'Creeping sense of arrogance': Aussie scribe slams ABs after coaching saga
New Zealand Rugby’s decision to appoint the next All Blacks coach ahead of this year’s World Cup has not gone down well across the ditch.
An Australian rugby scribe has slammed NZR for their treatment of coach Ian Foster, saying they’ve pushed a “creeping sense of arrogance” onto the All Blacks.
NZR confirmed earlier this week that Scott Robertson would replace Foster as the All Blacks’ head coach following this year’s World Cup in France.
Robertson, who has won six Super Rugby titles in as many years with the Crusaders, had been linked with the position for quite some time.
But after months of headlines and debate, NZR made the appointment official in a press conference on Tuesday afternoon.
After signing the deal with NZR, a smiling Scott ‘Razor’ Robertson fronted the media for the first time at the New Zealand Rugby House in Wellington.
But the All Blacks still have a World Cup to win this year – and a different man will be coaching the team.
Journalist Christy Doran said it was “extremely odd” for “the New Zealand public” to welcome a new All Blacks coach ahead of this year’s Test campaign.
“A ball hasn’t really even been kicked from an All Blacks perspective this year, and the New Zealand public are welcoming a new All Blacks coach. It just seems extremely odd,” Doran told Newstalk ZB’s Sportstalk
“It just is extraordinary that an All Blacks coach, a World Cup winning coach, a person that’s been in the system for so, so long has to deal with this.
“I just get the feeling that if, if you’re an All Black and you lose one of the Rugby Championship matches or indeed the first game of the World Cup against France in Pairs on the opening night of the World Cup, there will be a lot of questions asked.
“It will take an incredibly strong group to get through that and to not lose sight of what the end vision is for this side.”
Ian Foster, who won a World Cup in 2015 as an assistant coach, will carry out his duties in the All Blacks’ hot seat will carry out his duties in the pursuit of rugby immortality later this year.
The All Blacks will look to create history later this year, as they attempt to become the first nation to win the Rugby World Cup for a fourth time.
But regardless of the outcome, Foster’s tenure will come to an end.
Doran believes the All Blacks have a “sense of arrogance” about them now which has been driven by NZR.
“I’m concerned about the All Blacks side that there’s been this creeping sense of arrogance which has been driven from the New Zealand Rugby board and Mark Robinson,” he added.
“We saw it with Super Rugby decisions, we see that with (the) private equity deal that was, you know, it took an extra year to get across the line because the various stakeholders weren’t brought along.
“You see that with the New Zealand public at the moment. A lot of them are pretty angry around the All Blacks and what the All Blacks represents these days, and we’ve seen that creep into the side more and more over the last few years.
“Here was an opportunity, six to seven months ago, to make a bold call, bring in Razor Robertson and they haven’t.
“They shouldn’t have brought him in five months before a World Cup when, you know, they didn’t even have the courage and conviction to make this decision when Ian Foster was around.
“They did it in the middle of the night when the bloke’s asleep. I thought that was a terrible, terrible look.”
Wallabies coach Eddie Jones has criticised NZR for their “poor” treatment of Foster.
Jones, who took over from former Australian coach Dave Rennie in January, described the announcement as “inappropriate.”
“I think it’s really poor how New Zealand Rugby have done it,” Jones said on his podcast Eddie.
“Ian Foster’s here now, he’s a good man and he’s given a lot to New Zealand Rugby as assistant coach and now head coach.
“I just think the timing’s inappropriate, leading into a World Cup, naming their coach beforehand just causes another distraction they don’t need.
“Maybe if they had their time again they’d handle it a little bit differently but… that seems to be the way of the world now.”
Comments on RugbyPass
anybody who bends at the waist when they tackle
3 Go to commentsThe evidence is not strong that this is necessary. Mounga choked on clutch kicks in the WRC final and lost the match by not performing his core goal kicking role to the level required. He also choked in the Semi final against England and was targeted as the weak point in the defence allowing them to score. Not a test great frankly. Why bend the rules for a player that is competent but not brilliant at test level?
11 Go to commentsDear Robbie, Please return to the Crusaders next season. Sincerely, Scott
1 Go to commentsDid the big E call the Irish the ‘White Can’ts’? That would’ve been good
32 Go to commentsDalton Papalii will be lucky to be selected on the Matchday 23. Ardie Savea, Ethan Blackadder, Luke Jacobson, and Peter Lauki are all as good or better openside flankers
9 Go to commentsScott Barrett is a lock and they have a much longer shelf life than a loose forward. Far more likely that Barrett will still demand a starting position based on performance at age 33 at RWC 2027 than Savea, whose explosive athleticism will have declined and he will in all likelihood have been surpassed by Hoskins Sotutu, Wallace Siti, Peter Lauki and Brayden Iose.
