New All Blacks assistant coach Neil Barnes is bullish about New Zealand’s chances of winning the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia.
The Tararanki legend never imagined that he would be coaching the national team but is now excited to get stuck into the job.
Barnes is renowned for being a tough operator and an emotionally driven coach from his stints with the Chiefs and Taranaki, while he has also made the step-up to international rugby with Italy, Canada and Fiji, including three Rugby World Cup campaigns.
I thought he was joking!
The experienced coach now gets the opportunity to assist the All Blacks, a chance that he didn’t even think Dave Rennie was seriously offering him.
“I responded straight away that I was available, but I thought he was joking,” he told Sky Sport when asked if he hesitated when he got the call from the head coach.
“Then, when he came back and asked the question, I’d already given it a little bit of thought.
“Everybody should have a little bit of anxiety about the challenge of being at this level because it carries a lot of responsibility, but mate, I’m now wholly and solely driven to actually make this work.”
He added: “Look, it’s a massive honour. I’ve never thought I would be sitting in these circles. To be considered for that and to be asked by Dave, it’s humbling to be perfectly honest. I’m not afraid of the challenge, but it’s still something that I probably at the end of the day never thought would happen.”
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The 67-year-old coach takes on a senior assistant role under Rennie, who he previously worked with at the Chiefs. Barnes says that he has had a love-hate relationship with the new All Blacks boss during their careers but has a real admiration for the way he operates.
“It’s love-hate when we’re actually playing sport against each other,” he said.
“We’re both competitive people, and he normally wins, but we actually got a healthy respect for each other in the fact that in the fight, we complement each other.
“The depth of feeling and care for his teams, the players and the people, it’s something that I’m aligned with. He taught me lots.”
World Cup chances
New Zealand Rugby decided to remove Scott Robertson from the head coach role in January, citing that the team was not on track for the Rugby World Cup.
With Rennie now at the helm, Barnes as his right hand and the new coaching team featuring Jason Ryan and Mike Blair, the question of do the All Blacks have the players to win a World Cup in Australia next year was raised.
“100%, 100%,” Barnes emphatically said. “That part excites me, to see what we can achieve with this team.
“Look, I’m 100% immersed in the teams that I work with. You get all of me and that emotion is massive. I try and keep it under control to limit it, but I want that from every single player. I want everyone to feel that way.
“When you’re deeply connected to who you’re playing for, that comes out naturally every week. That part’s exciting.”
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