestegmafia Thu 30 Jun 2011, 10:31 am

I think there is too much machavelian suspicion over Gatlands game plan. I think it is more expansive and all encompassing than we are lead to believe by the poor performances.

I don't know why a coach would be so negative. Inevitably when it goes wrong the players, when interviewed after matches, say that they couldn't impose their game plan.

Anyhow

I think Howley and Geechs will be great. Should learn alot from Geech, the man is a master of coaching who's teams nearly always succeed.

by glamorganalun Thu 30 Jun 2011, 11:00 am

Good move for Howley getting out before he is kicked out after the RWC as a fall guy. May be he should go before the WC so he does not get any blame!

by ScarletSpiderman Thu 30 Jun 2011, 11:26 am

Is this going to be another of the National coaches being a part-timer (with duties at another side during the rest of the season)? As I honestly do not see Gatland wanting to let Rob go, unless we flop in the world cup, in which case the word scape goat comes to mind.

Personally I think it will do Howley a world of good to coach under Geech and learn the trade a bit lower down than where he is now.

by MarcusHalberstram Thu 30 Jun 2011, 11:27 am

Can't we send him now?!

by Impossible Standards Thu 30 Jun 2011, 11:36 am

So Bath don't want to score any tries then...... Wink

But in all seriousness the Welsh back line has been woeful in the last 2 years. If you watch the Scarlets, Dragons and at times the Ospreys they all scored excellent tries this year but it was never carried over to international stage.

Good luck to him if he does go though, I always thought he should have had more club experience before taking the welsh job.

by Shifty Thu 30 Jun 2011, 11:47 am

I think it's Shaun Edwards who has too much influence, Wales used to conceede a lot of tries from trying to play expansive rugby so now we have stopped playing it we dont lose tries to interceptions etc.
I'd like to keep Gatland but I'd like him to have the chance to bring in his own coaching team.

by Luckless Pedestrian Thu 30 Jun 2011, 11:48 am

Alyn, he did bring in his own coaching team.

by ScarletSpiderman Thu 30 Jun 2011, 12:33 pm

Alyn - The only remaining coach (important one anyway) from Gareth Jenkins team is Robbie McBryde. Gatland brought in Howley (from the Blues I believe) and Edwards.

by bedfordwelsh Thu 30 Jun 2011, 12:46 pm

'According to Western mail'

Well we all know how reliable they are as a rugby paper these days, as snivelling Howells run out of stuff to print.

IF it proves true then hope he is not allowed to stay on within the Welsh set up.

As great a players as he was our back play has been dire with him in charge.

by nottins_jones Thu 30 Jun 2011, 1:05 pm

MarcusHalberstram wrote:Can't we send him now?!

I agree, can't he go now??

by Shifty Thu 30 Jun 2011, 2:25 pm

luckless_pedestrian wrote:Alyn, he did bring in his own coaching team.

I'm not sure how much choice he really had, do you really think if he had the option he would of brought in Mcbryde and Howley?
He was probably given a mandate of developing Welsh coaches.

by ScarletSpiderman Thu 30 Jun 2011, 2:45 pm

Alyn - I found this after doing a little research (google)

Jan 6 2008 by Simon Roberts, Wales On Sunday wrote:

SHAUN EDWARDS and Rob Howley are set to be unveiled as the final key appointments to the Wales back-up team, writes SIMON ROBERTS.

New national rugby coach Warren Gatland was in London for the weekend aiming to tie-up loose ends with Edwards and London Wasps.

Gatland has made no secret of his desire to work with Edwards ? the pair lifted the Heineken Cup together with Wasps. But the London outfit have made it clear they will block any approach from Wales for their head coach.

However, a deal appears to have been struck to allow Edwards and Howley, the Blues assistant coach, to come on board on a part-time basis until the end of the Six Nations tournament. Gatland, who returned from spending Christmas with his family in New Zealand, confirmed he was hopeful the deals would be sealed early this week.

"We are really close and its just the final details which, hopefully, will be sorted out in the next few days," said Gatland.

"I am hoping that early next week we will have everything finalised.
There are a few things to sort out with Shaun Wasps and now England aren't too keen at the thought of him coming to Wales."

"Shaun and I would love to work together again and we just have a few things to sort out."

"We have some details to work out with Rob Howley, too."

Gatland knows he needs to put his coaching team together quickly. He has less than a month before Wales open their Six Nations campaign against England on February 2.

Edwards and Howley will join team manager Alan Phillips, kicking coach Neil Jenkins, technical coach Robin McBryde and fitness coach Mark Bennett. But the team may be just together for the Six Nations. The contracts of the likes of Jenkins, McBryde and Bennett end after the tournament.

Craig White, the former Ireland and Wasps fitness coach who is currently with the Leicester Tigers, is another target for Wales.

Gatland is still keen to get him on board in some capacity.

Personally I take that as Warren Gatland picking his coaching side and not being influenced

by nottins_jones Thu 30 Jun 2011, 2:47 pm

I believe it was part of the terms & conditions that Gatland was able to pick his own coaching staff. The WRU kindly obliged and why wouldn't they after the Ruddock and Jenkins debaccle.

by bedfordwelsh Thu 30 Jun 2011, 3:15 pm

notttins,

This one we agree on Wink

he was allowed to bring in his own coaching set up and after the success at Wasps thats why he brough in Edwards and Howley.

Not sure how much say he had in McBride though.

by maestegmafia Thu 30 Jun 2011, 8:19 pm

AlynDavies wrote:we dont lose tries to interceptions etc.

Really???

I can remember quite a few interceptions.

by Shifty Thu 30 Jun 2011, 8:32 pm

maestegmafia wrote:Really???

I can remember quite a few interceptions.

