Interview With....

Michael Foley has one of the most astute brains in world rugby. As a tough, hard working hooker, he played 50 tests with the Wallabies and as well as being a member of the 1999 World Cup winning team, enjoyed a Tri-nations trophy win, a Bledisloe Cup success and a series win over the 2001 Lions to Australia. As soon as his playing career had ended, Foley took up an assistant coaches role at Bath and remained in this position for four years from the 2001/2002 British season. He then joined John Connolly on the Wallabies coaching staff in 2006 and remained with the Australian team until the end of their 2008 commitments.

Now 42 years of age and living on the New South Wales Central Coast (80 kilometres north of Sydney), Foley wanted to spend less time overseas and more time with his young family. So this year he moved to the Waratahs staff, although still taking a keen interest in the international scene, especially the Wallabies test matches. Barry Ross caught up with him just a day after the Wallabies had defeated South Africa, by 21-6 in Brisbane.

Barry Ross- What was the main difference between the Australian efforts in Brisbane and how they have played in their other four losing Tri-nations tests this year?

Michael Foley- The single biggest difference was their attitude. This was shown early in the match, when close to their own tryline and in front of their goalposts, they moved the ball wide into space, making 60 or so metres.  Soon after this came their opening score. This showed they were not frightened of losing . They played without the pressure of playing to win the Tri-nations trophy. They did their job with freedom and had nothing to lose.

BR- It has been a talking point in Australian rugby for a few seasns now, but where would you play Matt Giteau?

MF- Let me say that both Matt Giteau and Berrick Barnes are great players and they are the correct men to fill the number 10 and 12 positions. It is obvious to many that they both have the talent to fill both places and a few other positions as well. They are good together now with Matt at 10 and Berrick at 12, and I believe their combination will get better and better. My preference is for Matt at 12 and Berrick at 10, but I am happy with the reverse situation.

BR- Can you give me a comment on the Wallaby scrum?

MF- There is no doubt that they have created some problems for the South Africans this year. I am very happy to see the improvement over the past couple of years and I feel there is more to come. They were great on the South African ball in Brisbane, but a little inconsistent on their own ball. While Springbok captain, John Smit began his career as a prop, he has played most of his test matches as a hooker. Benn Robinson has caused him some problems this year and this is a great credit to Benn and the entire pack.

BR- While speaking of scrummaging, what are your thoughts on what has happened to Wallaby prop Al Baxter this year?

MF- I thought he has been unfairly penalised, particularly in New Zealand. The referees seem to be influenced by what is said, in the media and elsewhere, in New Zealand. Tony Woodcock got away with murder. Still, Al's career was stalled in New Zealand and he probably could have scrummaged better. But on saying this, I still believe the referee got it wrong. The solution for Al, has not been found, both on and off the field and Ben Alexander has done well. I do believe Al will bounce back. Don't write him off.

BR- What about Australia's lineout?

MF-- This is ok, although the South Africans have created problems for the Wallabies, as they do for all their opponents, in this facet of play. Mark Chisholm has stepped up and played probably his best test for Australia in Brisbane, while James Horwill was also first class. Nathan Sharpe missed Brisbane with an injury but he has worked on his lineout strategy since coming back from the game in Capetown, South Africa on 8 August.

BR- The Australian win has opened up this year's Tri-nations. Can New Zealand win it?

MF- To me the South Africans are still the favourites, but all eyes will be on Hamilton for this Saturday's Springboks-All Blacks clash. The South Africans will be very disappointed at Saturday's loss., but they did miss some opportunities to win. One of these was, no doubt, they didn't make Australia have as many lineouts as they  (the Springboks) would have liked. In particular the lineouts with Australia coming out of their danger area. The South Africans have a lot of pride and I don't think they will miss their opportunities at Hamilton.

BR- Is this the best South African team you have seen?

MF- It definitely is over the past few years. They didn't do well in Brisbane but they will remedy this. One of their great assets is that they have many blokes who can adapt well to changing on-field situations. As well as this, their leadership group is terrific. Any number of blokes could captain their team well. John Smit does an excellent job in this regard, and I feel blokes like Victor Matfield, Jean de Villiers and Fourie du Preez are all capable of first class captaincy.

BR- What about New Zealand, do you think they are below their level of last year?

