Call for Smith, Robertson, MacDonald in new mix
A former New Zealand rugby chief fears the current regime will ‘‘take the soft option’’ of retaining Ian Foster as All Blacks coach when they should be turning to Wayne Smith, Scott Robertson and Leon MacDonald.
David Moffett was New Zealand Rugby chief executive between 1996 and 2000 and held the same role with the Welsh Rugby union from 2002 and 2005.
Moffett said he ‘‘cares for the All Blacks’’ and wants to see change after the series loss to Ireland and other disappointing results over the last two years.
But he is concerned, New Zealand Rugby (NZR) will ‘‘take the soft option, which will be the wrong option, and stick with what they’ve got’’. He said NZR chief executive Mark Robinson should turn to ‘‘someone already on their payroll’’ and appoint Wayne Smith as director of rugby.
‘‘Then I would employ both Razor [Scott Robertson] and Leon MacDonald as his assistants, then you’ve got the forward and backs covered.’’
Smith held the All Blacks’ head coaching job between 2000 and 2001 for 17 wins and five losses in 22 tests. He struggled in the top job, which he lost after a Bledisloe Cup defeat in 2001 after initially admitting to some self-doubt about whether he was the right coach to lead the team going forward.
But he returned to the All Blacks as an assistant to Graham Henry in 2003 and was credited with playing a significant role in their 2011 and 2015 Rugby World Cup victories.
Moffett said Smith was ‘‘the tactical guru of rugby’’ and, while he wasn’t generally a fan of having a director of rugby, the All Blacks ‘‘desperately need’’ Smith’s acumen. Smith is heading the Black Ferns coaching team for the Women’s Rugby World Cup in New Zealand in October and November, but Moffett felt he could retain oversight of the women’s side ‘‘as well as doing the most important job in New Zealand sport at the moment which is getting the All Blacks back on track’’.
Moffett was at the helm when the All Blacks suffered five losses in a row in 1998 and recalled that management and the board had an ‘‘all-day debrief’’ and wanted to ‘‘replace John Hart as coach’’ but there was no ready made replacement. He said that wasn’t the case now because ‘‘there are two people [Robertson and MacDonald], and Wayne Smith.’’
Introducing young coaches in Robertson and MacDonald would instantly ‘‘change the game’’ in terms of public perception of the All Blacks, Moffett felt. He was critical of NZR’s plans to hold a review after the Ireland series, saying ‘‘they conducted a review six months ago [after losses to Ireland and France on the European tour] and nothing changed’’. Now was time to ‘‘make the hard decision’’.
Moffett said while he is an Australian, he ‘‘gave four years of my life to New Zealand rugby and I care about the All Blacks’’.
He had ‘‘nothing against Ian Foster, who is a good guy’’ and felt the All Blacks’ struggles were ‘‘not just a recent event’’. ‘‘Steve Hansen, for the last two years [of his coaching tenure] didn’t seem to know who his best team was. Ian Foster was a part of that, and it’s continued ever since.’’
Moffett felt some scrutiny should go on the NZR officials and board who ratified Foster’s appointment. He believes other international teams ‘‘no longer fear the All Blacks’’ and ‘‘people have worked out how to beat them’’ for while now.
He doesn’t expect the current team will make the next World Cup final, but said a new coaching team and a reboot would put them in a better place to win the 2027 World Cup in Australia.