It’s widely known that the Robertson-Hansen dynamic was built over multiple Crusaders championships. While that winning recipe was essentially transplanted into the All Blacks alongside fellow Crusaders and Canterbury coaching alumni, the result hasn’t been all smooth-sailing, with two departures from the coaching cohort.
Initial attack coach Leon MacDonald departed after just five Test matches, and Jason Holland, also in an attack role, announced prior to the Northern Tour that he would not seek a new contract with the team after completing his two-year contract this summer.
That’s left the All Blacks with a vacancy. Lendrum said the post-season review will assess which expertise would benefit the group most, helping steer the direction of any appointment process.
“We have got some decisions to make around the coaching group with all options on the table,” Lendrum said. “Whether to directly replace Jason or to look at the balance that we’ve got, and to consider if there is any other way to do things. That’s all part of the purpose of the review.”
Lendrum then clarified that his “all options on the table” comment wasn’t indicative of coaches being under pressure in their respective roles.