9 Go to commentsExtremely frustrating to get yet more speculation over whether or not Eben actually counted 12 players or not, but honestly big respect to McCloskey for keeping it classy and not pointing out Etzebeth’s hypocrisy. The Irish are a popular team outside of Ireland because they do their talking on the pitch, and its honestly a PR masterclass that they’re keeping it that way following Etzebeth’s provocation.
32 Go to commentsGood option for the lineout lost there.
1 Go to commentsIt’s not like Saffas have a long history of spouting absolute shite at any & every occasion. Oh wait… The dangers of an inferior third world education strike again.
32 Go to commentsI’m so glad we’re revisiting this. Really needs to be dissected further. I’m also so glad that a guy in the stands who wasn’t anywhere near the field when any of it would have been said (and even confirms this) has taken the lead and commented as Ireland. Definitely cleared it all up. This article would be hilarious if it wasn’t so misleading.
32 Go to commentsits such a shame he hasn’t achieved more success at club level. He’s really not been a potent finisher for a while now, but he’s still excellent in the kick chase. That’s the kind of skillset that generally only gets appreciated when you’re playing in premiership and european finals. I’m not sure whether the challenge cup counts given the quality of the competition seems lower than in previous years, but his duel with Mapimpi should be enthralling.
1 Go to commentsThe point is the irish players were arrogant,call it like you want sugar coat it aswell but they were you could see it in their way they handeled themselfs on the field when they got something right so dont tell me it was not arrogance it was,you can fool other people but not me,and to say to one of our players see you in the final put a nail in the coffin for this bullsh@t,just be grown men and accept it that you were arrogant,you could if seen it from a mile away, and then you lost to the allblacks what a cocky move that didnt work out for you ,Eben was right when he said u were arrogant,the point is you will deny it because you lost it all just grow some balls and move on we had won you lost accept it.
32 Go to comments“summer tour of North and South America” so its a summer tour of america?
1 Go to commentsEverybody is giving the Irish players the benefit of the doubt in ‘what they meant’, but none of these pundits or commentators offer the same courtesy to Eben. I don’t think Eben went, 1, 2, 3… etc. What might have happened is he didn’t count and when the 3rd or 5th guy said he went, hang on why are so many of them saying this… and then started to concentrate on it more and more as players continue to say it. So no, he didn’t count it, he realised many Irish players said it and made an assumption based on that… The Irish team was VERY confident at the time and I do believe they believed they were going to win the World Cup, which borders a bit on the arrogant side…
32 Go to commentsI can see how some of the Irish players would have said”see you in the final” as a gentle comment after a victory. It’s open to interpretation but it’s clumsy language. I don’t know the fella but I assure you Eben doesn’t have an axe to grind with Ireland. He has never been the media seeking pro. Oh and BTW it is I’ll be our winter in July so won’t be wet.
32 Go to comments*McCloskey*: _I saw this clip. Like, I wasn’t playing that game; I was in the stands…so you don't know sh!t in other words, infact you know just as much as Goode on this matter. I will believe the guy who was on the pitch when things were said as appose to two people speculating over what was said._
32 Go to comments@ turlough dream on buddy. Your boys are in for one tough time down in sa this summer…
32 Go to commentsI think Goode is looking to establish a platform for himself. Eben said “Probably” so that suggests he wasn’t counting. It’s an estimate Goode. I think even with your short and uneventful experience with the Sharks you probably realise winding up Saffas will get you some airtime. It’s a none event. Move on
32 Go to commentsRugby has never been as structured and synthetically pleasing as it is at this moment. The game is simply beautiful and messing with it too much will ruin it for everyone. I can't help but feel that over the past decade or so many rules have been changed to accommodate a certain hemisphere and counter another. Perhaps I am wrong but I somehow don’t think so.
2 Go to commentsNoted some excellent defensive steals from the Rebs last week against the Reds, largely J Canham, I think. It’s not a Rolls Royce but they are a real threat with their defensive line out at the beginning matches. What do you make of Canham Nick, WBs squad material?
86 Go to comments