New Zealand rugby legend Sir John Kirwan has expressed severe disappointment in the All Blacks' current form under head coach Scott Robertson. Following a 33-19 defeat to England, which shattered their Grand Slam aspirations, Kirwan voiced his frustrations, highlighting a stark inconsistency in the team's performance that fans and pundits are unaccustomed to.
Despite maintaining a second-place standing in the World Rugby rankings, trailing behind the Springboks, the All Blacks' year has been marred by underperformance. "There’s just something within the team that we’re just not used to seeing as All Blacks fans," Kirwan admitted on the Rivals podcast. He pointed out critical errors at pivotal moments, "How often do you see an All Black team miss touch with the ability to go 15 points clear? We missed touch twice at critical times, didn’t take a kick at goal."
"It’s just really difficult for us to understand what’s going on. We’re pretty gutted. It’s hard to come up with the answers but there are absolutely not excuses."
While the All Blacks managed victories against Ireland and Scotland during their northern hemisphere tour, the English team proved too formidable. Kirwan praised England's performance as "really, really good, clinical, had heaps of energy," yet couldn't hide his dissatisfaction with the All Blacks' showing.
"At the moment, we’re just not good enough and if you don’t admit that to yourself… one of the things I’ve always been taught as an All Black is the first person you need to look at is yourself in the mirror."
The pressure is mounting on Robertson to steer the team back to its dominant ways. Kirwan emphasizes that the responsibility doesn’t lie with the coach alone; the entire team and support staff need to engage in some serious soul-searching. "Something has to change. What is it? I don’t know. There needs to be some soul-searching within the team, within the coaching staff," Kirwan stressed.
As the tour concludes and the off-season approaches, Kirwan calls for a comprehensive review of the team's inconsistent year. His emotional investment in the team's success is palpable as he expresses his distress not just for the team's performance, but for the players and staff involved. "This happens but I just care so much, I just really care about this team. I’m just really, really upset and I’m upset for the players and I’m upset for the team," he concluded.
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New Zealand rugby legend Sir John Kirwan has expressed severe disappointment in the All Blacks' current form under head coach Scott Robertson. Following a 33-19 defeat to England, which shattered their Grand Slam aspirations, Kirwan voiced his frustrations, highlighting a stark inconsistency in the team's performance that fans and pundits are unaccustomed to.
Despite maintaining a second-place standing in the World Rugby rankings, trailing behind the Springboks, the All Blacks' year has been marred by underperformance. "There’s just something within the team that we’re just not used to seeing as All Blacks fans," Kirwan admitted on the Rivals podcast. He pointed out critical errors at pivotal moments, "How often do you see an All Black team miss touch with the ability to go 15 points clear? We missed touch twice at critical times, didn’t take a kick at goal."
"It’s just really difficult for us to understand what’s going on. We’re pretty gutted. It’s hard to come up with the answers but there are absolutely not excuses."
While the All Blacks managed victories against Ireland and Scotland during their northern hemisphere tour, the English team proved too formidable. Kirwan praised England's performance as "really, really good, clinical, had heaps of energy," yet couldn't hide his dissatisfaction with the All Blacks' showing.
"At the moment, we’re just not good enough and if you don’t admit that to yourself… one of the things I’ve always been taught as an All Black is the first person you need to look at is yourself in the mirror."
The pressure is mounting on Robertson to steer the team back to its dominant ways. Kirwan emphasizes that the responsibility doesn’t lie with the coach alone; the entire team and support staff need to engage in some serious soul-searching. "Something has to change. What is it? I don’t know. There needs to be some soul-searching within the team, within the coaching staff," Kirwan stressed.
As the tour concludes and the off-season approaches, Kirwan calls for a comprehensive review of the team's inconsistent year. His emotional investment in the team's success is palpable as he expresses his distress not just for the team's performance, but for the players and staff involved. "This happens but I just care so much, I just really care about this team. I’m just really, really upset and I’m upset for the players and I’m upset for the team," he concluded.