This season? I can't remember any! Shocked

by maestegmafia Fri 01 Jul 2011, 1:42 am

AlynDavies wrote:
maestegmafia wrote:Really???

I can remember quite a few interceptions.

This season? I can't remember any!

Maybe it was last season then where we seemed to throw too many wild passes?

This year has been the one where we kick it to them and watch them run it in.

It's effectively the same. And niether is a fault of coaching.

Players have to know when a pass is or isn't on, too many key welsh players don't. Same applies to kicking. Phillips and jones kick too much decent ball away because they are off form.

by ScarletSpiderman Fri 01 Jul 2011, 9:07 am

Alyn - Didn't Bradley Davies give one (interception) away against Italy? I can't remember if there was a try at the end of it or not.

Maesteg - I got to argue with you on Phillips and Jones kick ball away because they are off form. I honestly think it is the 'game plan' that the welsh setup have chosen. Steve doesn't kick half as much when he is playing for the Scarlets. So that is why i believe it is down to 'game plan' however it could be down to having more faith in the players around him at the scarlets, and not having as much faith in the international backs.

by Luckless Pedestrian Fri 01 Jul 2011, 9:20 am

It is down to the game plan that we kick so much ball away. It's also down to the game plan that we kick with no intention of finding touch.

by maestegmafia Fri 01 Jul 2011, 11:41 am

ScarletSpiderman wrote:Steve doesn't kick half as much when he is playing for the Scarlets. So that is why i believe it is down to 'game plan' however it could be down to having more faith in the players around him at the scarlets, and not having as much faith in the international backs.

That is very likely.

Sorry but no international coach, club coach or any other would ever advise a player to kick the ball as aimlessly as Mike Phillips regularly does, and from good attacking positions too...

I agree with your point that it is about the lack of faith in a team where they are low on confidence, unlike at the Scarlets, who are happy to run the ball from all over, and with great success.

This may well improve as the summer moves into the world cup as the players will be far more aligned and confident with each other.

Well lets hope so any way..

by Luckless Pedestrian Fri 01 Jul 2011, 11:54 am

This is the thing, we ALL want Wales to get it together and somehow, magically, spring in to life and for everything to click. But all we can do is hope.

Maybe the three remaining warm-up matches will give us more cause to expect we can give a good account of ourselves at the World Cup.

by Dominic Dicoco Fri 01 Jul 2011, 12:21 pm

It seems to me that we kick the ball after we have gone from side to side and 5 metres backwards a few times. I dont blame the players for kicking it on most of the occasions, as everytime we go wide, we are standing still and getting smashed. We just seem to crab across the pitch shipping on bad ball.

The main problem is our lack of structure in the back line. We dont seem to use simple dummy runners, that other teams use and create so much space with. We seem to rely on the 2005 'Welsh Way' that doesnt work anymore, although our offload game from this time could do with a return.

Our backline rarely use set moves. Last one I saw, George North scored against SA. Whether this is all Howleys doing I dont know. Gatland does seem to have a big influence on our attacking style.

I really hope that Howleys replacement can get our back line moving, as we certainly have players that can cause damage.

by RubyGuby Fri 01 Jul 2011, 12:24 pm

What real experience did Howley have before taking up his role with Wales?? IMO he has been dire and another jobs for the boys appointment, his interviews lack analysis and he's another one who likes to say "we have to front up" - what the fxxx is that all about Rob??, stating the obvious over and over as many welsh coaches do illustrates their ineptness at this level. Holley is the master of it.

Edwards's time has also come and gone - dinosaur - welsh defence coach - tell him to read the stats!!! Same goes for Howley or should that be Howler -

by Luckless Pedestrian Fri 01 Jul 2011, 12:48 pm

Dominic Dicoco wrote:The main problem is our lack of structure in the back line. We dont seem to use simple dummy runners, that other teams use and create so much space with... our backline rarely use set moves. Last one I saw, George North scored against SA.

Tell me about it! Teams must love facing Wales because they know exactly what they're going to get. Ireland, as an example, are trying something off first phase ball every time; even if they don't get through the opposition defence, it still puts doubt in their mind. No such problems when facing Wales. They'll get Jamie Roberts running straight and hard at them every time. Hell, England moved Joe Worsley in to midfield to cover him a few seasons ago and we still didn't try an alternative!

by Dominic Dicoco Fri 01 Jul 2011, 1:17 pm

luckless_pedestrian wrote:
Dominic Dicoco wrote:The main problem is our lack of structure in the back line. We dont seem to use simple dummy runners, that other teams use and create so much space with... our backline rarely use set moves. Last one I saw, George North scored against SA.

Tell me about it! Teams must love facing Wales because they know exactly what they're going to get. Ireland, as an example, are trying something off first phase ball every time; even if they don't get through the opposition defence, it still puts doubt in their mind. No such problems when facing Wales. They'll get Jamie Roberts running straight and hard at them every time. Hell, England moved Joe Worsley in to midfield to cover him a few seasons ago and we still didn't try an alternative!

Yeah that was embarrasing to watch. At least in most games when the Jaw fails to get over the gain line a few times, we use plan B - Give it to Shane!!

by nottins_jones Fri 01 Jul 2011, 3:28 pm

RubyGuby wrote:What real experience did Howley have before taking up his role with Wales?? IMO he has been dire and another jobs for the boys appointment, his interviews lack analysis and he's another one who likes to say "we have to front up" - what the fxxx is that all about Rob??, stating the obvious over and over as many welsh coaches do illustrates their ineptness at this level. Holley is the master of it.

Edwards's time has also come and gone - dinosaur - welsh defence coach - tell him to read the stats!!! Same goes for Howley or should that be Howler -

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