Source: Radio New Zealand
So now what? There’s six months till the All Blacks will play their first test of the year, a not so insignificant showdown with a full strength France in Christchurch. Between now and then, someone needs to be hired to replace Scott Robertson after his tenure was sensationally cut short on Thursday.
It’s worth remembering that both Robertson and Ian Foster had to contend with serious disruption to their staff, so it’s likely some serious scrutiny will be taken around who the successful candidate will be bringing with them into the coaching box.
Some names immediately jump out, but given how dramatic the last six years have been for All Black coaches, it’s fair to say that nothing can be taken for granted.
Probables
Sam Bauld
Jamie Joseph is the obvious one, as he was linked to the job as soon as cracks started to appear in the Razor Regime. Joseph is a former All Black himself and has an extensive coaching career across the last two decades, the majority of it with the Highlanders at Super Rugby level and the Japanese national team.
Tony Brown is probably the key part of a Joseph-led coaching axis, as he has fashioned himself into one of the leading attacking minds in test rugby. Brown is currently with the Springboks, with the main question now being why he would want to leave a system where head coach Rassie Erasmus has almost complete control over every aspect of the national set up.
Tony Brown (Attack Coach) of the Springboks. Steve Haag/Getty Images
Talk is that Dave Rennie will be involved too, which will be yet another remarkable chapter in one of the most interesting coaching careers we’ve seen. Rennie was making strides with the Wallabies before being abruptly dumped for Eddie Jones in 2023, a move that is now highly regretted by Rugby Australia. He’s been in Japan since, presumably biding his time for an opportunity like this.
While he probably won’t be a full member of the staff, expect Sir Wayne Smith to be a big part of whatever happens next.
Possibles
Rieko Ioane with Blues head coach Vern Cotter. Brett Phibbs / www.photosport.nz
On paper, Vern Cotter seems like an ideal candidate. He not only turned a struggling Blues team into champions in one season, but converted them into an direct power side with a style that would be highly effective against the like of the England, France and the Springboks. Cotter already has relationships with key All Blacks, international experience and gets on well with the media.
Joe Schmidt has the advantage of having already been in the All Blacks and also coming out of the Foster era relatively unscathed, reputation-wise. He’s also off-contract with the Wallabies, although that situation seems to change every time it gets brought up.
Clayton McMillan likely has All Black aspirations and consistent form at domestic level, however, is only in his first season with Irish province Munster. He went there to further his coaching acumen and develop different styles of play, which is something that NZ Rugby will be taking a keen interest in when it comes to selection time.
Outsiders
Wales’ head coach Warren Gatland Inpho / www.photosport.nz
Pat Lam’s name has been bandied about by Northern Hemisphere scribes, but it’s unlikely the Bristol Bears coach will have the sort of connections back here to make a decent case.
Warren Gatland is currently available, but his recent record makes his chances exceptionally remote.
NZR chairman David Kirk could not definitively say whether the board would consider a foreign-born coach, which makes that seem like a no, but if they change their mind it would be quite interesting to see who puts their hand up. Ronan O’Gara is the most obvious choice as he’s had a season with the Crusaders.
– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
