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Wayne Smith's warning to New Zealand Rugby about next All Blacks coach

By Online Editors
Wayne Smith. (Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images)

By NZ Herald

Former All Blacks assistant coach Wayne Smith has sent a warning to New Zealand Rugby (NZR) as the race to replace Steve Hansen gets underway.

NZR launched its process to find Hansen’s replacement as All Blacks head coach last week, by inviting applications from a group of coaches familiar with New Zealand’s professional rugby environment.

NZR announced that it invited 26 Kiwi coaches to apply for the vacant role, with chairman Brent Impey confirming that shortlisting, interviews and negotiations would be conducted through November and early December, with a head coach to be announced prior to the Christmas break.

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This could see some of New Zealand’s Super Rugby franchises stripped of their coaches just a month out from the 2020 season kick-off – something Smith is wary could be a problem.

“One of the issues facing New Zealand Rugby (NZR) will be not to destroy Super Rugby by all the coaches going to the All Blacks environment,” he told Stuff.

Smith, who spent 15 years over three stints in a coaching capacity with the All Blacks, said he couldn’t recall the top job being so hotly contested, but said it should be an area of careful consideration for NZR.

“I can’t remember another time when it’s been so competitive. If you look at 2007, it was Robbie [Deans] versus us [Sir Graham Henry, Hansen, Smith]. That was competitive, but this is a different level,” Smith told Stuff.

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“Here, we’ve got three or four top coaches with great credentials, all with their own ways of doing things, putting impressive teams together and all having a crack at the top job. It’s great. It’s going to be bigger than Coronation Street.

“It will depend on who they get in their teams, how are they going to address some of the challenges around creating new structures and a bit of freshness.”

Front-runners for the job include current All Blacks assistant coach Ian Foster and Crusaders coach Scott Robertson – both who have confirmed they would submit their case to NZR to replace Hansen.

Japan head coach Jamie Joseph is also considered a favourite, should he decide to apply.

“For some of these guys, it’s a win-win. It’s not a win-lose,” Smith said.

“If Razor [Robertson] doesn’t get the All Blacks, it’s still a win. He’s probably wanted all around the world, but he’s actually got a job at the Crusaders and he’s got a chance to win a four-peat, which has never been done.

“Jamie Joseph is the same. If he gets the job, it’s a win. If he doesn’t, he’s wanted in Japan again.”

This article first appeared on nzherald.co.nz and was republished with permission.

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Jon 9 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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j
john 11 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

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