The new NZ Rugby board has received glowing praise from former All Blacks head coach Sir Steve Hansen for the way it handled Scott Robertson\u2019s departure and the hiring of Dave Rennie as his successor.<\/p>\n
The decision to part ways with Robertson shocked the rugby world earlier this year with reports emerging of a player revolt against the coach which have been repeatedly denied by the organisation.<\/p>\n
NZ Rugby Chair David Kirk did reveal that the call was made because the All Blacks<\/a> \u2018weren\u2019t on track\u2019 for the 2027 Rugby World Cup<\/a>, with the union then launching an extensive process to appoint his successor.<\/p>\n Strict requirements were laid out for potential applicants as prospective candidates needed to have prior international head coaching experience and be a New Zealander, which ultimately led to the whittling down of the two frontrunners in Jamie Joseph and Rennie, with the latter getting the nod.<\/p>\n The process that led to the former Wallabies boss\u2019 appointment included a selection panel that included two former All Blacks, Dane Coles and Keven Mealamu, NZR head of high performance Don Tricker, and acting NZR chief executive Steve Lancaster.<\/p>\n Coles and Lancaster spent a week in the Highlanders and Kobe Steelers camps to see how Joseph and Rennie operate, while the two coaches were also subjected to a lengthy in-person interview.<\/p>\n Steve Hansen on All Blacks\u2019 coaching saga<\/p>\n Overall, it was a prolonged process with the NZ Rugby board taking from early December to mid-January to decide Robertson\u2019s fate with his successor only named in early March.<\/p>\n The previous NZ Rugby board fronted a ton of criticism over their handling of Ian Foster, who refused to reapply for his role before the 2023 Rugby World Cup, before it was revealed that Robertson would take over in 2024. But Hansen<\/a> has praised the new board\u2019s process leading to Rennie\u2019s hiring.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, look, the whole saga of changing the coaches is sad for the coach who has been changed, but that process can\u2019t be questioned,\u201d he said on the DSPN Podcast with Martin Devlin<\/a>. \u201cI think again it was great leadership by the rugby union.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019ve done a process that has made it really clear what needs to happen. They were strong enough then to make the decision to make it happen, and then they went through an appointment process, which was just as great as, probably, the best process we\u2019ve ever had to appoint an All Black coach.\u201d<\/p>\n Sir Steve Hansen urges Dave Rennie to pinch \u2018one or two things\u2019 from Springboks but All Blacks shouldn\u2019t \u2018copy\u2019 Rassie Erasmus<\/a><\/p>\n Rennie has now confirmed his full coaching team with only Jason Ryan remaining on NZ Rugby\u2019s payroll from the Robertson regime while the new head coach has also welcomed the return of Gilbert Enoka as the team\u2019s mental skills coach and manager, who worked closely with Hansen through his tenure.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, we\u2019ve now got a group of people that are in there; we need as a country to get behind them and support them. We\u2019ve got the talent,\u201d Hansen continued.<\/p>\n \u201cSeeing Gilbert back in there is wonderful. If we can excite that group and get them aligned to a point where they really understand how they want to play, what\u2019s acceptable, what isn\u2019t, then I think you\u2019ll see a big shift in performance. That\u2019s what we\u2019ve seen in the past: some All Blacks teams have been great, some have been poor, but then all of a sudden they bounce back and become great again.<\/p>\n \u201cDave and his crew have got an opportunity to put their stamp on it. He\u2019s a smart man, and he\u2019s had a lot of success in the teams he has coached, which I think is a reflection of what they\u2019re doing. It won\u2019t be just him; he will be smart enough to use everybody, and that\u2019ll excite the players. And once you get your players excited and wanting to be there, all of a sudden, anything can happen because the talent, I believe, is there.\u201d<\/p>\n