2014 Season Preview: Sydney University

by Paul Cook –

Rookie 1st grade coach Chris Malone was stuck between a rock and a hard place when he stepped up from 2nd grade to take the reigns at Sydney University last year. A failure to win the Shute Shield Premiership with the star-studded side he had at his disposal by season’s end could only be the fault of the new coach. Win and it would be because he had the best team in the competition.

While there can be no denying that the Students side that did lift the title last September was arguably the strongest in living memory, their victory detracted from the great strides taken by Malone and his coaching team in terms of the team’s style. While their continued success has resulted in much ire in club rugby circles in recent years, it was perhaps the methodical way Uni’s well-oiled machine went about its rugby that irked many.

Not so under Malone. Uni were reborn last year as a team with genuine élan, packing plenty of tries, running the ball at every opportunity and eschewing the kick for territory in favour of chancing their arm. Love them or hate them, the manner of their 50-6 victory over Eastwood in the Grand Final was a joy to watch. It was damn good rugby.

However, the advent of the NRC has changed the ball game with Super Rugby players highly unlikely to feature in any great capacity during the club season. The challenge for Malone this year then, is whether he can repeat that success with a team of no-names. Rugby News went to find out if he was up for the task…

******************************************************

Your first year as 1st grade head coach at Uni and you guided the team to another title – it was obviously as straightforward as it appeared then???

“It was far from straightforward, we lost three of the first five games! I know we won the next 17 straight but still, despite everyone else saying ‘You’ll win this easy’, I never ever thought that going into any game and I guess that’s sport. We had a great side, the likes of which we won’t ever see again.”

You developed a more expansive style for Uni throughout the year and the fruits were there for all to see in the grand final. Did it come together quicker than you thought?

“Not necessarily. It probably took us six months before they were actually really understanding the way that we wanted them to play. I reckon there’s an obligation to not kick and chase and hopefully, people will want to come to the games for the right reasons. I recognise that sometimes you need to do that but ultimately, if conditions are good enough, there is a bit of an obligation to play some good rugby.”

Former player Chris Malone returned to the club as
2nd grade coach, winning the 2012 title before guiding
the Students to 1st grade success last season
Photo: SPA Images

That mantra flies a little bit in the face of the Uni teams of the recent past who were absolute masters of the set-piece and at controlling a game through their forwards, was that something you yourself brought to the table when you joined or was it something that the club recognised needed to change?

“Well, I sat down with my coaches and strength and conditioning staff and said ‘This is what I think we are capable of’ and we all agreed. I’m not going to credit myself but the reality was that I’d watched Sydney Uni teams even since my days as a player and we’ve always had such a strong forward pack and really relied on that sort of game whereas I know how hard the guys work and I know they’re capable of playing a game that’s ball in hand and demands more of the lungs.

“What we tried to ensure is that if the space is there to be taken, I want you to take it, it’s not a case of ‘If you’re in this part of the field, you must do this’, it’s more about having a look at what’s in front of you and I think the boys enjoyed that licence to play if it was on and ultimately, all of the coaches backed them to do it. They did it for long enough to become very proficient but obviously, we happened to have some special talent in the team to be able to pull it off.”

Is it also a case of playing to your strengths and that the Students have simply brought through players more attuned to that style of game in recent years than the previous prototype?

“Absolutely. I think the first thing you’ve got to do is say ‘What have we got and how can we play?’ and we had some genuine speedsters and with the introduction of Pete Playford into the coaching team, we’re both backs and with him particularly being a former outside back, we like to see backs get their hands on the ball. That’s probably why it went that way, we recognised that we’ve got good cattle, we better use them.”

Is that a box that’s been ticked now or are there more expansion tweaks to come?

“I think it’ll be crazy to think we can just roll out and play the way we did at the end of last season. The reason we became good at that game is because we worked very, very hard right up until the last day so ultimately, we have to go back to square one because it’ll be a drastically different team to the one we had at the back end of last year. I don’t think it’s any secret that you can’t just jump in at a higher level and play the sort of game you’re playing in September, in March, so our game will be more about the basics and when we demonstrate that we’ve got the capacity to develop then we will.”

What areas do you feel Uni need to work on still, the feeling around the traps was that the lineout was a potential Achilles heel towards the end of last year but not much of one at that?

“Well, I actually didn’t think it was bad at all but to be honest with you, I haven’t gone back and analysed the last game too much. I know we had one of the world’s best coaching it (Dan Vickerman) and the bloke calling the lineouts for the Waratahs now (Dave Dennis) in the thick of it and we had some quality stock in there too including a good throwing hooker (Tolu Latu)so, I thought it was pretty good.

