1
Video: The awkward All Blacks moment Jason Ryan snubbed Joe Schmidt
By Liam Heagney
The All Blacks got their Rugby Championship title challenge back on track with a 53-3 thrashing of Argentina on Saturday, but one of the main talking points in the aftermath of the one-sided Hamilton encounter was how forwards coach Jason Ryan seemingly snubbed the handshake of attack coach Joe Schmidt. Both assistants are new to the Ian Foster management ticket.
ADVERTISEMENT
Ryan was parachuted in from the Crusaders when it was decided in July after the series defeat to Ireland to axe John Plumtree. Schmidt, meanwhile, came on board after that series loss as a selector in place of Grant Fox but he has since been elevated into a hands-on coaching role, the NZR deciding his talents would be best used in this way.
Both coaches were involved in their first match together in the coaches’ box last weekend when the All Blacks were ambushed by the Pumas in Christchurch, heaping further pressure on the beleaguered Foster whom the NZR have backed as the boss through to the 2023 World Cup finals in France.
That 25-18 defeat, the sixth loss for the All Blacks in eight matches, had a galvanising on-pitch effect as New Zealand hit back to steamroll the Argentinians with a seven-try performance at Waikato Stadium. This welcome victory should have been a cause for an all-round celebration.
However, some All Blacks fans have suggested that relations might be strained amongst the rejigged management judging by how the seated Ryan turned around to shake hands, engaging with a fellow staffer but ignoring the outstretched hand of Schmidt. Ryan turned his attention back to the last seconds of the action in the match, leaving the ex-Ireland boss hanging and reacting with a smile as he patted Ryan on the back before moving away.
Joe Schmidt needs one more week for full acceptance it seems. #NZLvARG pic.twitter.com/IyWBwwkupO
— Mark Stafford (@stafnz) September 3, 2022
When the All Blacks were beaten by the Springboks in Mbombela at the start of the Rugby Championship the widespread speculation was that Scott Robertson, the serial title-winning coach at the Crusaders, would soon be announced as the new head coach of the New Zealand national team. However, the All Blacks bounced back with a win over the world champions the following week in Johannesburg.
That victory was followed a few days later by the NZR green-lighting Foster to remain on as head coach through to next year’s finals in France and they also rubber-stamped the appointment of Schmidt as an assistant coach.
ADVERTISEMENT
This decision has now likely left Schmidt in pole position to succeed Foster as All Blacks head coach rather than Robertson, who has signalled his ambitions to work overseas post the expiry of his Crusaders contract in 2023 if he doesn’t get the All Blacks job.
Talk about critical the guys thrash the pumas and now foster is pin pointing mistakes and things the guys could have done better ..??? are you a coach or critic before a coach no wonder the captains face has a deadpan expression
If you're a professional making friends or taking things personally are not in the equation when being a sports coach it's all about getting the positive results, which is what this unpredictable All Black team did this weekend.
I cant really claim to be a psychic but after years of watching team sport I do get a sense of what the final result will be right at the start of the game, and this test had a large score written all over it, just as the Wallaby test had a typical hard headed form revival by the Bok's, which makes them such a difficult test match opponent.
Foster will be more relieved than pleased by the second Puma test result but I would think he still has some player development issues to sort out, so the younger players can get more experience in the final games of the Rugby Championship leading up to the RWC, his stalwart senior players like Brodie Retallick created the winning momentum which is all the AB team needed to consolidate and dominate the second test.
The real character of this All Black team will be revealed during the Bledisloe Cup games, the Wallabies wont want to get beaten badly but the AB's will also not want to win by too close a margin either, losing even one game will bring those dark storm clouds back again for Foster, not so much for Dave Rennie.
"Much a do about nothing" Just confusion; he was focused on something else; it doesn't look like he even saw whose hand he was shaking - both of them at once. The media has nothing better to write.
It’s like an episode from Mean Girls up in the coaching box
What a beat up, you lazy dopey journos.
Ryan probably thought it was Schmidt's hand he was shaking. He was then more interested in
the game.
Nope, looked right at the hand he was shaking. Watch again…
Too many cooks.
Talk about reading too much into things....