Former All Blacks assistant coach Mike Cron has weighed in on Jason Holland’s departure from Scott Robertson’s coaching set-up.
Holland will conclude his involvement with the team at the end of the year after opting not to extend his contract beyond the November internationals.
He will become the second assistant to leave Robertson’s staff, following Leon MacDonald’s departure last year, with the head coach citing an inability to get on the same page with the former Blues boss as the reason for his exit.
This time around, both New Zealand Rugby and Robertson state that Holland decided to vacate his role, but this has raised concerns of potential tension in the coaching staff.
Four All Blacks’ mantras
Former All Blacks scrum coach Cron, who recently finished up a stint with the Wallabies but will continue to work with Rugby Australia, has weighed in on the ‘unusual’ exits of the assistant coaches.
Cron was involved with the team for 15 years under former head coaches Sir Graham Henry and Sir Steve Hansen, and detailed how highly they valued being on the same page, even when they disagreed.
“I look back on my time in the All Blacks, I think it was 218 Tests, and you see a lot come and go, a lot of rule changes, a lot of different styles but what we did do is our coaching group were sort of united all the way through, whether it be Sir Graham Henry as head coach or Sir Steve Hansen – completely opposites,” he told Sky Sports’ Breakdown.
“What we did do is put the team first, individual second, we deal with brutal honesty, and we deal with inconvenient facts, and it didn’t matter who got the job so long as the job got done.
“So, we lived and died by those four mantras, and we had a lot of respect, internal respect, amongst coaching staff and group. We were very honest.
“We could challenge [one another], but once we walked out that coaches’ door, we’re all united, that was the big thing. Players are like children at times; they can understand if mom and dad have had an argument, and they can feel everything. So, you’ve got to be really accurate as a coaching group, and if you are going to say we’re going to disagree and commit, then you have to do that well.”
Cron was asked whether he thinks that buy-in with the idea of ‘disagree and commit’ is not there, which is leading to the departures and possible rift.
“Well, I would not be able to answer that accurately because apart from them coming into the shed after the Test, having a beer, a chat and catching up with all the boys that I had coached or management that I was involved… I don’t know what’s going on in there,” he replied.
“It is unusual that we lose two coaches, MacDonald last year and now Jase [Holland] – both very good men and both very good coaches. So, I’m not sure.”
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Brutal environment
However, he says that being an All Blacks coach is a demanding job, more so than the other roles he has been in. He suggests that perhaps it was just too much for Holland to handle.
“They might have decided it’s time. I don’t know. All I do know is the All Blacks environment is a brutal environment to coach in,” he added.
“I’ve coached with Wales in 2003 at the World Cup, and now I’ve done the Wallabies for two seasons and the All Blacks for 16 years. So I do understand a wee bit of other cultures and other teams.
“All I can tell you is that the All Black environment is brutal and I mean that in the kindest way, but it can eat you up. It is a brutal environment.
“So I fully understand and feel for all those involved in there at the moment. I hope you know it’s signed out and they have a really great end-of-year tour.”