Aussies backing 'Knuckles' for Cup

As his nickname Knuckles suggests, new Wallabies coach John Connolly is anything but a diplomat.

Abrasive, confrontational, politically cunning, ruthless but a "loveable rogue" - these are just some of the descriptions of the man trusted with guiding Australia to the next Rugby World Cup.

"He's a different sort of bloke," says former Queensland and Wallabies prop Dan Crowley. "He's one of those guys who can relate to the guys one-on-one.

"But you know at the end of the day, he'd have no hesitation in cutting your legs off from underneath you, if he thought that's what he needed to do."

Queensland-born Connolly, 54, succeeds Eddie Jones at the helm of the Wallabies after a coaching journey that started in steamy Darwin almost a quarter of a century ago.

Connolly made his name as the no-nonsense and highly successful coach of the Reds over 12 seasons, which included two Super 10 titles and two Super 12 minor premierships.

But he was dumped in 2000 amid criticism of the Reds' dour, forward-oriented playing style and the belief Queensland under-achieved with a playing roster that included the likes of John Eales and Tim Horan.

Six years in Europe has seen him maintain his coaching credibility, winning titles with powerful French outfit Stade Francais and at English club Bath.

Those stints were punctuated by a less happy time at Welsh side Swansea, where he finished in 2003 after the club hit financial problems.

Crowley, who first encountered Connolly when he was coaching Brisbane Brothers and Queensland under-21 sides in the mid-1980s, said he was the ideal man to prepare the Wallabies for France 2007.

"One of the things about Knuckles is he's very good at working with people's heads and psychologically getting them in the right frame of mind," Crowley said.

"Most of the time that's getting them into a siege mentality - us against the world - and that's exactly what Australia has to do now to prepare themselves for the next 18 months for the World Cup."

Crowley, now a Queensland Rugby Union board member, said he would be intrigued to see how Connolly gets along with the Australian Rugby Union hierarchy.

"At the end of the day Knuckles is going to do what Knuckles thinks is right, and you won't change him, regardless of how much they say he's supposed to be collaborative.

"He'll do whatever it takes to get the results."

Connolly may have clinched the coveted Wallabies coaching job a decade ago had he not fallen foul at times with officialdom, when NSW's political clout installed Greg Smith.

"Obviously John was a victim of his own demise," says Crowley.

"Rugby's full of politics and politically he's very astute.

"But because of his personality he knows that it mightn't be the right thing politically to do but he'll still do it anyway."

The ARU has appointed Connolly as Wallabies head coach in a new structure consisting of an attack coach, a defence coach and a restarts coach.

But Crowley expects "Knuckles" will be a "democratic dictator".

"At the end of the day everybody will have their input but John will do what he wants to do."

Connolly's nickname stems from his younger days as a fiery hooker-prop with Brisbane's Brothers club in the 1970s.

"He was never backward in being involved in a fight, as were all the Brothers boys of that era."

Crowley says another interesting aspect of Connolly's appointment is that out of the current Australian players, only Queensland's Elton Flatley and Chris Latham will have played under him.

"It will throw players out of their comfort zone."

* JOHN CONNOLLY

THE NICKNAME

"Not before John Connolly could any Wallabies coach boast a past that includes driving semi-trailers around the backblocks of Darwin, being a bouncer at Mt Isa pubs and standing, arms crossed, in front of Brisbane bloodhouses warding away troublemakers. No wonder he is known all over the rugby world as Knuckles."
Greg Growden in the Sydney Morning Herald

ON HIS APPOINTMENT

"The ARU has at last got it right. The ARU is on a winner. The Connolly ride will be a fun ride."
Growden

"We don't want to be intimidated by any other team and when we run on to the field, we want other teams to say: 'Hey, we're in for something here!' I think that's an important characteristic of what John brings to the table."
ARU boss Gary Flowers

"Although Connolly polarises opinion perhaps more than any new Wallabies coach since Alan Jones, most of his critics grudgingly concede he is the coach the Australian team needs in this moment of crisis."
Wayne Smith in the Australian

"In order to convince the ARU's selection committee - most notably former coach and Australian Rugby's favourite son Rod Macqueen - that he was Wallaby coach material, Connolly had to make them believe that he was a new man. Their kind of man. Another Rod Macqueen. Every centimetre of the way [Macqueen] reported back to head office. He was IBM in a tracksuit."
Mike Colman in Brisbane's Courier-Mail

"My mother taught me if you can't say something nice about someone, don't say anything at all."
Former test captain and hooker Phil Kearns.

IN HIS OWN WORDS

Can Australia win the next World Cup?

"Yes. I think we have to do a lot of things well ... Everything is up for grabs, which is exciting."

- AAP