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

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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Flankly 2 hours ago
'Absolute madness': Clive Woodward rips into Borthwick in wake of NZ loss

Borthwick is supposed to be the archetypical conservative coach, the guy that might not deliver a sparkling, high-risk attacking style, but whose teams execute the basics flawlessly. And that's OK, because it can be really hard to beat teams that are rock solid and consistent in the rugby equivalent of "blocking and tackling".


But this is why the performance against NZ is hard to defend. You can forgive a conservative, back-to-basics team for failing to score tons of tries, because teams like that make up for it with reliability in the simple things. They can defend well, apply territorial pressure, win the set piece battles, and take their scoring chances with metronomic goal kicking, maul tries and pick-and-go goal line attacks.


The reason why the English rugby administrators should be on high alert is not that the English team looked unable to score tries, but that they were repeatedly unable to close out a game by executing basic, coachable skills. Regardless of how they got to the point of being in control of their destiny, they did get to that point. All that was needed was to be world class at things that require more training than talent. But that training was apparently missing, and the finger has to point at the coach.


Borthwick has been in the job for nearly two years, a period that includes two 6N programs and an RWC campaign. So where are the solid foundations that he has been building?

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