Ella's had enough of English 'tripe'
March 30, 2002

Former Wallaby great Mark Ella warned English "tripe" was threatening the southern hemisphere's rugby supremacy.

Ella said rugby south of the equator must continue to evolve as an innovator, both on and off the field.

"At the moment, all three nations (Australia, New Zealand and South Africa) seem paralysed as we listen to the tripe coming out of the England camp rather than concentrating on developing our game to the next stage," he said.

"And South Africa is important to our overall success because it is part of the SANZAR triumvirate that has led world rugby to where it is today."

The former Wallaby captain blamed the malaise in South African rugby on a shortage of talented players emerging through the system - aggravated by the drain of leading players to Britain - and an absence of forward thinking.

"Since South Africa came back into international sport in the late 1980s, they have always struggled to keep abreast of modern techniques, training routines and, more importantly, the continuous development of skill levels," Ella told the Sydney Morning Herald.

"The difference in ability and individual talent between the Anzacs and the South Africans is as wide as the Indian Ocean.

"Some will think I am too hard on the 1995 World Cup champions, but at the moment they are a disorganised bunch, with or without the ball."

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