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Scott Robertson releases statement on All Blacks departure
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New Zealand Rugby to 'cast the net wide' in search of new All Blacks coach
By Ned Lester
One of the most lauded roles in rugby is now up for grabs, with New Zealand Rugby and Scott Robertson agreeing to call time on the head coach’s stint at the helm.
While the door is open, the furnace is on, and all candidates throwing their name in the ring for the iconic position know they are signing up for the tallest expectations in one of rugby’s most competitive eras.
Several names are doing the rounds as onlookers clamber over one another to find the favourite, and in the eyes of fans, that might just be Highlanders boss Jamie Joseph, who famously lifted Japan to new heights as head coach alongside now Springboks attack guru Tony Brown between 2016 and 2023.
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Other familiar faces, such as Joe Schmidt and Dave Rennie, have their supporters, while the likes of Pat Lam and Vern Cotter are being thrown in as outside chances.
While New Zealand Rugby say they have not yet reached a verdict on whether to consider foreign coaches or not, the plethora of Kiwi candidates across the rugby world is sure to keep them busy as is.
NZR chair David Kirk made a point of expressing the union’s openness to all candidates when addressing the media in Auckland on Thursday afternoon.
“We’re completely open,” Kirk said, after noting there was no initial frontrunner . “We’re going to cast the net wide. We’re going to get as many people as we can. We think coaching the All Blacks is the greatest rugby coaching role in the world.
“And we’re very hopeful we’ll see lots of highly qualified candidates.”
Every upcoming All Blacks Test has a historic edge, with the inaugural Nations Championship and Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry seeing international rugby traverse an all-new landscape.
The new coach will, naturally, be free to select their own coaching staff, and the captaincy could well change hands also.
Kirk said he spoke to the players’ leadership group on Thursday morning, revealing the news before it was announced publicly. When asked about the players’ responses, he pondered for a moment, thinking on how best to describe the reaction.
“They just absorbed it. They didn’t ask any questions, and they didn’t have any real, strong response.”
All Blacks players are gradually filtering back into their respective Super Rugby Pacific teams at this point in the pre-season, but many have been in Auckland for All Blacks commercial duties this week.
The conversation with the players happened before Kirk addressed the wider management group, for whom he outlined the process and the “mutual” decision for Scott Robertson to leave the team.
Kirk wouldn’t comment on the future of the coaching and management groups, saying those decisions will be handled by the new head coach following their appointment.
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