Is Joe Schmidt about to join the All Blacks’ coaching setup?
All Blacks coach Ian Foster used three crucial words when welcoming Joe Schmidt as a selector last December, saying there were no plans to bring him into the coaching setup ‘‘at this stage’’.
We’ll find out this week whether that stage is over. New Zealand Rugby will hold a board meeting this week when it will consider the deep dive into the All Blacks’ season that has been conducted in recent months.
Foster has been central to that process, with feedback from players and staff also crucial as the All Blacks take a critical and unemotional view of their performances, with losses to Ireland and France obviously deserving of scrutiny.
Informed sources at New Zealand Rugby won’t say if changes to the coaching setup are likely in the wake of the review, although they have indicated that they may have more to say after the board meeting.
Enthusiasm at NZ Rugby about Schmidt’s involvement as a selector also remains high, allied to its belief that he has already added value at the Blues.
Initially advertised as a ‘‘support’’ coach for the Blues to mentor Leon
MacDonald, Schmidt, 56, looked anything but that before the Blues v Hurricanes match at Forsyth Barr Stadium on Saturday.
The former Ireland coach has never hid his passion for the ‘on the grass’ coaching, and he was right in the thick of the Blues’ drills before kick-off.
At present the All Blacks coaching setup consists of Foster as head coach, assistant coaches John Plumtree (forwards), Scott McLeod (defence), Brad Moaar (attack) and Greg Feek (scrum).
When Foster was reappointed for two more years last August, NZ Rugby said it had started work on contracting the rest of the coaching team, but no announcements have been made.
Schmidt worked with Feek at Ireland for years during a successful period for Irish rugby, but he also brought Plumtree in as Ireland’s forwards coach for a year before Plumtree returned to New Zealand to take up a role with the Hurricanes.
McLeod has been with the All Blacks since 2017, while NZ Rugby paid compensation to Welsh side Scarlets to release Mooar from his contract in late 2019.
The All Blacks attack was criticised last year, with John Kirwan bemoaning a lack of ‘‘innovation’’, but the forwards have also come under scrutiny after comparing unfavourably to their French and
Irish rivals.
The unique challenges of last year’s tour will undoubtedly be factored into the review of the All Blacks’ year.
Aside from existing in a bubble for much of the year due to Covid-19, the All Blacks played a mammoth 15 tests, and the axing of the third Bledisloe test, as revealed by Stuff last week, indicates there is an appetite to reduce that workload.
However, the All Blacks’ attack struggled against well-organised defensive lines, and Schmidt’s love of strike plays during his time with Ireland – and knowledge of northern hemisphere rugby – would clearly be an asset as NZ Rugby tries to reestablish its flagship team to the No 1 ranking in the world.