In this modern age of elaborate and often grandiose-sounding job titles, there may not be widespread appreciation of just how significant this new position is, or indeed how influential Tricker \u2013 should he be able to agree terms \u2013 is going to be in potentially rebuilding New Zealand as the game\u2019s leading and most innovative rugby nation.<\/p>\n
Don Tricker worked at New Zealand Rugby between 2010-2018 and could be in line to return. Photo \/ Photosport<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a role that is split into two distinct parts \u2013 with one major component being to serve as new All Blacks coach Dave Rennie<\/a>\u2019s boss, spending large quantities of time observing the national team coaching set-up and providing feedback as required.<\/p>\n This desire to have greater oversight of the All Blacks coaching group is a direct consequence of the findings of the review that led to former head coach Scott Robertson losing his job<\/a>.<\/p>\n NZR\u2019s board and executive were most likely taken aback not just by the scale of the issues that were unearthed, but the longevity of many of the core problems, which left them with a sense of bewilderment as to why nothing was done earlier to try to remedy the situation.<\/p>\n For the All Blacks to get two years into a coaching reign with major problems undetected is a failure of NZR\u2019s high-performance set-up \u2013 both the appointment process and ability to evaluate and amend in real time \u2013 hence the decision to restructure and drop a seasoned campaigner into the mechanics of the national team.<\/p>\n Tricker was involved in the end-of-season review that led to Robertson\u2019s demise<\/a>, but far from that generating a conflict of interest, it makes him wise to the team\u2019s immediate history and well-informed about what Rennie needs to fix.<\/p>\n The specific dynamics of how Tricker and Rennie work together will be left up to them to decide, but the former will effectively operate as chief executive of the All Blacks and Black Ferns<\/a>, to ensure there is better and more accurate information flow between the two national teams and the NZR board and executive.<\/p>\n The other component of the role will be cleaning up a high-performance network that seems riddled with contradictions, exemptions, unwieldy compromises and major holes in its communication.<\/p>\n There are several ongoing cases-in-point that highlight the need for better communication and better management of talent \u2013 and the introduction of simpler, less subjective rule applications.<\/p>\n NZR is currently negotiating a load management plan with Ardie Savea<\/a> to get him through the next two years \u2013 this after signing off on him playing two club seasons in Japan (2024 and 2026).<\/p>\n The country\u2019s best player has been enabled to just about burn himself out by using a sanctioned contractual mechanism \u2013 the so-called sabbatical clause \u2013 that was designed to elongate the careers of the country\u2019s best players.<\/p>\n Former All Black Shannon Frizell<\/a> has just followed a similar path to Richie Mo\u2019unga<\/a>, signing an 18-month contract to return to New Zealand, playing for Tasman and the Highlanders.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a deal \u2013 because it is not deemed to be long enough by NZR to earn fast-track eligibility privileges \u2013 that keeps him off-limits to the All Blacks for the Greatest Rivalry tour to South Africa<\/a>.<\/p>\n Frizell will only become available to Rennie in October, meaning that the 32-year-old will be sanctioned in doing what the eligibility rules are supposed to block \u2013 which is spend three of the four years of this World Cup cycle offshore, and then come home for a late charge at making the 2027 tournament<\/a>, potentially being selected ahead of a player who has made a long-term commitment to NZR.<\/p>\nNew All Blacks coach Dave Rennie could find himself answering to Don Tricker. Photo \/ Photosport<\/p>\n
All Blacks star Ardie Savea has been allowed to play club rugby in Japan while contracted to New Zealand Rugby. Photo \/ Dean Purcell<\/p>\n
Richie Mo’unga and Shannon Frizell are in line to return for the All Blacks ahead of next year’s Rugby World Cup. Photo \/ Photosport<\/p>\n