New Zealand Rugby is again on the cusp of an organisationally defining recruitment decision.
With Mark Robinson stepping down at the end of the year, this cuts the final ties to a previous era and means New Zealand Rugby will have a CEO and an All Blacks head coach, Scott Robertson, who are both new to the organisation since the 2023 RWC.
The last time New Zealand Rugby went through something like this was 2004. The All Blacks entered a transitional period with the appointment of Graham Henry, who established a culture that remained rock solid for 20 years. This era was renowned for its focus on mental skills, team culture and continuity. They moved on players who did not fit the “no dickheads” policy and introduced the idea of a leadership group rather than a hierarchical system.
Through that period, the logic was that to be successful you needed an insider’s understanding of what worked and to build from there. It is why Henry and his team were retained after the 2007 World Cup, and why Ian Foster got the job in 2019. But continuity became stale and a change was needed, which led to Robertson.
(Photo by Joe Allison/Getty Images)
When the new CEO comes on board, they will have an opportunity to make some big decisions that can define the next generation of New Zealand Rugby. The organisation is in a difficult position. The All Blacks are no longer the world’s premier team, the NPC is losing money and an expanding NRL has the ability to lure away much of the best young talent. New Zealand Rugby needs a circuit breaker, not someone who will follow the same template.
I see the new CEO as having two main objectives. The first is to strengthen the domestic competition. The second is to help get the All Blacks back on top. Achieving these should have a flow-on effect for the grassroots and commercial sides of the organisation. To achieve this, the new CEO and Robertson need to strike a deal.
Robertson wants the ability to select All Blacks from overseas, and New Zealand Rugby fears that allowing this will lead to a mass exodus, as the All Blacks carrot keeps many players in the country. But players are leaving anyway, and the All Blacks are missing out on some of their best talent. So how would this deal work?
The CEO tells Robertson that he can apply to select players from overseas, and the organisation will review applications on a case-by-case basis. To have an application approved, they would need to be confident the player had already made a significant contribution to the All Blacks and filled a genuine need within the team. Effectively, it would have allowed Robertson to pick Richie Mo’unga, but perhaps not Shannon Frizell if NZR deemed there was enough loose forward depth. The CEO could also stipulate that Robertson must first attempt to fill the position from domestically based players, meaning he would not have been able to pick Mo’unga in 2024, but possibly in 2025.
These contingencies, plus a stipulation that only one or two players could be selected, would help prevent a wave of senior players heading for the door. It would allow the All Blacks to put their best side on the park and give them the best chance of building towards a World Cup. But the union still needs something in return from Robertson. They should stipulate that for every Northern Tour he must select one debutant, or a player who has been out of the system for more than two years, based on NPC form.
This was alluded to by former All Black and pundit Justin Marshall, who was very disappointed that Otago halfback Dylan Pledger was not selected for the end-of-year tour. Marshall argued that the All Blacks had more to gain by selecting a bolter like Pledger than someone tried and tested like Finlay Christie. Given Christie’s only game time was off the bench against Wales, it is hard to disagree.
(Photo by Joe Allison/Getty Images)
There was a time when All Blacks would regularly be selected for end-of-year tours before they had played much Super Rugby. Notable examples include Richie McCaw and Conrad Smith. Selecting someone like Pledger or Chay Fihaki, or bringing back Dallas McLeod, would make a statement that the NPC is a relevant competition in the structure of New Zealand Rugby. It could also send a message to players on the verge of signing overseas that there is a way back into the side if you perform well enough.
New Zealand Rugby does have a strong hand to play. Young kids do not grow up dreaming of playing for a Japanese car manufacturer or a small town in the south of France. They want to play for their local team, in front of their friends and families, and they want to play for the All Blacks. Many players have young children they do not want to drag around the world, so staying put is best for them.
But we do need to accept that the world is changing. Some players leave in the prime of their careers, and the All Blacks selection policy needs to reflect this. And if it leads to the much-feared exodus, which is already happening in small part, then like any decision it can be reversed.
I am not blind to the fact that the All Blacks’ decline has coincided with European nations improving and South Africa assembling one of the greatest sides of all time. I do not think the New Zealand public should expect more than a 70 to 80 per cent win rate anymore, but I also think the public would be happier if they saw a side that could pick the best players and promote current form over past deeds.
Whether the All Blacks win the next World Cup does not matter as much as the decisions they make on how the team is selected going forward. In my mind, the last five years have been defined by the same players constantly being on the fringe of the side without being fully in or out. Let this next generation be defined by bold selections, risk-taking and a constant expectation that if you want to hold your spot, you must constantly improve. The fans will follow, and the results will too.
Chrishttps://https://ift.tt/i7GJyTK to save the All Blacks: What NZR’s new CEO must do to address their decline
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