New All Black Coach

According to the press Robertson will be the new coach after the RWC.  I'm pretty sure most people will be fine with this decision .

JW

I do agree with you - when Hansen left the AB's the team went backwards in performances.   Not all the problems could be laid at the door of his replacements - but in the world that is how rugby coaching is operated.   If things go wrong the coach is blamed - while in some cases there are alternative reasons a well.

By the way there is a rumor circulating in SA  that Plumtree will come to SA to coach the Sharks team.   His appointment is likely to be supported by Erasmus as SARU Director of Rugby.   I think there is a need for other SA Franchises to have replacement of coaches and some coaching staff  terminated in NZ may be of assistance to  other franchises in SA.             

Stoked with the news, I have to admit I was not sold on him when he took over the Crusaders as I was expecting a continuation of Blackadder I wanted new blood from outside the franchise. Happy to be proved wrong.

He has a hell of a job in front of him with so many senior players moving on so not expecting miracles for 24 or 25 (still expect to win most tests but expecting a few loses as well)

All the other super rugby franchise's (and supporters) will be going thank fuck we might have a chance now. 

CF

Just a question - you refer to senior players moving on - is decline in performances not partly effected by some of the seniors staying in the team when they were already past their sell-by date?

Players like Retallick, Whitelock and Smith are not even a shadow of the players they were and admired by me in 2014 and 2015.         

Wait and see. Time ago, the ABs made the shirt, they played rugby on distinct principles, heavily expressed.

Lately, all those differences started to fade away. From a shadow outlook, this guy seemed to have influenced the process as his team somewhat played like a NH rugby club.

Maybe he will finalize the move, making the turn from players making the shirt to the shirt making the players.

This is a very strange development. The fans want Robertson to replace Foster now. So you leak the fact that he will, but only after the WC…to me it makes Foster’s job harder, and the culpability of NZ rugby greater if there is a WC failure.

On the other hand, it can take attention toward the next cycle. I think most Kiwi supporters are resigned to the belief that they cannot compete at this World Cup. At least they know they'll get what they want when Fozzie Bear is gone. Then again, maybe not. 

The All Blacks have enough power up front, they lack some structure on defence, and their accuracy is probably the worst I have ever seen it. They are quite prone to handling errors and mistimed runs. I don't think they know how they want to play. In the first Bok test, they cut us apart, but very deep in their own half. They corrected that in the second test. They need to balance how they play, and they need to show an ability to break down a strong defence. They look far too linear and predictable when a defensive front doesn't fold. They have problems in the midfield, especially at 12. I don't know what resources they have at hand right now. A few years ago they seemed to have an abundance of centres. I would not write them off yet though. They are still more than good enough to send us packing; they make it out of the group and defeat the Boks or Ireland and they will be an entirely different animal. 

It is hard to imagine how any team is going to win this world cup though. 
With all the best teams stacked over 2 groups, the quarters and semis will be very tough. 

For Pool B, Boks are playing against number 1 in the world - Ireland, and a good Scotland team. 

It is tough for the All Blacks and France as well in the opening round, but from the quarters onwards it gets worse. 

Ireland or the Boks would have to beat the two other best teams in the world on back-to-back weekends, to even get to the final. 

The other finalist will be from group C or D, so they could be wrapped in cotton wool until the final. 

Ireland is the most consistent, but can they be taken out wide for pace? 
The Boks attacking game is improving, will it be enough to win 4 games against the best 4 in the world? 

The Bok attack has regressed markedly, and with their 81% defence, it isn't looking so rosey. The Boks look less capable of breaking down a defence than at any other point under Erasmus. We have speed, little skill, and a small few distributors, and only one real playmaker. Lots of passive leaky defenders, and mindless running. They remind me of the attacking ability of the Boks in the 2003 World Cup. Kwagga is going to be incredibly important. He is the player to disrupt the opposition most. That does open the game up a bit more for counter-attacking, and that is the best opportunity for our speed. Is Kolisi worth keeping him on the bench? Can we afford that liability? A good deal of our tries come from transitions, not from structured attacking play. 

I am sure the Robertson will get the All Blacks up and back to their place at the top of international rugby.

Their play under the former coach was something to behold, enjoy and remember unfortunately as with all teams they have had some lean years but I am sure Robertson will soon have them up an performing once more.

Looking forward to the AB's and Springbok Test in the future.

A good coach keeps the All Blacks competitive in those in-between years. Sadly, we failed to capitalize on a weak spot in test rugby. Our key opponents have improved on last year's showings. A good Bok coach would have seized the day and taken us ahead of everyone. It seems like this is the moment where standards improve and we get left behind, just in time for Erasmus to disperse his magic amnesia ink screen in time for an escape, leaving a mess behind for the next man up. 

We are thankful that we are getting Razor..........

But one rights of the All Black changes at 2023 world cup at their own peril.    

Fortunately Foster has a finish time now.

And now we need to work out a way to get rid of Mark Robinson and appoint a real leader.

I am not sure the Irish will not repeat the situation that happened in 2019.    In that year they also was at the start of the WC the number 1 team in the world - yet they lost against Japan in that series and from there went down in the said series.

The Irish were looking jaded by the 2018 EOYT, so t his is a bit different. They are actually growing into form. So, I wouldn't take them lightly. 

Robertson doesn't fit the standard mold of recent AB coaches and as such we hope he can help the ABs evolve to be, once again, ahead of the rest of the world. He wasn't perhaps the safest choice but he is a popular choice. Here's hoping he can pull it off! In the meantime, don't write off our chances in this RWC. One thing is for sure, we can't be accused of peaking too early.

Exactly Right.

The only thing we can be accused of is having been very ppor under Foster whereby standards have slid to totaly unacceptable levels.

He has found all sorts of excuses for failture.

Our forward play and defence has been absolutely rotten.  

This whole situation has been messy. It seems obvious Razor pressured the NZRU to appoint the new coach early as he was probably fielding offers from multiple organisations and he wanted to know where he stood with the powers that be.

Unfortunately he opened his big trap and publicly said the announcement was imminent which put the NZRFU in an awkward spot. He could have been appointed on the quiet and the announcement made after RWC 2023.

This has put Foster in a horrible position but we can just hope that he can rally the troops to perform credibly at the RWC.

"We are thankful that we are getting Razor..........

But one rights of the All Black changes at 2023 world cup at their own peril. "

Are you trying to say that people may be underestimating the ABs going into the WC?

If so, then I agree.

Unfortunately he opened his big trap and publicly said the announcement was imminent which put the NZRFU in an awkward spot.

It would have happened anyway.

That said, players and coaches alike were likely aware of the change beforehand. So nothing changed from their perspective. They will play to win nevertheless, no skipping of an event like a WC.

Robertson doesn't fit the standard mold of recent AB coaches and as such we hope he can help the ABs evolve to be, once again, ahead of the rest of the world. He wasn't perhaps the safest choice but he is a popular choice.

Apart from him being a poison instead of a cure, this places a lot of weight on his shoulders.

One of the great strengths, maybe the greatest, of NZ rugby was the establishment of principles on how the game should be played. Allowing to organize and structure the making of a player atound the principles.

As the principles get less and less expressed, the whole process is jeopardized.

This guy intervenes at the end of a chain, he may be able to pull tricks now and then. But he wont be able to correct the consequences of a process inadequacy.