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Five big wishes for the All Blacks and New Zealand Rugby in 2022

Photo: INPHO/Bryan Keane / www.photosport.nz

Hope you’ve all enjoyed the festive season. I know I have.

Although I’m now more weary than I was before the holidays even started.

Never mind. The rugby season is almost upon us and that calls for a bit of a wishlist. Nothing too strenuous, just a few things I’d like to see happen but probably don’t expect to.

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Anyway, let’s start with the good folk at New Zealand Rugby [NZR].

I’d like to see NZR lead, to show initiative, to actually appear as if they know what rugby in this country should look like.

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Right now, New Zealand Rugby Players’ Association chief executive Rob Nichol – and his clientele – run the game here and that’s not good enough.

If I think of NZR, I think of a sluggish, reactive organisation. One that probably does know the right way to run rugby but, bizarrely, doesn’t have the confidence or aptitude to do it.

They’re an organisation who are continually sat on their hands, until shamed into action.

And when they do act, while well-intentioned, they rarely seem to get anything right. Which brings me to my next wish.

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I’d like to see Joe Schmidt made All Blacks head coach. Immediately.

What good is he as a consultant/selector? What changes can he honestly make to a worryingly-dysfunctional side?

Bringing Schmidt in really is a curious decision and one which suggests NZR has very little faith in incumbent Ian Foster.

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We’ve seen this before, such as when a panicked NZR lumbered Alex Wyllie with John Hart, ahead of the 1991 Rugby World Cup.

Hiring Schmidt is smart. Well, it’s actually overdue and a no-brainer. But, in typical NZR fashion, it’s been done in a half-hearted way.

What influence can he actually have? Will the players turn to him, rather than Foster? And isn’t this all just an admission that the team are in bad shape anyway?

Just go the whole hog here. Make the smartest guy in the room, the man who’s actually in charge of that room too.

On that note, there’s another smart man headed for New Zealand sooner rather than later.

Chris Boyd is to leave Northampton and has to be snapped up by NZR in some fashion.

Coaching Super Rugby has become a right of passage for rookie coaches. Once they did club rugby or Bs or provincial stuff – as Boyd did – but now we appear to make relative nobodies Super assistant or head coaches.

Well, that’s dumbing our rugby down and not exactly helping the blokes in charge of the All Blacks.

Men such as Boyd, with life experience and proven methods and genuine people skills, are critical to rugby’s success in this country. Oh, and he’s a winner too, which not too many of the current coaching crop can say about themselves.

I won’t labour this next wish too long, partly because it’s a little dull for readers and also because – as I’ve mentioned – NZR aren’t great leaders.

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We really have to do something about our competition structure. Super Rugby Pacific isn’t going to be any good, just as Super Rugby Trans-Tasman was no good and Super Rugby Aotearoa was no good either.

Provincial rugby is a waste of time, in its current guise, and I couldn’t give a hoot about 1st XV footy, which appears to be the next cab off the rank.

Once teams can actually travel, we need our franchises playing in global competitions, with second-tier stuff being played back here to feed those flagship sides.

I’ve argued long and loud for New Zealand to go insular and have real home-and-away provincial footy with the All Blacks all playing, but that’s never going to happen.

So if that won’t generate enough revenue, then we need to go global and we need to go soon. This piecemeal approach doesn’t appeal to anyone.

And that brings me to my final wish.

I’d like people to be frank about rugby. To criticise players, coaches and administrators when warranted.

Honestly, aren’t you tired of being told to give Ian Foster a chance and to get behind the boys?

Must we always speak in hushed and awed tones about the wisdom of All Blacks coaches and the superlative qualities of the players? Must we always bow and scrape at the feet of people who are simply doing a job, like anyone else in any walk of life?

In real professional sport, fans boo their own players and pundits pick holes in everyone. Here, we just tell them how great they are.

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Comments

2 Comments
M
Marius 1021 days ago

You couldn't have put it better. Razor doesn't only coach winning rugby, but also proved to be a mastermind in tactics. I think with Jason by his side, our tight 5 will be able to dominate again

D
Devon 1022 days ago

I Don't Agree with appointment of Joe Schmidt to replace Forster, rather Scott Robertson who have been doing well in the super rugby and probably have a better understanding of the current crop of NZ players.

And yes I agree, rugby need to evolve where super rugby teams can play against the best teams in the world.

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RedWarrior 1 hour ago
Three-way race to be number one in World Rugby men's rankings

IF SA and NZ win then its 1,2,3 SA/NZ/IRL Otherwise as you were. This is largely irrelevant beyond bragging rights.


As I have pointed out elsewhere the practical use of the Rankings is to determine the seedings bands for the RWC draw. The draw takes place early 2026 and hopefully the rankings will be taken from then.


Important to be in the top 6, the top 12. (and likely the top 4).

This is because there are now 6 groups in the RWC 2027.

If you are in top 6 you are in Seeding Band 1. That means none of the other top 6 will be in your group.

Seeding Band 2 are teams from 7-12, who will have a top 6 team but no other 7-12 team.

After England's defeat by NZ there is clear water between NZ in 3rd, France in 4th and England in 5th. England are desperate for top4, ill come back and explain why later.

Lets look at Seeding Band 1 and 6th place. If you make 6th, no top 6 team is in your group, you are top dog. If you win your group, you won't be facing a top 6 team in your 1/8th final, you will be facing a weaker team. If you fail to make 6th place you WILL have a top 6 team in your group and if you don't win your group you WILL (probably) meet a top 6 in the 1/8 final. That's massive.


Its Argentina holding 6th now. Assuming England hold 5th, then its a 4 horse race for 6th. Argentina, Scotland, Italy and ...Australia. (ranked 6,7,8,9)

Australia play the Lions in NH summer 2025 they are running out of time to get up to 6th for their own RWC. They MUST make a move now. They must beat Wales and they really must beat Scotland to gain points and take points off them. Could they surprise England or Ireland? England may be the better bet but Schmidt knows Ireland so well having masterminded their downfall in France.

Another one to watch is Italy V Argentina. Italy are ambitious and they will want to start pushing the likes of Argentina. If they win this they are still in the hunt. Well worth a watch either way.


Top4: I think the top 6 will be seeded, all the way through from the draw. If thats the case then the top 4 will be seeded to avoid each other until the semi. Good for more certainty around ticket sales etc. That's a possible reason why England want in there. You're not in there you are hitting a top 4 team in a QF. That's an extra 50:50 match you can do without and avoid by being top 4.


Lets look at what Seeding bands might look like with todays rankings:


Seeding Band 1

IRE/SA/NZ/FRA/ENG/ARG

Seeding Band 2

SCO/ITA/AUS/FIJ/WAL/GEO


Sample Aussie strongest pool opponent and 1/8th final opponent if in top 6

Strongest pool opponent: FIJI

1/8 final opponent GEORGIA

Prognosis: advance to 1/4 and potentially beyond


Sample Aussie strongest pool opponent and 1/8th final opponent if NOT in top 6

Strongest pool opponent: SOUTH AFRICA

1/8 final opponent NEW ZEALAND

Prognosis: You know the prognosis


I am pretty sure this is not lost on Joe Schmidt?


Keep in mind when enjoying the matches.

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