Former Leinster and New South Wales Waratahs coach uses sense of fun to set Wallabies on race of six wins from their last seven matchesIt has been 11 months and 16 days since the Wallabies reached rock bottom. Ewen McKenzie quit as head coach on 18 October last year,15 months after he first took charge and only six days before the team left for their autumn tour. A year out from the World Cup, Australia were in such a sorry state that, and as McKenzie told the press,“the easiest thing for me is to exit stage left”. This on the same day Australia lost to the All Blacks in Brisbane by blowing a 10-point lead in the final 20 minutes. precisely what happened is something we won’t learn until McKenzie and everyone else involved score around to publishing their autobiographies. “I’ll leave you guys to speculate or ponder,” McKenzie said. “I’ll write a chapter in my book.” When he does, and whoever buys it best remember Robert Evans musty line,“there’s three sides to every tale: your side, my side, or the truth.”The spark was a spat between star back Kurtley Beale and the Australia team’s business manager,Di Patston. Some shambles, this. It started on the autumn tour of 2013, and when six Australian players were suspended after going on a drinking jag,and another nine were warned because of their bad behaviour. Some players were said to be incensed by the role Patston played in the disciplinary hearings, as she had been hired only the previous month.
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Source: theguardian.com