Neil Barnes tackles the 'old-school' question facing new All Blacks coaches

Neil Barnes won’t quite own the “old-school” label, but when the newly named All Blacks‘ senior assistant coach describes his coaching philosophy, the tough-love DNA of his forebears runs through every word.

With Scott Robertson’s tenure as All Blacks head coach coming to an abrupt end in January, public debate over the best leadership style for New Zealand’s most famous sports team took off, and the importance of an “old school” approach became a central talking point.

With the memories of Sir Graham Henry and Sir Steve Hansen’s matter-of-fact, unsentimental communication and the success that came with it still relatively fresh in mind, there’s been plenty of desire for a return to the tried-and-true methods from which Robertson was seen as a departure.

But to what extent Barnes would align with the “old-school” branding was debated by the man himself.

“I don’t know about old-school. I guess that’s one way people put it. But I am honest,” he told D’Arcy Waldegrave on Newstalk ZB.

“As a player, I always liked to know where I stood, and I deal with players exactly the same way. I actually care for my men and the people I work for and with, and if you have that depth of care, you need to be honest with the people if there are things that aren’t right, and also you need to compliment the things that are right.

“So, I don’t see that as a complicated process. Sugar-coating things all the time doesn’t always get the right results in my mind.”

Fixture

Friendlies

New Zealand

00:10

4 Jul 26

France

All Stats and Data

One criticism of Robertson’s regime was a lack of clarity, either publicly or privately, over the exact roles within the coaching staff. Barnes’ appointment as a senior assistant makes it clear he is Rennie’s right-hand man. A yet-to-be-appointed high-performance director, to whom Rennie will report, will add another rung to the team’s new hierarchical structure.

Within the coaching unit, Barnes says a symbiotic relationship between coaches will be embraced to ensure all areas of the game are scrutinised and work cohesively with adjacent areas.

“At the end of the day, I don’t think you have to stay in your lane, but someone has got to be responsible for an area,” Barnes explained.

“There should be no reason why, Tana, if he sees something going on in the lineout attack that’s not helping him, he should be able to share that with me and between us we will come out stronger for that debate.

“So I want people to cross into my lane, but I know damn well who’s responsible for what area, and so it’s up to that
person to take or leave what other people suggest.”

Rennie has yet to outline the new squad selection process. Of particular interest is whether selection for individual positions will be delegated to assistant coaches overseeing those positions. Barnes says that in his previous experience working with Rennie, all coaches have been empowered as selectors and have been tasked with presenting footage to back up their claims.

Barnes has limited experience with his new colleagues but says he respects their expertise.

“Jason and I have a mutual respect for each other. We’ve worked against each other for years in Super, and he’s got an amazing depth of knowledge in the game and great detail, and so we’ve spent two days chewing the fat together, and both walked out of it really motivated about what we can achieve together.

“As for Phil, I worked with him at the Chiefs; unreal at his job.

“Tana, I’ve just got a massive amount of respect for, as a person. He’s got some depth about him; he’s got emotion in him, and in how he leads Moana Pasifika. He’s real, mate.

“And as for Mike, I haven’t come to know him, but you’ve got to respect a person who is the most capped Scottish halfback.

“He’s got Rens’s respect as a coach, so you don’t get that without actually being good at what you do. So I’m really looking forward to connecting with him and learning about how he sees things.”