Jason Holland's All Blacks exit remains a head-scratcher

It’s not like the All Blacks don’t sack coaches.

We only have to look back to assistants John Plumtree and Brad Mooar getting the boot after the All Blacks’ disastrous home series loss to Ireland in 2022.

That’s why I’ve been thinking a lot about Jason Holland in recent weeks. Not least because, at face value, he preferred to be an assistant coach at the Hurricanes rather than the All Blacks.

Maybe it’s for family reasons.

Yes, perhaps there’s a chance Holland is that rare breed of rugby coach who does leave one job and immediately land another because he wants to spend more time with his wife and kids.

And that’s among the issues here. We’re left to speculate about why a man would seek such a demotion.

Holland, as we all know, was once the Hurricanes’ head coach. Before his time, it must be said, after Plumtree left to join Ian Foster’s All Blacks staff.

That whole situation still has me scratching my head. Chris Boyd, who’d secured the Hurricanes their only Super Rugby title, was effectively replaced on the staff by Carlos Spencer so Plumtree could ascend from assistant to head coach.

Plumtree then ups sticks, and Holland is suddenly elevated to a job he’s probably not prepared for.

Still, the head coaching cache and a long personal and coaching relationship with Scott Robertson were sufficient to see him named as an All Blacks assistant.

In October last year, it was announced — but never adequately explained — that he wouldn’t seek a contract extension with the All Blacks. In December, it was confirmed he’d be an assistant at the Hurricanes.

I’ve thought about it a lot since, and honestly can’t fathom this whole chain of events. All I can presume, because no one in authority has said otherwise, is that Holland simply didn’t want to be involved with the All Blacks anymore.

We’ll see. Maybe post the full review of the team’s 2025 campaign, which is due to be completed this month, there’ll be more clarity.

Holland either will or won’t be replaced in the coaching line-up, which will tell its own story.

Better still would be someone confirming whether he was surplus to requirements or not.

Because if Holland simply left, as Leon MacDonald did before him, then I’ll start to worry about this All Blacks side.

I try not to blame coaches for performances. I’ll question the selections they make, and I have often been critical of the fact that players seem to get worse in the current All Blacks environment rather than better.

But games are played by players. It’s them who make the decisions and they who have to execute the skills.

Where I have the most issues is that repeat offenders — players with persistent failures and failings in their résumé and skillset — still get picked more often than not.

I don’t see a lot of evidence that Robertson and his coaching team know what they’re doing, but I still think we’re soft on the blokes wearing the black jersey.

Again, maybe life on the road didn’t suit Holland and his family situation. Maybe the glare of the national spotlight was also too great, and he longed for the anonymity of being a franchise assistant.

Given no one’s explained why he left the All Blacks and how the Hurricanes looked so appealing in comparison, we’re all left wondering.

When words don’t fill the vacuum, all that’s left are the actions of a man who appears to have gladly taken a huge professional step backwards.

From that, you can only conclude that Holland really didn’t like being part of Robertson’s coaching team or got fed up dealing with the players. Perhaps it was a bit of both.

Either way, it’s hardly a ringing endorsement for the All Blacks.