Other key findings of the independent review
An independent review into the Kiwis’ dismal Rugby League World Cup campaign is highly critical of both the NZRL and national coach David Kidwell. David Long reports.
David Kidwell was too rash in dumping Jesse Bromwich and Kevin Proctor out of the Kiwis’ World Cup squad, the review has found. In the independent review of last year’s disastrous World Cup campaign, carried out by Tim Castle and Raelene Castle, it contained a section on the controversial dumping of Bromwich, who was the Kiwis’ captain, and Proctor.
Both players allegedly took cocaine in the hours after Kiwis were hammered 30-12 by Australia in Canberra following the Anzac test.
The incident came to light the following day on Saturday, May 6 and two days later Kidwell announced they’d both miss the World Cup.
The review found Kidwell rushed his decision, but he should have got better support.
‘‘In our view David Kidwell acted in haste over the Bromwich/ Proctor incident which followed the Anzac test,’’ the report said.
‘‘We acknowledge there is room for debate on that point, but we do think that the lack of leadership at senior management level of NZRL exposed David to intense pressure in the media (therefore publicly) where his handling of the postanzac Test player misconduct assumed greater importance than if the proper process to be followed to deal with the players’ misconduct had been implemented.
‘‘David’s very quick decision to outlaw the players from the Kiwis without recourse to proper process seems to have reflected his view that the ‘‘culture’’ of the Kiwis had ❚ A complete lack of proven high performance sport expertise within the NZRL organisation and the supporting structures that need to be put in place for sustained success.
❚ A systemic failure of senior NZRL leadership to identify HP problems and inadequacies, and no obvious ability to identify and manage the risks arising.
been broken. It may have been that after due process the same decision would have been reached, but we now have no way of knowing that and from a public perspective the Kiwis were seen post a disappointing performance in the Anzac Test to be equally in disarray over player behaviour.
‘‘The head coach’s inexperience was starkly evident. It was a very significant setback for the RLWC 17 campaign; and from which it was very difficult for the Kiwis ❚ The Kiwis’ campaign was disadvantaged by the NZRL appointment of an inexperienced head coach (with potential nonetheless) who tried to implement too much in a short space of time and treated the RLWC like a ‘test’ event instead of the pinnacle of the Kiwis calendar.
❚ NZRL let down (coach) David Kidwell specifically in not providing
and NZRL to recover.’’
How the Kiwis would have done if Bromwich and Proctor had played in the World Cup will never be known, but they certainly couldn’t have done any worse.
However, Tim Castle said that during his interviews with the players during the review process, this wasn’t something Kidwell could solely blame for the poor World Cup.
‘‘We are critical to the way that incident was handled. We talk him with a carefully and strategically designed high level campaign plan. In our view [Kidwell] should have asked for and insisted on being provided with that plan. We consider his failing in this regard was unsatisfactory. It does not however, in our view, excuse the failure of NZRL senior leadership to provide its coach with that plan. about the speed with which the decision was made,’’ he said. ‘‘That wasn’t a David Kidwell-only decision.
‘‘We did canvas that issue with players and as you’d expect from the proposition that they were somehow distracted from the programme.
‘‘It wasn’t easy to deal with in the broader scheme of things, but to make the link between that incident and then what happened at the sharp end of the Rugby League World Cup, was too big a jump.’’
The review is brutal reading and credit needs to be given to the NZRL for not holding back.
It highlights an organisation that was inept in its planning for a tournament which was supposed to revitalise the sport in this country.
‘‘The most disturbing feature for us was the lack of high performance expertise within the organisation, particularly from a planning perspective,’’ Castle said.
‘‘We identified that issue early on and it became not a single focus, but a very important focus in our scrutiny and analysis.
‘‘We made a number of recommendations as to how that could be remedied and that was a part of our approach.
‘‘It wasn’t enough that we could reach conclusions about what was not done well, it was important that we identified how it could be done well in the future.’’
Kidwell comes out of the review as too inexperienced to lead the Kiwis into the World Cup and trying to do too much too soon.
However, Castle commended Kidwell for his openness in the review. Jason Taumalolo and the three other players who made an 11th hour switch to Tonga ahead of last year’s World Cup will be welcomed back into the Kiwis should they make themselves available.
Taumalolo, Sio Siua Taukeiaho, Manu Ma’u and David Fusitu’a threw David Kidwell’s World Cup plans into disarray when they decided the play for Tonga on the eve of his squad announcement.
However, the independent review into the disastrous campaign highlighted a major lack of communication throughout the New Zealand Rugby League (NZRL) that led to the situation arising in the first place.
International eligibility rules do not prevent the players from returning to the Kiwis and NZRL chairman Reon Edwards confirmed they would not be barred from selection.
Deputy chair and acting chief executive Hugh Martyn was quick to add that they did not blame the players for leaving the Kiwis in the lurch.
‘‘The elected to play for their home nation, that’s absolutely fine by us,’’ Martyn said. ‘‘We weren’t close enough to understand that’s the way they were heading.’’
Asked if they would insist on assurances that Taumalolo and co would not do the same thing at the next World Cup, Martyn added: ‘‘Part of the recommendations in the report do suggest there are contractual issues, but the reality is if the players want to play they want to play, if they don’t they don’t.
‘‘So it’s really about making sure they have the right relationships with them.’’
Taumalolo withdrew from the Kiwis three days before the squad was announced.
Taukeiaho and Manu Ma’u followed over the next two days, while Fusitu’a pulled out just before the squad announcement, with the review revealing he trained with the Kiwis that morning.
The players were widely criticised for how they handled the affair but the review pointed out that they were well within their rights to switch and took aim at the NZRL for not having a plan in place to deal with such a scenario.
‘‘The fact that it happened so close to the tournament, we put that down to a failure in two respects,’’ independent review panel chair Tim Castle said. ‘‘One was the communication issue across the organisation, not just the head coach, but across the high-performance structure.
Whether or not Taumalolo and co play for the Kiwis will ultimately be up to them and whoever is appointed coach of the Kiwis.
Kidwell’s contract ended after the World Cup and the NZRL plan to announce an appointments panel next week that will select the new coach.