Ella singles out Gregan in blast against Wallabies' tactics

Former Australian backline maestro Mark Ella has blasted the current Wallabies side, saying that captain George Gregan lacks tactical nous.

Ella also said the Wallabies backs went missing when placed under pressure and the team needed to make urgent changes in personnel to halt the slide.

"We should have had changes in the first test match - not when we go away [on tour to Europe later this year] and all the old blokes need a rest," Ella said at a fundraiser for a children's cancer charity.

He was speaking after being angered by the Australian display in beating the Springboks 20-18 in Sydney last weekend.

"That was the worst game of international rugby I've ever seen," he said.

"It was a terrible indictment on Australian rugby."

He said the forwards had done "okay" under new coach John Connolly.

"But we've got this so-called brilliant backline that goes missing as soon as the opposition gets tough.

"What we've got is no balance.

"We beat a side by 49 points to nil and, three weeks later, we want to kick the football ... that's a joke as far as I'm concerned.

"We're talking about tactics ... John probably tried to play [last Saturday's test] as they did the first one.

"But it doesn't work because George Gregan hasn't got any tactical nous.

"After 15, top, 20 minutes, you'd think, 'this is not working, we're not winning the lineout so maybe we should run the ball'.

"Someone has to make an executive decision and unfortunately these guys don't do that. It took three replacements to win the game with four minutes to go. And they did that by running the ball."

Gregan said on Saturday that constant media criticism of him had become "personal and petty".

The world's most capped international player, with 125 tests to his credit, has been under fire, with plenty of calls for him to be sacked.

He said the criticism was now affecting his family.

"The criticism has just been extremely intense in the last 12 months," Gregan told the Australian newspaper.

"It's got real personal and just a little bit silly, to be honest, all a bit petty.

"And the thing is, at the end of the day, no one is more brutally honest on their performance and how they're going than the player himself and, obviously, the coaches and the players around you."

- NZPA