The Wallabies have yet to find a replacement kicking coach with time running out before September’s Rugby World Cup in France.
Coach John Connolly has been forced to operate this season without a kicking coach after Ben Perkins resigned in protest at a contract offered to him by the Australian Rugby Union.
Connolly’s attempts to lure him back appear to have failed, putting the Wallabies at a disadvantage against the leading rugby nations.
”There will definitely be a national kicking coach on the team next year, hopefully operating with the full support of the [Australian] states,” Connolly told Saturday’s the Australian newspaper.
”Short term we haven’t ruled it out but for the moment [attack coach] Scott Johnson and [skills coach] Scott Wisemantle will handle that side of things.”
The newspaper said part of the difficulty is in finding a coach capable of handling what Connolly sees as the two main components of the task, the technical and tactical.
”If you haven’t got the first, the second is immaterial,” Connolly said.
Connolly said the Wallabies are attempting to kick from different sources, primarily flyhalf, inside centre, outside centre and fullback, in their matches.
”But often you’re working from defensive zones with ball that is not strong and it’s hard to get two passes in,” he said.
”We could stand [inside-centre] Mat Giteau in at first receiver and that’s something we’re looking at, but it’s a difficult task clearing kicks when the defence has the ascendancy.”
Connolly has another problem in that flyhalf Steve Larkham is unable to practice his tactical kicking because it could trigger a hamstring injury.
So important is the experienced Larkham to the Wallabies’ overall game, both in attack and defence, that the Australian coaches have had to accept that limitation and do their best to work around it, the newspaper said.
The kicking crisis within the team will ease if fullback Chris Latham is able to return from his knee reconstruction in time for the final Tri-Nations Test against the All Blacks in Auckland on July 21, but Connolly is not banking on it.
”He’s still got to come back yet,” Connolly said. ”We’re hopeful, but there is still a long way for him to go.” – Sapa-AFP