Interview With....

MATT WILLAMS

Matt Williams has had plenty of coaching experience at the top level. He has guided first class sides in both hemispheres and had his share of ups and downs. A former high school teacher at one of Sydney's elite Rugby schools, Williams began his top level coaching career with the New South Wales Waratahs in the Super Rugby competition. His first season with NSW was in the 1997 Super 12 tournament. The team enjoyed just four wins from their 11 games, but the next year, Williams improved things and the Waratahs were in contention for a semi final place.

After his third year with NSW, Williams moved to Ireland where he became an assistant coach at Leinster towards the end of 1999. Next season he was the Head coach and he did this job for three seasons. In that time, Leinster won the Celtic League title (now the Magners League) in 2000/01and also reached the quarter finals of  the European Cup in 2001/02 and the semi finals in 2002/03. To win the inaugural Celtic League title, Leinster defeated arch rivals Munster 24-20 in the Final at Lansdowne Road in December, 2001. Williams' team finished with 14 men after their Irish international flanker Eric Miller was sent off in the second half and they also came from behind, when Munster led 12-6 at halftime. While at Leinster, Williams was also appointed as coach of Ireland A. Ireland A won their competition for the 2001/02 season, with their only defeat being against France A. They also beat a Puma XV in that season. Talented Irish centre, Brian O'Driscoll (93 tests for Ireland, six tests for the Lions) was a key player with Leinster in the 2001/02 season. In March 2002, O'Driscoll said publicly, when asked about Williams, “He has brought Leinster out of the doldrums. He has got us playing an attractive game and helped us become much more professional."

Next, the Australian was off to Edinburgh, where he became the first foreign-born coach of Scotland from December 2003 to April 2005. Among his assistants with Scotland were former All Black, Todd Blackadder (12 tests) and Willie Anderson (27 tests) from Ulster

After Scotland, Williams and his family moved back to Sydney where he coached West Harbour in the NSW first grade competition for the 2006 season. This was not a professional appointment and he travelled back to Ireland where he coached Ulster for two seasons, beginning in 2007/08.

With his children reaching senior high school age, Williams decided to return home so that his children could finish their schooling in Australia. Barry Ross caught up with the coach a few days ago at the Sydney Football Stadium.

BR- Are you back in Australia for good now?

MW- It was important to my wife and I that our children completed their high school studies at home. We are happy to be back in Australia, but I really enjoyed my coaching experiences in Europe and hopefully I will get a chance to go back there one day.

BR- How would you compare the game in Europe with the way rugby is played in the southern hemisphere?

MW- It is almost like two different games. We are now playing under the same laws again, so the difference is not so great. But the interpretations of the referees are very different. What is allowed in the tackle down south, is not allowed in the north. Referees in the northern hemisphere penalise the attacking team much more than their southern counterparts. While the games are usually not great spectacles to watch, they are physically more intense than Super Rugby matches. With many games played in wet and heavy conditions, it is much harder to move the ball as often as you would like.

BR- Are there any other things to consider when playing in the northern hemisphere?

MW- The length of the season also creates some problems with injuries, availability etc. The average is around 35 games in a season. The salary cap in the UK also has an effect, as does the limit of four overseas players for each team in Ireland.

BR- Is South Africa the world's best team at the moment?

MW- Yes. Their record this year illustrates how good they are. They play the current interpretations of the laws better than any other side. They have the best kicking game of all teams, while they obtain possession better than any of their opponents.

BR- How do you rate the current All Blacks?

MW- They are not the strongest New Zealand team I have ever seen and they often play like a team under pressure. I believe their coaching staff is a high quality unit, but the New Zealand media are merciless with their criticism of the coaches when they do not win. This pressure on the coaches, also puts pressure on the team.

BR- What are you thoughts on Super Rugby at the moment?

MW- I think it will be an excellent competition when they move to two rounds in 2011. It is hard for coaches and teams when you only play your opponents once.

BR-How do you rate the Wallaby performances this year?

MW- Australian rugby is struggling right now. There is a lack of long term planning from the administrators. They seem to lack a long term vision of what they want to do. The short term solutions they have implemented will not help the game. I was amazed to see they have no plans to develop western Sydney. It is rugby league heartland but there would be many good young players who could easily be attracted to our game. Soccer and Aussie Rules have made no secret that they intend to target western Sydney youth for their sports.

BR- What about the coach? Is Robbie Deans the right man for the Wallabies?

MW- Yes he is. I think he is a fine coach, but too much focus and pressure is being put on the coach, making it hard for him to do his job.

BR- Does Australia have the players to perform better than they have this year?

MW- There are some world class players in their ranks but some are not performing as well as they could, or should. Robbie obviously has long term plans and this will be come clearer after the next World Cup. Perhaps some of the players have reached test level too early, but I am not close to the team and so I am not privy to the reasoning behind team selections.

BR- What can be done to improve things at Wallaby level?

MW- One thing that can be done is to try and stop the exodus of players overseas. Because of the money involved, this would sometimes be hard to do. But there would be many who would stay at home, if they knew they had a long term future here. Brock James is a good example. At the moment he is with Clermont-Auvergne and is playing really well. As at 5 October, Clermont were on top of the French 14 table. Brock is one of he best five eighths in Europe and has been for some time. I am not saying he is as good as Matt Giteau, but he would be an excellent back-up.

BR- How would you compare the skill development of players in Australia compared to overseas?

MW- I am not an expert in this regard and I really only know what goes on in Ireland and to a lesser extent New Zealand, as well as Australia. I feel the coaching clinics are better in Ireland and New Zealand. Not many kids kick with both feet in Australia but many do in Ireland. Since I have been home I have noticed that the short kicking game in rugby league has improved over the last five years or so, while it seems to have gone backwards in our rugby. There is a focus on scrum coaching in Europe and this is vastly superior to what is done in Australia.

BR- What about running the ball? Is the ball moved wide more in Australia?

MW- It is part of our culture to run the ball, plus our weather allows this to be done more than the weather does in the European Rugby season. Also the refereeing interpretations in the north hinder the attacking players obtaining quick ball at the breakdowns. In the north players must stay on their feet and the refs penalise the team in possession more than in the southern hemisphere. More penalties prevent continuation of play and so there is less running of the ball.

BR- Finally, what do you think of the Wallabies playing test matches in places like Hong Kong, Tokyo and even Denver in the USA?

MW- I have no problems with it. Anything that spreads our game to new places is good. Similarly I hope Rugby becomes an official Olympic sport. That would be terrific.