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New Zealand’s capacity for evolution has left Ireland in its wake since autumn 2018

‘Change is the only constant in the Kiwi environment’

IN New Zealand rugby circles, they believe that if you’re standing still, you’re moving backwards.

Evolution is very much part of their culture. It’s the reason why the All Blacks have remained the dominant force in world rugby for so long.

Young coaches are implored to head overseas and gain experience of new environments before returning home in later years to share their knowledge.

Graham Henry and Steve Hansen both did their apprenticeships in Wales before taking up the top job with the All Blacks. Warren Gatland walked a similar path and is now back in New Zealand coaching the Waikato Chiefs.

From Chris Boyd to Jono Gibbes, there are Kiwi coaches strewn across Europe building their CVs and depth of knowledge.

It is just one component in this slick All Blacks machine.

Change is the only constant in that environment. The Kiwis are always trying to stay ahead of current trends. They are very much the market leaders when it comes to innovation in the game.

Ireland found that out the hard way on a muggy night in Tokyo back in October.

Less than a year after beating the same opponents 16-9 in Dublin, Joe Schmidt’s men were demolished 46-14 in a sobering World Cup quarter-final defeat.

Suffice to say, both teams took very different journeys after that game in Lansdowne Road back in 2018. Schmidt’s Ireland, riding the crest of a wave after an all-conquering year, took a business as usual approach in terms of selection and tactics in 2019. Save for one ill-advised selection experiment when Robbie Henshaw was rolled out at full-back against England, Ireland’s Kiwi head coach stuck with the tried and trusted campaigners such as Cian Healy, Rory Best, Peter O’Mahony, Conor Murray and Rob Kearney.

New Zealand did the exact opposite. Enda McNulty — who recently left his role as the Ireland team’s mental skills coach — made a telling observation in a recent newspaper interview. Prior to that autumn international clash in the capital, McNulty took notice of Hansen and Ian Foster, the All Blacks brains trust, during the pre-game warm-ups.

New Zealand’s coaches never took their eyes off the Irish team.

Eleven months later, Ireland and New Zealand would meet again. Schmidt’s squad arrived in Toyko shorn of confidence and form after a troubling year. They would encounter an All Blacks team virtually unrecognisable from the one they had beaten so convincingly last time out. In the space of 12 months, Hansen and Foster had overseen a major overhaul in personnel and tactics. The likes of Karl Tu’inukuafe, Owen Franks, Rieko Ioane and Ben Smith had been turfed out, while mercurial No10 Beauden Barrett, then-reigning World Player of the Year, was shifted to full-back to accommodate the more pragmatic Richie Mo’unga. It was a harrowing night for that Irish team and a reminder that constant evolution is the only way to stay in the game. Prior to New Zealand’s semi-final meeting with England the following week, a group of colleagues bumped into Henry before kick-off. The former All Blacks boss was asked his opinion on Ireland’s shambolic efforts the previous weekend. Schmidt, Henry observed, had been too loyal to a group of old stagers and should have cut them loose at the end of their 2018 campaign.

Surely the next Ireland coaching team would heed the harsh lessons of the previous regime?

Unfortunately, it seems that the same mistakes are being made all over again.

Irelan mirrored New Zealand’s model by promoting from within when the time came to appoint a new head coach. Foster has succeeded Hansen as the new All Blacks supremo, while Andy Farrell’s promotion to head coach when Schmidt left his post was long in the offing.

The similarities between both camps ends there, however.

Scott McLeod was retained as New Zealand’s defence coach but Foster immediately went about adding a cast of fresh voices to his backroom team. Long-serving Leinster and Ireland scrum coach Greg Feek was brought on board as well as John Plumtree, who spent a season as Ireland forwards coach during Schmidt’s first year in charge. Brad Mooar, a highlyrated attack coach, was enticed back home from the Scarlets.

Foster’s new coaching team has a fresh and vibrant feel to it.

It was business as usual in Farrell’s setup, with Simon Easterby and Richie Murphy retaining their roles as forwards coach and kicking and skills specialist, respectively. John Fogarty’s promotion to scrum coach was well deserved but Farrell’s appointment for the attack brief felt like a safe and uninspired choice.

While Foster had scoured the globe for the best talent, it felt like Farrell had settled for an old colleague and friend in Mike Catt. That may seem a tad unfair on the former Bath and England centre since Ireland have only played three games under this new coaching ticket, but there is a feeling that Farrell’s recruitment could have been bolder.

That certainly seemed the case when he appointed Johnny Sexton (left) as his new captain. At 34, Sexton’s promotion did not look like a decision based on long-term planning. Farrell is contracted until the 2023 World Cup in France and it is highly unlikely that Sexton will go the distance.

Farrell has since revealed that Sexton’s captaincy would continue on a tournament-by-tournament basis but, again, it felt like a missed opportunity to take a risk and promote a younger player, such as James Ryan, who would symbolise a new regime and a desire to take the whole operation forward.

When Kieran Read stepped down after the World Cup, Foster also had to find a new captain.

Replacing the iconic No 8 was no easy task and Foster caused plenty of surprise when he named Sam Cane as the new All Blacks skipper earlier this month.

Cane is only 28, the fifth-youngest captain to be handed the role.

‘We wanted to confirm Sam now because he’ll play a key role helping us plan for whatever the future looks like,’ said Foster.

‘Sam is a “follow me” type of leader and a very good thinker in the game. He has a natural ability to connect with the team.’

Another line drawn in the sand by the All Blacks.

Farrell should pay attention. Standing still gets you nowhere.

‘All Blacks coaching ticket has a fresh feel to it’