“In the end, it’s a whole new batch of players this year. Some of them will have 1st grade experience but I think we have to make sure we cover off all the bases so we have to go back to square one with everything, from set-piece to counter-attack to basic handling but the good thing is, we’ve got a year under our belts now and people know how we like to do things so hopefully, we can get people up to speed a bit quicker because our processes are better as coaches as well. All we’re after is for players to improve each year and if they can individually bring that improvement then our whole team performance should be better for it.”

Sydney University: Ins & Outs

There’s an earlier start to the competition this year, a couple of extra rounds and a six team finals series – are you happy with the changes?

“I think they are what they are because of what they’re trying to do at the end of the year with the NRC. I know it’s going to be a grind, some teams started playing trials a few weeks before the season but the reality is that it is an 18 round competition with back-to-back games and no breaks and if there’s wet weather we’ll have midweek games in there as well so we planned our season around only having two trial games with the fact that it’s going to be a hard season very much in mind.

“In terms of the finals I initially thought they were going to revert back to a five team finals series which I think probably would have been better, certainly eight team finals doesn’t work, you’re just rewarding mediocrity but if it’s a five team series then you probably deserve to be in the finals if you can finish in there. However, we won’t be complaining about it if we’re 6th at the end of the comp!”

The NRC arrives at the end of the year, what are the pros and cons of this competition for club rugby?

“Well, we have the most exciting joint venture with Balmain (they have combined to form the Sydney Stars side) as great partners so it is very much another sign that we want our players to have the best opportunity for a pathway from Juniors to the Wallabies. As a club, we feel strongly about providing that opportunity to our players.

“I still see club rugby as the breeding ground, it’s where I think the greatest opportunity for development of players is. People are getting plucked out of clubs faster and faster these days and I’m still an advocate for the fact that if it was developed and invested in correctly I can’t see why the club comp didn’t fit the criteria for the next level. It’s an exciting move but I still hope that the Shute Shield has its place and I think it definitely does because we’ve still got to produce players to play at the next level.”

With the Super Rugby final only two weeks before the Shute Shield grand final this year, those clubs with Super Rugby players will have less access to them depending on the relative success of each state. Can we expect a more level playing field across the regular season as a result?

“Well, it depends what you think a level playing field is and the reality is that there are blokes in Super Rugby squads that have hardly played 1st grade games of footy. Sure, if you’re bringing back Wallabies into the club game but I think that was always the great beauty of the Shute Shield and you get your best games when you do have those people in it. I definitely think that the way the seasons are aligned now that the Super Rugby sides will be trying to get their guys to take their annual rest at the end of their season, which will probably exclude quite a few people from playing club rugby I would imagine. That’s exciting for all the guys coming through because it means that what we start with is what we finish with and that’s a good challenge for us as coaches as well as players.”

Obviously if that scenario does play out the way we’re expecting, it will affect Uni more than most so, as you said, it will represent somewhat of a different challenge than in previous years?

“It does but it also excites me too because I see the potential in a lot of those guys to be pushing on to be the next guys to be involved in Super Rugby. Obviously, we’re going to lack in experience but I see it as a great challenge for us as coaches to ensure that we get those blokes up to speed.”

Malone is a ‘big fan’ of James Dargaville, who crossed twice in Uni’s Australian Club Championship win last weekend – Photo: Sportography / QRU

What trends, if any, do you think we might see appearing in the way the game is played or approached by teams this year in regards to law interpretations – particularly at the breakdown?

“There’s clearly going to be a big focus on the gate again and ensuring that people come through square which is good, it’s how it should be and I still think that those things that have always stood true in rugby such as dominance in your carry and speed in possession are still going to dictate what happens. If the ball is coming quickly and you’re going forward, you’re going to get rewarded so it’s up to your defence to stop that from happening and it’s up to your attack to make sure it does happen!

“Obviously, the big one is at scrum time with the changing of the call there but that should suit the game because it’ll obviously mean that there should be less stoppages in the game but yeah, other than that, I don’t think there’ll be that many changes this year.”

Players to watch out for in 2014?

“I’d be looking towards a young front rower called Rhys Brodie and a young backrower called Sam Quinn, who came across last year from New Zealand. Stu Dunbar should kick on this year, James Dargaville, who I’m a big fan of and another guy called Jim Stewart but he could be a part of the Aussie Under 20s so I’m not sure how much we’ll see of him.”

What is a successful season for Uni this year then given the expected player availability you will have to work with – is title retention on the cards or is it a more holistic approach to progress?

“We always set out to win the club championship and if we can do that, it’ll mean we’ll have got good results across the club which probably means that we’re going pretty well. Obviously, your 1st grade side’s points are weighted heavily in that alongside 2nd grade and 1st colts so those teams have to be doing well but if we can travel well as a club then we’ll be there or thereabouts and give ourselves a chance at the end of the season.”