Brissy Bulldog
Proud to be a Bulldog
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ha ha ha ha ha
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Johns comeback embarrasses ARU
By Greg Growden
Friday, June 17, 2005
What do all those rugby do-gooders think now? You know the ones. Those who carried on about how the Australian Rugby Union had to be congratulated in not helping the Waratahs secure Andrew Johns last year. Congratulated? You must be kidding.
Instead, as State of Origin II proved, the ARU made a big blunder, contributing to rugby's greatest loss in recent times. Johns's exceptional performance showed again he would have been a rugby phenomenon - and could have easily taken Australia to World Cup glory in two years' time.
And if the Waratahs had him, Super 12 glory would be almost a formality. The pass, the kicking game, the authority, the poise ... there is no-one in Australian rugby who compares with him.
Also, forget how the same narrow-minded members of the leather-patch brigade gloated when Johns broke his jaw earlier this year because that apparently showed he would have been a flawed investment for NSW rugby. Garbage. How can one say with a straight face that if you broke your jaw in league, the same would have happened in union?
But such feeble arguments from those ignorant rugby diehards, who refuse to forget the war and hate anything league, was par for the course during the great debate last year over whether Johns should or should not cross codes.
The Waratahs wanted Johns. Wallabies coach Eddie Jones wanted Johns. And Johns was genuinely interested. However, the ARU's refusal to back NSW and provide extra funding when negotiations became serious cruelled the proposed move.
For some time after, several ARU officials delighted in explaining why a Johns signing would be so dangerous. Some ridiculous, nasty slurs were muttered. They wondered if he was the right type of "character" for the Wallabies. They thought he was on his last legs.
They're in hiding now, especially as the second and third NSW tries on Wednesday night resulted from Johns - in a classic union approach - creating time and space for the outside three- quarters and causing confusion in the opposition defence. It wasn't straight out of the rah-rah text book, but it was the type of midfield mastery that has the Eddie Joneses and Clive Woodwards of the world drooling.
And the night also emphasised Johns was on a higher level to Braith Anasta as a playmaker. One can see why NSW were not as keen in chasing Anasta as they were Johns, and why no-one collapsed in shock when the Bulldogs pivot, after weeks of unnecessary theatrics, decided to stick to league. No great loss there. But Johns is an entirely different matter.
Where NSW and Australia struggle is with a consistent midfield kicker. Johns showed how to do it: mixing it up, hitting the spot every time and bamboozling the Queenslanders as they never knew which way he was going to punt the ball.
And then there is his passing. Majestic, precise and varied, depending on the pressure. Apart from the traditional rugby pass, he also occasionally throws a clever end-on-end ball which is so accurate, so direct and so easy to catch.
All is not lost, though, as the Reds this week picked up an excellent talent in Broncos utility back Berrick Barnes - according to those in the know, he is a far better acquisition than Anasta would ever have been.
But Johns could have now been part of the rich rugby tapestry. All it required was for the ARU not to wimp it last year.
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Johns comeback embarrasses ARU
By Greg Growden
Friday, June 17, 2005
What do all those rugby do-gooders think now? You know the ones. Those who carried on about how the Australian Rugby Union had to be congratulated in not helping the Waratahs secure Andrew Johns last year. Congratulated? You must be kidding.
Instead, as State of Origin II proved, the ARU made a big blunder, contributing to rugby's greatest loss in recent times. Johns's exceptional performance showed again he would have been a rugby phenomenon - and could have easily taken Australia to World Cup glory in two years' time.
And if the Waratahs had him, Super 12 glory would be almost a formality. The pass, the kicking game, the authority, the poise ... there is no-one in Australian rugby who compares with him.
Also, forget how the same narrow-minded members of the leather-patch brigade gloated when Johns broke his jaw earlier this year because that apparently showed he would have been a flawed investment for NSW rugby. Garbage. How can one say with a straight face that if you broke your jaw in league, the same would have happened in union?
But such feeble arguments from those ignorant rugby diehards, who refuse to forget the war and hate anything league, was par for the course during the great debate last year over whether Johns should or should not cross codes.
The Waratahs wanted Johns. Wallabies coach Eddie Jones wanted Johns. And Johns was genuinely interested. However, the ARU's refusal to back NSW and provide extra funding when negotiations became serious cruelled the proposed move.
For some time after, several ARU officials delighted in explaining why a Johns signing would be so dangerous. Some ridiculous, nasty slurs were muttered. They wondered if he was the right type of "character" for the Wallabies. They thought he was on his last legs.
They're in hiding now, especially as the second and third NSW tries on Wednesday night resulted from Johns - in a classic union approach - creating time and space for the outside three- quarters and causing confusion in the opposition defence. It wasn't straight out of the rah-rah text book, but it was the type of midfield mastery that has the Eddie Joneses and Clive Woodwards of the world drooling.
And the night also emphasised Johns was on a higher level to Braith Anasta as a playmaker. One can see why NSW were not as keen in chasing Anasta as they were Johns, and why no-one collapsed in shock when the Bulldogs pivot, after weeks of unnecessary theatrics, decided to stick to league. No great loss there. But Johns is an entirely different matter.
Where NSW and Australia struggle is with a consistent midfield kicker. Johns showed how to do it: mixing it up, hitting the spot every time and bamboozling the Queenslanders as they never knew which way he was going to punt the ball.
And then there is his passing. Majestic, precise and varied, depending on the pressure. Apart from the traditional rugby pass, he also occasionally throws a clever end-on-end ball which is so accurate, so direct and so easy to catch.
All is not lost, though, as the Reds this week picked up an excellent talent in Broncos utility back Berrick Barnes - according to those in the know, he is a far better acquisition than Anasta would ever have been.
But Johns could have now been part of the rich rugby tapestry. All it required was for the ARU not to wimp it last year.
