Plumtree’s departure will hit Canes
The absence of Ian Foster’s coaching team at the unveiling of the new All Blacks coach on Wednesday put an exclamation mark on a flawed process from which even the successful candidate has emerged somewhat damaged.
In the buildup to the announcement, we were told repeatedly that the teams put together by Foster and Scott Robertson would be of paramount importance.
And yet, when it came to the big reveal all we got was, ‘sorry, but we can’t tell you who they are but we promise they’re really good’.
What an anticlimax. Nonetheless, it’s an open secret Hurricanes coach John Plumtree will be part of Foster’s team, a matter of huge inconvenience given that in about six weeks’ time the Hurricanes will be getting on a plane to begin their Super Rugby campaign with a trip to face first the Stormers and then the Jaguares.
No Beauden Barrett, no Ardie Savea, and no set-in-stone idea who their coach is going to be.
The Hurricanes should be annoyed and they will probably get some sympathy from their Super Rugby rivals, none of whom announced Foster’s appointment on their social media channels on Wednesday (the Crusaders were doing a Tik Tok challenge).
There’s no doubt that Plumtree is a good fit for the All Blacks, but equally there’s little question that there’s no great outcome for the Hurricanes as they weigh up their next step.
Plumtree surely can’t stay on as Hurricanes head coach. The job is too big now, especially as he has a rather sizeable task of putting the fear factor back into the All Blacks pack that will be missing Brodie Retallick next year.
(In another sign of the times, Retallick was unveiled in a Kobe jumper in Japan on the same day as Foster was announced).
But even if Plumtree somehow does end up juggling his Hurricanes and All Blacks roles, does this really do much for the Hurricanes?
Given the quality of their squad (their young, local and physical trio of Numia-AumuaFidow are a bit like CollinsMasoe-So’oailo except they are front-rowers) the Hurricanes could well have a decent season, but the impending loss of Plumtree would be a constant distraction in the background.
They might be better off ripping off the plaster and jumping into next year’s Super Rugby with Jason Holland and/ or Chris Gibbes at the helm while they look for another quality coach.
There is no shortage of candidates around for franchises that keep an open mind, with successful Bay of Plenty and NZ Ma¯ ori coach Clayton McMillan telling Stuff recently that Super Rugby was a goal for him.
It’s safe to say that the Hurricanes have been given something of a hospital pass by the All Blacks, with Super Rugby preseason training set to break up after today for the Christmas holiday.
Wayne Smith warned New Zealand Rugby not to decimate Super Rugby by raiding its coaching stocks to feed the All Blacks.
NZR hasn’t gone that far but it has given the Hurricanes another regrettable reminder of where Super Rugby sits in the food chain: way below the All Blacks.