No role in ABs for Blues mentor

Leon MacDonald says he has enough with the Blues to be worrying about a potential All Blacks call-up, ruling himself out of consideration for an assistant position.

At a media day in Auckland, all the cameras were directed at MacDonald’s former Crusaders teammate Scott Robertson and the vacant All Blacks coaching job.

Part of those discussions were about who Robertson would potentially bring in as his assistant coaches, NZR confirming last week they want candidates to come forward with ‘‘a team’’.

However MacDonald, fresh from naming his first Blues side, wouldn’t be dragged into any of the chatter. ‘‘No. This job (Blues) is a big one, we shifted (as a family) up to Auckland and I am motivated to getting this right. It’s a 24 hour job,’’ he said.

‘‘I feel for Razor (Robertson), it’s a big job to be a Super coach and this is a distraction for sure.

‘‘Discussions are always going on, but my job is here with the Blues and that’s where my focus is.’’

The head coaching role in Auckland will be a tall order, MacDonald entering the 2020 season without the experienced high-profile trio of Sonny Bill Williams, Ma’a Nonu and Melani Nanai.

‘‘The biggest talking point around his side, then, was always going to be the midfield and it’s somewhere MacDonald believes Rieko Ioane can excel in.

‘‘I am happy with the squad overall, a few names people won’t know about but I’m hoping by the end of the season they do,’’ he said.

‘‘Rieko has played a lot of midfield. He’s always wanted to be there, played all his school rugby there and it’s where he feels most comfortable.