Force confirm Foley as Super Rugby coach

Updated August 01, 2012 14:42:44

The Western Force have confirmed the appointment of Michael Foley as head coach for the next three Super Rugby seasons.

Foley quit his post at the NSW Waratahs on Tuesday, and will replace Richard Graham as head coach of the Force.

The appointment ends a drawn-out saga for the Force, who parted ways with Graham in mid-April after it was revealed the former Wallabies assistant had signed a deal to coach the Queensland Reds from next season.

The Force managed just three wins this year, and were dealt a huge blow last week when captain David Pocock defected to the Brumbies.

Foley spent three years as an assistant at the Waratahs before taking on the head role in 2012, where he managed to guide the side to just four wins from 16 games.

The 45-year-old, who represented the Wallabies in two World Cups, said he was excited to link up with the Force.

"This is an important period for the club and, while we're not looking to start from scratch, we're looking to relaunch the team," Foley said.

"There's no doubt the club has had a few setbacks in recent times but there are many people at the club, both on and off the field, that are very determined to see the Force successful.

"While my expectations are realistic, I'm very excited about this challenge.

"The coaching staff will be looking to promote an exciting brand of rugby that captures the imagination of our fans and wins games as well."

Although forwards coach Nick Stiles will remain at the Force, the franchise has begun the search for a new backs coach to replace Phil Blake.

AAP

Tags: rugby-union, sport, perth-6000, wa, sydney-2000, nsw, australia

First posted August 01, 2012 14:42:44

View the original article here

Foley to break Wallabies mould: O'Connor

Updated June 02, 2012 12:49:06

Michael O'Connor rates Bernard Foley as one of the greatest Sevens Rugby players there has been and someone who could break the mould of international full-backs if given a Wallabies debut during the June Tests.

During his playing days, dual-international O'Connor was himself an attacking master and starred alongside some of the most gifted game-breakers to ever play union and league.

And now in his role as Australian Sevens coach, his job has been to identify and mentor attacking wizards - and O'Connor promises they do not come any better equipped than Foley.

The 22-year-old has been a revelation in the number 15 jersey for New South Wales this year, and finds himself in the Wallabies train-on squad despite only making his Super Rugby debut in the Waratahs' preliminary final of 2011.

O'Connor has no doubt his former pupil's "sharp football brain" and willingness to run the ball will enable him to excel in the Test arena just as quickly.

"His first instinct is to attack. He's very much out of the mould I reckon at the moment with international rugby players," O'Connor said.

"He carries it in two hands and his last option generally is to kick ... he doesn't kick for the sake of kicking.

"He's got a very good intellect. You often see a lot of smart kids who aren't so smart on the footy field. But he's got rugby IQ and he's got general IQ.

"He's more than equipped. You'd benchmark him against the best Sevens players in the world and he's up there."

O'Connor described former Sevens captain and Commonwealth Games silver medallist Foley as "a big game player" and said Wallabies selectors were well aware of his potential.

Given he is yet to play a Test and will be backing up from the Waratahs match on Saturday night, Foley is at best an outside chance for the Scotland Test on Tuesday in Newcastle.

However, with three internationals to come against Wales and with number 15 incumbent Kurtley Beale for the moment sidelined through injury, Foley is well in the mix to claim his first gold jersey.

After unseating Wallabies star Adam Ashley-Cooper for the fullback spot at the Waratahs early in the season, Foley has been a shining light in an otherwise dismal season for New South Wales.

Foley said he was personally satisfied with his breakout year, but the prospect of a Wallabies debut had not yet sunk in.

"As a young boy growing up with my brothers and everything that's all we ever wanted to be was just be a Wallaby, so it's a bit of a dream come true," he said.

"It's still probably a little bit off, I don't have it yet so I can't really be thinking about it yet.

"When it's your first year, you haven't really been to it before so you get excited for every training session and every game. Throughout the pre-season I was just hopeful of trying to get a bench spot ... so it's been satisfying to cement a spot."

