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All the black movements against South Africa are winning in Johannesburg, this shows that they are clearly influenced by external factors – for better or for worse.
EXPLANATION: The impact on the World Rugby Blacks case – and there will be some – is the hard part when it comes to announcing the timing of the All Blacks coach for 2024 and beyond.
Will the All Blacks be hurt if a new coach is appointed before the Rugby World Cup? The problem is that no one can give an accurate answer, not even those who encouraged us to go early to name a car and believe that there are benefits.
If New Zealand Rugby appoints Scott Robertson or Jamie Joseph in the first half of 2023, the All Blacks coaches, players and management around the team will theoretically be able to stoically press on, forget the fact that they just got out of the job and play. He responds to questions about the situation when they inevitably arise.
This is the idea, but people are much more complex than that and they want stability, especially in a big work environment.
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NZ Rugby will therefore have to be satisfied that watching the All Blacks pull up the canvas this year, with the additions of Joe Schmidt and Jason Ryan, those improvements have been rendered useless by a process that will hopefully take a toll on the French side.
This joint image has been used in the language of NZ Rugby until now: when chief executive Mark Robinson and the board consider the coming morning, there was no study to be done, and no firm timetable planned for follow-up.
But there are plenty of pros and cons to consider. This is a level of ambiguity, but not the worst route to follow in a fluid situation.
KAI SCHWORER/Stuff
The Black Ferns said ‘Thank you, Aotearoa’ after their Rugby World Cup win. And Christie’s fans came out in force to celebrate with the players.
For example, some of the heat in the international market for coaches has cooled somewhat.
A few weeks ago, England, Wales and the Wallabies all appeared to be genuine options for Robertson, but Wales have gone back to Warren Gatland, England want a contract with Steve Borthwick and Rugby Australia’s Eddie Jones. Those doors are all but closed and the chances of the Crusaders taking on the role of coach overseas before the Rugby World Cup appear slim.
And he doesn’t need to, with a provision in his contract allowing the coach in 2024 or the beachhead, if the All Blacks doesn’t get the job.
NZ Rugby’s calculation is therefore needed: we can still apply candidates for the job we want, but let’s go through the process later in a way that completely eliminates the risk of us losing All Blacks, even if it’s just by 1% or 2%?
Tour coach Scott Robertson has been linked with England and Australia, but those doors appear to have closed in recent weeks.
And it’s clear that the All Blacks – a collective group of about 50-60 people who make up the larger team – are obviously influenced by what players often try to describe as an external “voice”, but it’s clearly more than that.
The extraordinary scenes in Johannesburg this year, with the senior All Blacks lining up to support Ian Foster and the All Blacks’ pack of new recruits after beating the Springboks, was testament to that.
NZ Rugby, then, is turning into a balancing act of luxury. Traditionally he favors waiting until the Rugby World Cup. The change in approach has its benefits, but there is still a big question to be answered: what does it mean for the All Blacks at the Rugby World Cup?
This picture will only become clearer once NZ Rugby and the All Blacks management sit down in the coming days and weeks and put their papers on the table.
