John, it was just a jibe at the two manualflightfascists who happened to be antipodeans, one in particular who was insulting many pilots including myself. Don't take it to heart!
If you read my posts you will see that I did not denigrate manual flying skills, I merely said that they were not the be all and end all and actually, in the context of an airline-type offshore role, other aspects were a more important target for training when you consider that having gained your licence you are supposed to be able to fly, whereas you have had no practical training in MCC/CRM or automation.
As to this accident being down to a lack of manual flying skills that seems a most improbable cause to anyone except a manualflightfascist because AIUI they retained control of helicopter throughout and made a satisfactory landing on water with no significant injuries. To me that suggests that their manual flying skills were adequate. What may or may not have been an issue is their technical knowledge of the aircraft systems and ability to make the best decision when presented with a malfunction (but of course we don't actually know yet). What has that got to do with "manual flying skills"?