AAP

Tags: sport, rugby-union, sydney-2000, nsw, australia

First posted June 02, 2012 12:42:22

View the original article here

Top Waratahs back coach Foley

Updated May 28, 2012 19:15:14

Senior Waratahs players have backed coach Michael Foley, who says it will be up to others to decide if he holds his job at the helm of the Super Rugby franchise.

New South Wales is out of finals contention with three games to play, having lost five successive matches and slumping to 11th on the ladder.

Injured skipper Rocky Elsom supported Foley but was not surprised at the mounting speculation over his coach's job.

"It's to be expected. You don't get results, you look at the guys in the team and obviously Foles is a part of that," Elsom said on Monday after the team arrived back from South Africa.

"Of course he has the players' support, but you can expect those kinds of comments."

Prop and acting skipper Benn Robinson also stressed Foley enjoyed total backing from his playing group.

"We've got 100 per cent support behind Foles," Robinson said.

Asked if he was completely confident he would continue in his role Foley said: "I wouldn't necessarily say that, I think that's up to other people to decide".

Waratahs officials stressed there would be no emergency board meeting on Tuesday, as had been reported in at least one newspaper.

Questioned whether he thought he had the support of the board, Foley said: "That's something they would have to answer and I'm not going to speculate on that".

However Foley was adamant speculation over his position was neither distracting nor disconcerting.

"The rumours you can get past in the sense that you are more focused on trying to get the result," Foley said.

Foley and Robinson emphasised the Waratahs would not lack motivation in their remaining games despite no longer having the incentive of making the finals.

"I believe the appetite is undiminished for the contest, we're incredibly disappointed with the results, but desperate to go out there and turn that around," Foley said.

Former Wallabies skipper Elsom, who is unsure how long his current shoulder injury will keep him out, was omitted from the Australian train-on squad announced on Sunday.

Wallabies coach Robbie Deans said he hoped Elsom still saw himself as part of the group if it was something he still felt passionate about.

Asked if he still had the passion to play for Australia Elsom said: "Yes of course".

Wallabies winger Drew Mitchell, who made his comeback from an ankle injury last weekend, could play club rugby during the Super Rugby break as he looks to push for a Test recall later in the year.

"I think certainly the (Rugby) Championship wouldn't be out of the realms of possibility (for my Test comeback)," Mitchell said.

AAP

Tags: super-rugby, rugby-union, sport, sydney-2000, australia, nsw

First posted May 28, 2012 19:15:14

View the original article here

Foley returns for Waratahs

Updated May 17, 2012 13:45:41

New South Wales has named full-back Bernard Foley to make his return from injury against the Stormers at Newlands on Sunday morning (AEST).

Foley has missed three matches because of a shoulder injury and is a welcomed addition, as the Waratahs attempt to kick-start their Super Rugby campaign.

Daniel Halangahu makes way for Foley and elsewhere in the backs Brendan McKibbin returns to the starting XV at half-back in place of South African marquee signing Sarel Pretorius.

Sitaleki Timani replaces Kane Douglas in the second row and Dave Dennis will wear the number eight jersey with Wycliff Palu moving to the bench as part of the back row rotation.

Hooker Tatafu Polota-Nau has been bracketed with John Ulugia with a decision to be made closer to match day on his availability because of the head knock he suffered against the Brumbies in round 11.

The Waratahs sit third on the Australian conference standings, 12 points shy of leaders the Brumbies.

The Stormers have lost only one match this season and are undefeated at home, and they hold down second position on the South African conference behind the Bulls.

Waratahs squad:

Bernard Foley, Atieli Pakalani, Rob Horne, Adam Ashley-Cooper, Tom Kingston, Berrick Barnes, Brendan McKibbin, Dave Dennis, Chris Alcock, Rocky Elsom (captain), Sitaleki Timani, Dean Mumm, Sekope Kepu, Tatafu Polota-Nau/John Ulugia, Benn Robinson

Reserves: John Ulugia/John Mann-Rea, Jeremy Tilse, Kane Douglas, Jono Jenkins, Wycliff Palu, Sarel Pretorius, Daniel Halangahu

Tags: rugby-union, super-rugby, sport, south-africa, sydney-2000

First posted May 17, 2012 13:45:41

View the original article here

Tahs' season not on the line: Foley

Updated May 04, 2012 17:12:02

Do not try telling New South Wales coach Michael Foley that Saturday's vital Super Rugby Australian derby against the Brumbies is a do-or-die game.

