Why?

I'd have thought they'd go with someone with international experience.

Even though I'm not an avid follower of this game you read the news and follow the scores.
So what good memories has Deans left ? all I recall is loss's more so than wins, since the Eales era ended its been down hill that I recall.

Who else Aussie could they pick afro apart from the older coachs of the past having experience ? None that I can think of so McKenzie is worth a try imo.

Who says the coach has to be aussie?

Not having international experience would be the only thing he's missing.

1. He's Australian, I personally don't care if we have a foreigner as coach, but the media and the average Joe do.

2. Former Wallaby.

3. Assistant coach of the Wallabies during a very successful period.

4. Longest serving Waratahs coach. Reached the final twice.

5. Turned around the QLD Reds, won the title with us. Just have a quick look at where we were before he joined us.

6. Can play both attacking and defensive rugby.

7. Can control big egos, eg. Quade Cooper.

You could tell the establishment and followers thats what they've wanted - the followers I know also felt the same.
Doesn't really bother me who but all I could see that Deans always looked depressed, sure coaching isn't the fun job to have but you got to come across better than that imo.
Good luck to McKenzie I'm sure he would be a breath of fresh air.

McKenzie as Wallabies coach is a great move. Jake White would've been a great choice, too. But he won the world cup playing a terrible brand of rugby, which is something Australian Rugby doesn't need. Link may very well have what it takes to win a cup, and you can be guaranteed he would win it playing a style of rugby that will bring people back to the game, much as he did with the Reds when they won S15.

It was much of a muchness I feel. And they went for an Aussie over a Sud African. Good for them, and hopefully, good for the Wallabies. Looking forward to TRC this year.

To be fair, Australia have been playing terrible rugby anyway.

yep - in good field position they spill the ball then its just kicking pens nothing more nothing less.

That wasn't my point, but I don't disagree. Which is why Ewen is probably a better pick because he'll get them playing (or is ok with them playing) some of the exciting low percentage style play that is attractive to watch and will get people interested in Rugby again. I don't blame people for turning away from Rugby because the last decade has seen the game evolve in a negative way (imo).

Personally, i'd much rather watch a team I support lose by playing the game in the best spirit/the way it's meant to be played, than to watch them win by playing boring, unattractive, defensive shit. Especially so in Rugby, because as we've seen over the last decade or so, the defensive, kicking style games played by many winning teams have come in for huge criticism by Rugby purists and have seen support for the game dwindle from, what I understand, were the early 00's highs. Compare that to the Reds under Ewen, who play a dynamic game, won a trophy because of it, and have dramatically increased their crowd averages from the pitiful numbers they were before he took over..

With Folau there they've got some opportunities to play some really exciting rugby too.

If only Digby wasn't going to France, we'd have the two best wingers in the game. The kick returns with Cooper, Digby and Folau back there. =p~

What are the rules in Union with blocking/impeding a player without the ball?

Do you mean decoy runners, or blocking players who are chasing after a kick?

As far as I know, with regards to kicking, a player is allowed to stand his ground but may not move off his line to block of an opposition player chasing through. However it has become a real feature over the last few years for players to be very 'professional' in this regard.. jogging in a straight line into a collision course for the chasing player, players chasing back with the opposition player, only to stop a few metres from where the kick will drop and pretend to go up for a catch, allowing another player a free play at a catch etc.. imo it's turning into quite a cynical blight on the game.

As for obstructions in attacking play, I think the principle is the same as league but not as strictly enforced.

I was more intrigued by how they defend their man in a kicking scenario. No physical blockers protecting the ball-carrier. I wasn't sure if that was illegal or there's just a perception that you can't "spare" the players from the line?

You mean like NFL style blocking protection?

The ideas of purposely blocking/shepherding/jockeying are not part of Rugby, as much as I think they are starting to creep in, as I mentioned above.

One of the few things I hate about AFL is how you are allowed to shepherd an opposition player off a player with the ball. Coming from a Rugby background I have a hard time reconciling with that philosophy.

It just seems a little ridiculous that someone goes up to claim a ball from the air and there's nobody there protecting him from encroaching defenders.

He can't be touched while he's in the air catching it, but as soon as he hits the ground it's fair game.

Conversely, while I don't think it's ridiculous (because obviously there is an advantage to be gained), I certainly feel that it's 'wrong' (in the cynicism in sport kind of way) for opposition players to purposely block opposition off the ball - the ball is what both teams are trying to get and I don't think it's right to consider using bodies to prevent the opposition from getting it. Something about that suggests to me that the spirit of the game is being violated.

