The All Blacks have gambled that they may in the end be higher off for head coach Scott Robertson and his assistant Leon MacDonald reaching a mutual determination to half firm simply 5 exams into their working relationship.
From what Robertson has mentioned publicly, he and MacDonald had been philosophically misaligned about how they needed the All Blacks to play and held such basic variations of opinion about the easiest way ahead that neither man may see how they might resolve their variations and work successfully collectively.
On the idea that their skilled relationship was past salvation, they agreed that the perfect plan of action was to maneuver rapidly and suck up the short-term ache of alarmist headlines, for what they hope would be the longer-term acquire of higher concord and cohesion throughout the teaching group.
And so, in what was a real revelation, a press launch popped into media inboxes mid-morning on August 22 to say that MacDonald was leaving his submit as assistant coach of the All Blacks simply days earlier than the group headed to South Africa for a two-test collection.
Equally stunning was the candour and honesty of the announcement. There was no sugar coating – no euphemisms or hiding behind the ever present “to spend extra time along with his household”.
The discharge made it clear the 2 males had their variations in opinion, with Robertson then fronting media later that very same day, to additional clarify: “Just a bit little bit of philosophy on rugby, the way it’s performed,” he mentioned.
“We simply didn’t fairly click on in several features.There was no intent to get up to now the place we are actually. However we simply believed for the each of us, the perfect factor for the All Black group is we make the decision now.
“We went by way of a course of, and we obtained to right here.”
Robertson clearly didn’t wish to get to South Africa and have his strained dynamic with MacDonald turn into extra noticeable and affect on the gamers at a time after they have to be at their best possible if they’re to have any likelihood of profitable towards the world champions.
By performing as swiftly and as decisively as he did, Robertson has doubtless prevented MacDonald’s departure from the teaching group blowing up into an even bigger and ongoing saga.
However the entire enterprise of why MacDonald solely lasted 5 exams within the function is a query that requires additional examination, most pertinently whether or not it’s indicative of deeper and potential ongoing points throughout the teaching set-up.
What’s notably arduous to fathom is how Robertson and MacDonald didn’t comprehend that they weren’t strategically aligned of their respective imaginative and prescient for set-up the All Blacks’ assault.
It’s arduous to fathom as a result of they’ve recognized one another for 27 years, beginning as team-mates with the Crusaders and All Blacks, after which working collectively as coaches of the New Zealand Beneath-20 group in 2015.
MacDonald helped straighten the Crusaders’ operating traces, generate extra width and play with higher variation – all of which contributed to them profitable their first title since 2008 after they heroically discovered a technique to defeat the Lions at Ellis Park.
When Robertson landed the Crusaders head teaching function in 2017, the primary particular person he requested to hitch his workers was MacDonald, who got here on board as assault coach.
MacDonald helped straighten the Crusaders’ operating traces, generate extra width and play with higher variation – all of which contributed to them profitable their first title since 2008 after they heroically discovered a technique to defeat the Lions at Ellis Park.
The massive shock, although, was that after serving to the Crusaders win the title, MacDonald didn’t decide to take the second-year choice of his contract.
He as an alternative returned to his outdated province, Tasman, citing a want to assist his spouse run her Blenheim-based enterprise and be at house extra for his 4 youngsters, two of whom had been reaching a important interval of their education.
That each one stacked up as legit, till MacDonald introduced six months later that he was becoming a member of the Blues as an assistant coach on a three-year contract, and relocating his household to Auckland.
That raised a couple of eyebrows because it contradicted his causes for not extending his contract with the Crusaders and it appeared odd to depart the title-winning Crusaders for the same job on the basement-dwelling Blues.
Had there been one thing extra behind his cause for not staying with the Crusaders? Have been there points between him and Robertson again then that went largely unreported or unrecognised as a result of the narrative behind MacDonald’s shift to the Blues was revised over time?
A change of possession on the membership noticed MacDonald promoted to move coach in late 2018 – that means he by no means did a single day as an assistant and the story was recorded or remembered as him leaving the Crusaders as an assistant for a head function on the Blues.
There has lengthy been hypothesis amongst those that recall the actual historical past slightly than the revised model, that MacDonald and Robertson had been by no means fairly on the identical web page of the teaching handbook whereas they had been on the Crusaders, and therefore there was some shock after they agreed to work collectively on the All Blacks.
One of many criticisms of Robertson’s teaching group has been its dimension, and that there are too many individuals working in area of interest roles which may be complicated the gamers with blended messages.
Was the hypothesis unsuitable, or did the 2 of them imagine that in the event that they tried once more to work collectively it could be totally different – higher – second time round?
Both manner, it’s incongruous given their historical past and the truth that Robertson agreed and introduced his teaching group in April final yr – a full 15 months earlier than the primary check towards England – that neither celebration picked up on their lack of alignment.
To that finish, it appears extra doubtless that they genuinely believed that they held a shared imaginative and prescient, just for one thing to have occurred in the previous couple of weeks to make them realise that they don’t.
MacDonald has not but spoken about his causes for quitting, however a handful of legitimate theories have been put ahead by numerous commentators which will in the end show to hold massive parts of fact.
One of many criticisms of Robertson’s teaching group has been its dimension, and that there are too many individuals working in area of interest roles which may be complicated the gamers with blended messages.
MacDonald, since his departure has been extensively known as the assault coach, however his function was extra nuanced than that, as he was accountable for strike performs, with Holland carrying duty for part play assault.
That MacDonald might have felt marginalised is feasible and so too might he have been cautious of the rising affect of Tamiti Ellison as collision and abilities coach.
Initially Ellison was solely going to be working with the All Blacks on a part-time foundation, however his function expanded over time, and the teaching set-up because it was laid out to MacDonald in April final yr, might have differed tremendously to the one he encountered as soon as the group assembled to play England in July.
It’s additionally potential that Robertson’s determination to offer every of his assistants – Jason Ryan (tight 5), Scott Hansen (inside backs), Jason Holland (midfield), MacDonald (exterior backs) – particular choice duty, might have been inflicting a bit of stress.
Robertson will wish to make certain that MacDonald was an remoted case of an assistant coach failing to see eye-to-eye along with his head coach, slightly than being consultant of a flawed set-up destined to see but extra stress come up.
With Robertson selecting the unfastened trio the image feels convoluted, open to lengthy debates and challenges and there was some suggestion that it’s a system that inadvertently resulted in some coaches turning into extra highly effective than others in swaying selections.
Doubtlessly, MacDonald’s departure will function an answer to a number of the issues which will have been accruing and having one much less voice within the combine and one much less selector, might naturally streamline the method of selecting the group, defuse the stress and make it simpler for the gamers to know who oversees what.
Actually, Robertson will wish to make certain that MacDonald was an remoted case of an assistant coach failing to see eye-to-eye along with his head coach, slightly than being consultant of a flawed set-up destined to see but extra stress come up.
The collection in South Africa will present some sort of proof as as to if there are ongoing teaching points, however New Zealand Rugby are blissful to take a for much longer time-frame earlier than making any selections about whether or not every other personnel adjustments shall be crucial throughout the All Blacks.
“This was not Plan A, clearly,” mentioned NZR head {of professional} rugby Chris Lendrum. “All people went into the planning part with the All Blacks aligned on the place we needed to go and what we needed to do. However in the previous couple of weeks as they’ve been making ready for video games, it has turn into a bit clearer that they don’t seem to be fairly aligned.
“That’s the reason they’ve made the decision and it’s a four-year cycle to get to a World Cup and higher for the group that we make that decision early and we actually admire them for doing that.”