MF- Maybe a little bit, but enough can't be said about the influence of Dan Carter. Look how well he played against Australia in Sydney with only a couple of club matches under his belt after a long injury layoff. He was missing early this year. I know one man doesn't make a team, but when a player is so good, like Dan is, the team certainly misses him. It was the same for Australia, with Tim Horan, back in the nineties.

BR- Do you like two fast backrowers in a team as Robbie Deans did with George Smith and David Pocock against the Springboks in Brisbane?

MF- I think it is a horses for courses situation. In Brisbane the Wallabies played exactly how they were selected. But with the shorter backrowers (in height) you can sometimes have lineout limitations and you can be exposed. As I said earlier, the Africans didn't not force the Australians to have as many lineouts coming out of their own half as maybe they should have done. While on the backrow, I must say how well Rocky Elsom is playing at blindside flanker.

BR- 21 year old halfback Will Genia, payed his first test as a starter for the Wallabies in Brisbane. How did you think he played?

MF- He was very positive and didn't look rattled at any stage of the game. His passing was accurate and composed and he played a major role in the win. But I must point out that he had an excellent platform in front of him. Our forwards more than held their own and this gave Genia a solid base for his work. Luke Bugess didn't have this platform in the previous Tri-nations games. Luke does have to work on his passing and he will do this, but the work he does all around the field, his defence, cleaning up of kicks, backing-up etc, are very positive for the Wallabies. With Will and Luke, we have two world class halfbacks for the next World Cup.

BR- Moving along to the Waratahs, how are they looking for the 2010 Super Rugby tournament?

MF- We already had the basis of a more than good side and the signings we have made for next season really excite me. The three major local signings are Wallabies Berrick Barnes from the Queensland Reds and Drew Mitchell from the Force, plus Joshua Holmes from the Brumbies. We have picked up another Australian, Rory Sidie who has been playing with the Newport Gwent Dragons in the British Magners league. Rory is a young centre and with 20 year old Rob Horne (Australian under 20s and Australian Schools), give us plenty of strength in this position. Sosene Anesi from the Chiefs in New Zealand can also play centre and as well as  wing, second five and fullback at a pinch. Sosene, who is 28, has played one test for the All Blacks (in 2005 against Fiji) and he will certainly add class to our squad. 21 year old South African-born lock, Hendrik Roodt has joined us on a two year deal. He stands 201 cms and weighs 121 kgs, while he played for South African schools in 2005, as well as the Emerging Springboks. He intends to stay in Australia and qualify for the Wallabies.

BR- Where should the new Super 15 team be located, Melbourne, Australia or South Africa?

MF- I am biased but to me there is no choice. It should be Melbourne. There is a strong financial backing for the Melbourne team and this is positive for Rugby. There could well be several South Africans playing for the Melbourne team, if they are given the nod.

BR- What do you think of the work done by European unions in respect to helping the game progress in other parts of the world?

MF- The game in the northern hemisphere is extremely healthy. It is human nature to be concerned about your own situation  but I feel they could assist other unions more than they do and help the game become more global.

BR- What about the Lote Tuqiri situation?

MF- When I first joined the Wallaby staff, I wondered about the guys who came over from league, but I have got to say the ones I was involved with were helpful and fitted in well with the team environment. I can't comment on what Lote is alleged to have done, but I will say he impressed me with his leadership in my group activities in my time with the Wallabies. I certainly respected him as a player and he will be missed, both on personal and playing levels.

BR- Craig Wing, who has played 16 Rugby League tests and 12 State of Origin League games, has signed to play Rugby in Japan. How do you think he will go in the new game?

MF- He will do well. It must be remembered that he has a good background in our game. He played a major role, scoring two of the team's three tries, when the Australian Schools beat New Zealand Schools in his last year of high school. While there are differences between the two games, there are several common themes. Craig will adapt quickly.

BR- Finally, have you been impressed with the referees this year?

MF-I thought Wayne Barnes was ok in Brisbane on Saturday night. He didn't do well with the maul defence situation but overall he was reasonable. Bryce Lawrence has impressed me so far this year. His management of scrums is good and on the whole, I believe the New Zealanders referee the scrums better than the others. Jonathan Kaplan shows me he is a class referee, while I think Stu Dickenson is the right age and will come into his own during the next couple of years. You see a real calmness in Stu's refereeing.