The Brumbies head the Australian conference by five points from the Waratahs, with the defending champion Queensland Reds another point adrift.

A bonus-point win for the Brumbies would give them a double-digit lead over New South Wales, a worrying margin for the Waratahs, given only the conference winner from Australia looks like making the play-offs.

The Waratahs and Reds are entering the round seven and eight points respectively off the sixth and last wildcard spot.

"I think there's been a few people trying to put words into our mouth and talking about it being do or die," Foley told reporters on Friday.

"I think with seven games to go you don't leave yourself much if you start saying things like that, but it's a very important game for both teams."

Asked if it was not a do or die game Foley said: "I think those sort of things are very difficult to predict with seven games to go.

"With three or four games to go, it's a bit different.

"For us we're prepared to play as well as we can on the back of performances we've had in recent weeks."

Despite Foley's opinion, the Waratahs have a tricky next month with the Bulls visiting Sydney next round before a two-match tour of South Africa.

Foley cited defence as a key focus for New South Wales in the nation's capital following some costly lapses against the Crusaders last Sunday.

Adding spice to the scrum battle on Saturday is the front row duel between acting Tahs captain Benn Robinson and former team-mate Dan Palmer.

"I think it's the first time I'll pack down against him in a professional game, so I'm pretty excited about that," Robinson said.

"He's had a huge year and he's got his trade pretty much down pat so he knows what he's doing.

"I think we're both fairly short of stature front rowers, but it's going to be a good battle."

Robinson said the Brumbies had a good combination of experienced leaders and good youngsters.

The Brumbies can move closer to a Super Rugby finals spot with a victory over the Waratahs, who defeated them 41-7 in their last meeting.

AAP

Tags: sport, rugby-union, super-rugby, canberra-2600, act, nsw, australia

First posted May 04, 2012 17:07:54

View the original article here

Foley may ring changes for Brumbies

Updated May 01, 2012 22:01:18

New South Wales coach Michael Foley will consider changes to his pack for Saturday's crucial Super Rugby clash with the Brumbies, but admits injuries have stalled plans to rotate his players.

Foley's options during a tough period containing successive six-day turnarounds have been reduced by eight injuries and the suspension of Test centre Rob Horne.

"A bit limited by the fact there's so many guys unavailable," Foley told reporters on Tuesday.

"But at the same time, we probably have a little bit of flexibility around the forwards and we will be looking at that in the next 24 hours."

Foley said flanker and former Brumby Rocky Elsom, who has come off the bench for his first two games following a hamstring issue, would probably not start on Saturday.

Waratahs utility back Adam Ashley-Cooper is anticipating a rowdy reception in his first match against the franchise he served for eight years.

"I do expect a bit of hostility from the crowd. You'd expect nothing less from the Canberra crowd ... it will be fun," Ashley-Cooper told reporters on Tuesday.

He emphasised how much the Brumbies looked forward to their clashes with the Waratahs.

"They will be down there talking about it already, just really energising each other," Ashley-Cooper said.

He felt a big crowd tipped for Saturday's game would provide an electric atmosphere that would inspire both teams.

Ashley-Cooper felt with a bit of tweaking, the Tahs could finally produce the big performance that has eluded them in an erratic 4-5 campaign.

"If we get that minor detail right, which we're working hard to address this week, I think the team will click and we'll get the performance that we've been striving for all year," he said.

The Wallabies stalwart said New South Wales would have its work cut out against an Australian conference-leading Brumbies team playing well.

He said his side would focus this week on the breakdown as the Brumbies were very efficient in that area.

"You only have to watch their games to see how they have won and they deserve their wins. They are playing with a lot of skill," Ashley-Cooper said.

"They are playing with a lot of attacking ball and that's come from the forwards doing a lot of hard work in presenting that ball."

AAP

Tags: super-rugby, rugby-union, sport, sydney-2000, nsw, australia

First posted May 01, 2012 22:01:18

View the original article here