But I guess it's down to what you're brought up with. Not being a football native I have a hard time coming to terms, among other things, with jockeying a ball over the byline in football - if it's in play you should play it imo. While we'll all be critical of certain sports we don't follow, I guess there's a bit "when in Rome" with the culture of sport.

Though he might not be able to be touched in the air, I keep seeing plays where the player is hit regardless because a scrum is a more appealing option than losing 15-20 yards to open play when the ball is grounded.

Confused. Not sure what you mean. If a player is tackled in the air, then a long arm penalty is awarded - no scrum.

Long arm penalty? So a penalty from where the ball was originally kicked?

Doesn't say where the penalty is awarded, but as I recall it is from where the infringement occurs. The video example on the IRB site suggests the same.

Season over. :( This international break just killed all our momentum. Really needs to be fixed.

Every other sport seems to manage ok with Rep grade breaks (except AFL :lol) I dunno why it's an issue for Union, RB.

We had six weeks off with no games. We went into the finals with only one game under our belt. Meanwhile the Saders had about three weeks off with three matches straight leading into the finals. Six weeks is huge it's like an off-season break.

Seems to me like the ARU need to decide where their priorities lie. But to be fair, this is a once in 12 years event. It's not going to be an issue next season and Qld should have known that.

Ewan has named his first Wallabies squad, and Quade is back. I'm looking forward to the Wallabies playing an exciting brand of rugby again. Could be a fun couple of years.

Playing rugby can lead to dementia, says Scots brain injuries expert

Saturday 3 August 2013

A link between early onset dementia and playing rugby has been established by a brain injuries expert.

High impact sports such as American football, ice hockey and rugby are starting to lead to problems later in life usually associated with former boxers, Dr Willie Stewart said.

In an interview, the neurologist discussed his research of the brain with a former rugby player where he examined sections of tissue and found abnormal proteins associated with head injuries and dementia.

The former player who took part in the study was found to have higher levels of the protein than a retired amateur boxer who has dementia pugilistica, also known as punch drunk syndrome.

Symptoms usually appear around 15 years after the boxer's career begins and include memory, speech and personality problems and a lack of coordination.

Until recently it had been thought to only affect boxers who suffered repeated concussive injuries through blows to the head, Dr Stewart said.

The percentage of rugby players affected is likely to be lower than other high impact sports where concussion is common, but it remains a concern.

Speaking on BBC Radio Scotland's Sport Nation programme, Dr Stewart said: "What we're find with people who've survived head injuries is that their brain shows changes down the microscope that look very much like what you would see in people with dementia, so similar abnormalities in people with Alzheimer's Disease.

"Now, we've known that in boxing for instance repeatedly injuring your brain can read to a syndrome, punch drunk syndrome, and you can imagine what that is.

"The pathology of that is better classified as dementia pugilistica and we kind of assumed it was only boxing related and you had to be exposed to a lot of concussive injuries. But what we're seeing here and in America is that it's happening in other sports where athletes are exposed to head injury in high levels.

"Those sports include American football, ice hockey and now I've seen a case in a person whose exposure was rugby.

"The damage is a number of things, we see a build up of a protein on the brain that normally appears in Alzheimer's cases, it builds up in nerve cells and is associated with the brain not working properly, so causes memory problems and personality problems."

Dr Stewart, who is based at the Southern General Hospital in Glasgow, believes better precautions have to be taken by players and organisers.

"On current evidence from American football and boxing I think it would be foolish to think there will be no problem and that rugby is immune from brain damage," he said.

"What proportion of players will be affected, how many times you would need to be concussed, how long after will it develop - these are questions we can't answer but we would suspect it will be a fairly low number but not a zero number.

"If we say it's 1% of people playing at international rugby level, then in any Six Nations weekend that's one or two players who could go on to develop a dementia they wouldn't otherwise have been exposed to.

"The dementia pugilistica stats would say that somewhere between 15% and 20% of boxers who retire after a long career will develop the dementia. I don't believe rugby is anywhere near that category, but even if its only 1% that's a concern."

The neurologist said all sports that carried the risk of head injury, including football, horse racing and show jumping, had a responsibility to ensure athletes recover fully.

"The general advice for concussion is 'if in doubt sit it out'.

"So for all levels of sport if you think there has been a concussion the player should be removed and not exposed to risk, because the second head injury coming in a short space of time before the brain has properly recovered can be much more severe."

http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/home-news/playing-rugby-can-lead-to-dementia-says-scots-brain-injuries-expert.1375530702?

Anyone watching tonight?

All Blacks are going to win easily, not much point.