Australian attempts to form a united front in the national cause of beating the Lions have already started to unravel. An untimely leak has created an almighty mess Down Under.
What started off as a routine consultation exercise by Wallaby head coach Robbie Deans has ended up causing major embarrassment. Deans emailed the coaches of the five Australian Super 15 sides, asking for their feedback about Test selection. Four of them replied, ranking players in each position as requested and those nominations were collated into a potential line-up.
Deans emailed the results to the coaches — Ewen McKenzie (Reds), Jake White (Brumbies), Damien Hill (Rebels) and Michael Foley (Force), who are all understood to have participated, and Michael Cheika, of the Waratahs, who reportedly did not respond. Unfortunately, for the coaches who took part and the players they evaluated, the email has been published in a newspaper and all hell has broken loose.
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Embarrassing: Australian coach Robbie Deans saw an email with a proposed Test side to face the Lions leaked to a newspaperWhile England went through a ‘whodunnit’ leak saga following the last World Cup, at least that took place in the aftermath of the tournament, not in the build-up. This episode has the potential to create significant ill-feeling when solidarity is required.
Foley, who played against the Lions in 2001, yesterday summed up the problem, saying: ‘I feel for the players that have to read that sort of thing in the media and then try and second guess things when all they should be thinking about right now is how they’re going to play.
Shame: Michael Foley said the players would not have liked reading the email in the press