Five big wishes for the All Blacks and New Zealand Rugby in 2022
Hope you’ve all enjoyed the festive season. I know I have.
Although I’m now more weary than I was before the holidays even started.
Never mind. The rugby season is almost upon us and that calls for a bit of a wishlist. Nothing too strenuous, just a few things I’d like to see happen but probably don’t expect to.
Anyway, let’s start with the good folk at New Zealand Rugby [NZR].
I’d like to see NZR lead, to show initiative, to actually appear as if they know what rugby in this country should look like.
Right now, New Zealand Rugby Players’ Association chief executive Rob Nichol – and his clientele – run the game here and that’s not good enough.
If I think of NZR, I think of a sluggish, reactive organisation. One that probably does know the right way to run rugby but, bizarrely, doesn’t have the confidence or aptitude to do it.
They’re an organisation who are continually sat on their hands, until shamed into action.
And when they do act, while well-intentioned, they rarely seem to get anything right. Which brings me to my next wish.
I’d like to see Joe Schmidt made All Blacks head coach. Immediately.
What good is he as a consultant/selector? What changes can he honestly make to a worryingly-dysfunctional side?
Bringing Schmidt in really is a curious decision and one which suggests NZR has very little faith in incumbent Ian Foster.
We’ve seen this before, such as when a panicked NZR lumbered Alex Wyllie with John Hart, ahead of the 1991 Rugby World Cup.
Hiring Schmidt is smart. Well, it’s actually overdue and a no-brainer. But, in typical NZR fashion, it’s been done in a half-hearted way.
What influence can he actually have? Will the players turn to him, rather than Foster? And isn’t this all just an admission that the team are in bad shape anyway?
Just go the whole hog here. Make the smartest guy in the room, the man who’s actually in charge of that room too.
On that note, there’s another smart man headed for New Zealand sooner rather than later.
Chris Boyd is to leave Northampton and has to be snapped up by NZR in some fashion.
Coaching Super Rugby has become a right of passage for rookie coaches. Once they did club rugby or Bs or provincial stuff – as Boyd did – but now we appear to make relative nobodies Super assistant or head coaches.
Well, that’s dumbing our rugby down and not exactly helping the blokes in charge of the All Blacks.
Men such as Boyd, with life experience and proven methods and genuine people skills, are critical to rugby’s success in this country. Oh, and he’s a winner too, which not too many of the current coaching crop can say about themselves.
I won’t labour this next wish too long, partly because it’s a little dull for readers and also because – as I’ve mentioned – NZR aren’t great leaders.
We really have to do something about our competition structure. Super Rugby Pacific isn’t going to be any good, just as Super Rugby Trans-Tasman was no good and Super Rugby Aotearoa was no good either.
Provincial rugby is a waste of time, in its current guise, and I couldn’t give a hoot about 1st XV footy, which appears to be the next cab off the rank.
Once teams can actually travel, we need our franchises playing in global competitions, with second-tier stuff being played back here to feed those flagship sides.
I’ve argued long and loud for New Zealand to go insular and have real home-and-away provincial footy with the All Blacks all playing, but that’s never going to happen.
So if that won’t generate enough revenue, then we need to go global and we need to go soon. This piecemeal approach doesn’t appeal to anyone.
And that brings me to my final wish.
I’d like people to be frank about rugby. To criticise players, coaches and administrators when warranted.
Honestly, aren’t you tired of being told to give Ian Foster a chance and to get behind the boys?
Must we always speak in hushed and awed tones about the wisdom of All Blacks coaches and the superlative qualities of the players? Must we always bow and scrape at the feet of people who are simply doing a job, like anyone else in any walk of life?
In real professional sport, fans boo their own players and pundits pick holes in everyone. Here, we just tell them how great they are.
Comments on RugbyPass
A wallaby front-row of Bell, Blake and Tupou…now that would be hefty
1 Go to comments“But with an exceptional pass accuracy rating “ Which apart from Roigard is not a feature of any of the other 9s in NZ. Kind of basic for a Black 9 dont.you. think? Yet we keep seeing FC and TJ being rated ahead of him? Weird if it’s seen as vital to get our backline beating in your face defences.
1 Go to commentsThanks BeeMc! Looks like many teams need extra time to settle from the quadrennial northern migration. I think generally the quality of the Rugby has held up. Fiji has been fantastic and fun to watch
13 Go to commentsLets compare apples with apples. Lyon sent weak team the week before, but nobody raised an eyebrow. Give the South African teams a few years to build their depth, then you will be moaning that the teams are too strong.
41 Go to commentsDid footballs agents also perform the scout role at some time? I’m surprised more high profile players haven’t taken up the occupation, great way to remain in the game and use all that experience without really requiring a lot of specific expertise?
1 Go to commentsSuper rugby is struggling but that has little to do with sabbaticals. 1. Too many teams from Aust and NZ - should be 3 and 4 respectively, add in 2 from Japan, 1 possibly 2 from Argentina. 2. Inconsistent and poor refereeing, admittedly not restricted to Super rugby. Only one team was reffed at the breakdown in Reds v H’Landers match. Scrum penalty awarded in Canes v Drua when No 8 had the ball in the open with little defence nearby - ideal opportunity to play advantage. Coming back to Reds match - same scrum situation but ref played advantage - Landers made 10 yards and were penalised at the breakdown when the ref should have returned to scrum penalty. 3. Marketing is weak and losing ground to AFL and NRL. Playing 2 days compared with 4. 4. Scheduling is unattractive to family attendance. Have any franchises heard of Sundays 2pm?
11 Go to commentsAbsolutely..all they need is a chance in yhe playoffs and I bet all the other teams will be nervous…THEY KNOW HOW TO WIN IM THE PLAYOFFS..
2 Go to commentsI really hope he comes back and helps out with some coaching.
1 Go to commentsI think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
10 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
11 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
4 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
24 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
4 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
10 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
35 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
35 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
17 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
4 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to comments