All Blacks forward Patrick Tuipulotu admitted that he was surprised by the “cut-throat” nature of Scott Robertson’s axing by New Zealand Rugby.
The governing body took the decision to remove the head coach midway through his four-year deal, with Jamie Joseph and Dave Rennie the favourites to replace him.
Although the All Blacks endured a mixed couple of years under Robertson, he still achieved a 74 per cent win rate, which was more than his predecessor, Ian Foster, who saw out his contract and reached the Rugby World Cup final.
NZR’s big call
“Interesting times,” Tuipulotu said when asked about the current situation and NZ Rugby’s decision. “It just shows the nature of high-performance sport. I was quite shocked at how cut-throat it is.
“In saying that, they’ve explained the process has been going on since he started, and there’s been a review along the way.
“Interesting to see how things pan out now with coaches and the timeframe heading into the Super season before the international games.”
The All Blacks’ next game is in July, but the governing body are looking to appoint a new head coach as soon as possible.
“On a personal level, I feel for Razor. He’s a great man,” Test centurion Codie Taylor said. “I’ve had a lot to do with him over the years. On that level it’s sad to see something like that happen.
“In a high-performance environment, those decisions can be made. Where we are at now is a bit of uncertainty but I know New Zealand Rugby is doing their best to collate everything together and make a decision pretty quickly.
“I’ve heard good things about the potential candidates. Whoever gets it, I’m sure they’ll do their best.”
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Joseph and Rennie appear to be leading the race, particularly after Vern Cotter ruled himself out and Joe Schmidt reportedly did the same.
Asked whether there is a consensus for the next All Blacks head coach, Tuipulotu responded: “Not really. There’s a list there but none of us know who the shortlist is. We were asked what we want in a coach and that was delivered to the panel.”
Far behind the Springboks
Whichever person takes the role, they have a big job on their hands, given that the World Cup is now under two years away.
New Zealand are still second in the World Rugby rankings, but realistically, they are in a group with England, France and possibly Ireland who are significantly behind the Springboks.
Tuipulotu still believes, however, and insists that they have the talent to win the global tournament next year.
“We’ve got the players and firepower to do it. It’s just a matter of finding someone who will help us get there,” he said.
“I suppose that’s all part of the requirements they’re looking for in a coach now. How fast can they get us on track? How fast can we all gel? We’ll have to make sure time isn’t an excuse.
“Anywhere else, it probably isn’t enough time but we’ve got to keep rolling with it.”