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Arrivals and exits: A country-by-country look at the Top 14's new signings
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The All Blacks need Rennie, but they also need the public
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I get a bit tired of people talking to me about the New Zealand Warriors.
It’s not that I don’t like rugby league. I enjoy it immensely, to be honest. Just maybe not the Warriors.
Only you can’t avoid them. When people in my neck of the woods say ‘are you watching the game’ or ‘did you see the game’ it’s not the Hurricanes or All Blacks they’re referring to anymore.
It’s a trend that dates back about four or five years now, as dyed in the wool rugby men became disenchanted with our national team and instead started greeting each other after a Warriors win with a hearty ‘up the Wahs’.
I can’t be alone in noticing this. I suspect new All Blacks assistant coach Neil Barnes has too, judging by comments he’s made since being appointed to the role.
I’m a Barnes fan. As I am of incoming head coach Dave Rennie.
They’re normal, decent, hardworking New Zealanders. Salt of the earth, honest, astute.
And exactly what we need in order for rugby and the All Blacks to be viewed with the kind of affection that’s currently reserved for the Warriors.
You could look at a couple of things Barnes said to reporters last week and regard them as hyperbolic, but they’re not.
Asked why he’d encouraged Rennie to apply for the vacant All Blacks coaching job, Barnes said this: “I care about my country and the All Black jersey and I just felt we need some alignment at the moment.
“We need the whole country to be working in the same direction and I couldn’t think of a better person [to do that than Rennie].
“It was just a simple message – your country needs you at the moment.’’
The All Blacks have lost a few people in recent years. Performances have been patchy, players have behaved like primadonnas and the collective pride we felt in the All Blacks representing us on the world stage has waned.
The country does need Rennie, but the All Blacks also need us.
It’s jarring to hear people talk about their Fantasy NRL teams. It’s baffling to hear about their faith in the Warriors.
But it’s also a reality, unfortunately.
Barnes and Rennie get that. They’re men who live in the real world. And, at first blush, everything they’re doing and saying suggests they want us back on the bandwagon.
Rugby in New Zealand is not in crisis, but nor is it in the best of heart. It needs men at the helm of our flagship team who inspire confidence across the nation, not just within the All Blacks dressing room.
It’s not about crushing the Warriors, because you can like marmite and peanut butter equally if you want. But it is about acknowledging, as Barnes did, that it’s going to take a collective effort to get the All Blacks back to where we’d all like them to be.
Aside from being the truth, it’s also canny messaging.
People have become disconnected from the All Blacks. The warmth of feeling has dissipated and there’s been a sense of anger towards the team at times.
You will support teams, in the true sense of the word, through difficult periods if you can relate to them and if you feel they care about you.
I’ve written previously about Rennie’s way with people. As Barnes succinctly put it, Rennie “cares.’’
The crucial thing about the early signs from this coaching group is they don’t just care about themselves. They care about the country and that means me and you.
If we see ourselves represented in the values and performances of our national team, then we’re more likely to forgive them the odd stumble along the way.
These are heartening times, rugby fans. The groundwork is being laid for a return to traditional values and a commitment to being a team for all New Zealand.
Up the All Blacks.
