{"id":436483,"date":"2026-01-25T12:09:09","date_gmt":"2026-01-25T12:09:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/436483\/"},"modified":"2026-01-25T12:09:09","modified_gmt":"2026-01-25T12:09:09","slug":"wallabies-coaching-great-john-connolly-reveals-concerns-with-2027-rugby-world-cup-preparation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/436483\/","title":{"rendered":"Wallabies coaching great John Connolly reveals concerns with 2027 Rugby World Cup preparation"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cThat doesn\u2019t mean he\u2019s not going to be successful, but he should\u2019ve taken over immediately in January, February, and put his own assistant coaches in place. We need them preparing the whole year.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kiss said this week he had not found the juggling act of preparing for his Wallabies ascent while spearheading the Reds too daunting, declaring the \u201coperational principles\u201d in place and staff around him would ensure the transition was smooth.<\/p>\n

But Connolly believed there were harsh realities awaiting him, as he himself had to address.<\/p>\n

Beginning his 12-year tenure with the Reds in 1989, around the same time as Wayne Bennett took charge of the inaugural Brisbane Broncos, Connolly shared similar philosophies to the NRL coaching great.<\/p>\n

Loading<\/p>\n

The pair still keep in touch, Connolly confirmed, and their success came by developing an individual rapport with their players.<\/p>\n

Connolly oversaw Queensland rugby\u2019s most successful era \u2013 winning a Super Six title, two Super 10 premierships, and two additional minor premierships, while ushering in a generation of talent including John Eales, Tom Horan and Michael Lynagh.<\/p>\n

He also steered Stade Francais to glory, before becoming the Wallabies\u2019 fourth-most-successful mentor, with 16 wins and a draw from 25 Tests. Such was his influence, Eales said if not for Connolly, he would not have achieved everything that he did<\/a> \u2013 including two World Cup triumphs.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll players are different and have private lives,\u201d Connolly said. \u201cUnless you understand a player and what makes them tick and how you can help them, it\u2019s very hard for him to enjoy his game completely.\u201d<\/p>\n

Players under Connolly\u2019s tutelage had given him their loyalty, and he agonised when it came time to drop players or move them on. That was especially difficult when he became an Australian selector in 1991, and is an obstacle he said Kiss will have to navigate.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt puts him at odds with the Queensland players. I found it hard as an Australian selector \u2013 I\u2019m trying to coach Queensland players to get them in the Queensland and Australian side, then not picking them,\u201d Connolly said.<\/p>\n

\"John<\/p>\n

John Connolly forged one of Australian rugby\u2019s most successful coaching tenures.Credit: Tim Clayton<\/p>\n

\u201cThe worst thing was dropping players who had been loyal to you; you tried to give them the heads-up, but that gave me sleepless nights. You\u2019re there when their babies are born, you\u2019re a massive part of their lives, and it can make them feel betrayed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since his coaching days, Connolly has fought for better healthcare for spinal injury sufferers \u2013 partaking in charity initiatives, with proceeds from his book Bare Knuckles also going to The Perry Cross Foundation.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

Loading<\/p>\n

In 2021, while climbing a post on his father\u2019s property, Connolly fell and was paralysed from below the chest. He\u2019s now confined to a wheelchair.<\/p>\n

\u201cI landed face first in the dirt. I couldn\u2019t move anything, things flashed before my eyes,\u201d he recalled.<\/p>\n

He spent 11 weeks in hospital, and regularly returns when complications arise. Connolly said there were not enough hospital beds and specialised staff to meet the demand of patients, particularly in regional areas, from which sufferers need to venture to bigger cities once they advance off waiting lists.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t speak highly enough about the way the staff treated me,\u201d Connolly said.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I had beds that didn\u2019t suit my injuries, staff weren\u2019t trained in what they were doing \u2013 and it\u2019s not the staff\u2019s fault. The treatment you get in the first year depends how much recovery you get.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy understaffing and the lack of facilities, it prevents people\u2019s treatment in the first year. Your longevity depends on your care, and the care was poor, and it wasn\u2019t the staff\u2019s problem, it was the ratios to nurses problem.\u201d<\/p>\n

Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the General Division \u2013 John Connolly<\/p>\n

Connolly described being recognised for his rugby contribution as \u201ca bit flattering\u201d, but paid tribute to the assistant coaches he had alongside him throughout his various tenures.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cYou wouldn\u2019t swap one of the things you\u2019ve done \u2013 you think of some of the mistakes you make as learnings. You had good people around you along the way, and talking to a lot of young people and being able to help them along was a very nice mix for me,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a two-way street \u2013 you help them, and it gives you satisfaction from it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Career<\/p>\n

Wallabies head coach (2006-2008)Bath Rugby Club coach (2002-2005)English Rugby Premiership Coach of the Year (2004)Wales\u2019 Swansea Rugby Football Club director of coaching (2002-2003)Paris\u2019 Stade Francais Rugby Club coach (2000-2002)Queensland Reds Rugby Union Club coach (1989-2000)Coach of the Year, Super 12 competition (1998 and 1999)Brothers Rugby Club Brisbane A-Grade coach (1986-1989), and assistant (1986-1989)Casuarina Cougars Rugby Union Club Darwin captain\/coachFirst-grade premiers (1983-1984)Life memberSunshine Coast Council councillor (2016-2020)Awards and recognition include:Inductee, Queensland Rugby Union Hall of Fame (2024)Australian Sports Medal (2000)<\/p>\n

Start the day with a summary of the day\u2019s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cThat doesn\u2019t mean he\u2019s not going to be successful, but he should\u2019ve taken over immediately in January, February,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":436484,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[567],"tags":[64,63,760,85],"class_list":["post-436483","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-rugby","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-rugby","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/436483","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=436483"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/436483\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/436484"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=436483"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=436483"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=436483"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}