A victory as much as a setback is represented by Leon MacDonald’s “inevitable” All Blacks retirement.
In an attempt to put an end to rumours about his resignation, Scott Robertson addressed the media on Thursday just after it was announced that All Blacks assistant coach Leon MacDonald would be leaving. However, there are still a number of important unanswered concerns.
Five games into the new coaching regime’s tenure, a split was anything but expected, particularly from a group of coaches chosen for their familiarity. All of the current crop of coaches had previously coached alongside Robertson, and the head coach made it plain that he had put together his best group when taking over as Ian Foster’s replacement.
Despite this, New Zealand pundit Tony Johnson noted that there were indications that the gathering might not be as peaceful as planned, even if he was “initially” astonished by the news. He told RNZ, “The more you look into it, the more you start to think that it was probably inevitable that it was going to happen—maybe not quite so soon.”
When you consider that these two had worked or played together for 27 years—for Canterbury, the Crusaders, the All Blacks, and a New Zealand age group called the U20s back in 2015—it seems a little perplexing to hear that they simply didn’t click. It’s important to keep in mind that Leon MacDonald resigned from his position as Robertson’s assistant at the Crusaders in 2017. At the time, his departure was attributed to family matters, but it’s reasonable to assume that some issues that arose during MacDonald’s tenure as head coach in the interim have since surfaced and proven intractable.
“You really have to wonder who initially believed it would work.”
The presenter compared MacDonald’s quick departure to “squabbling parents” who try not to fight in front of their kids. In the end, he stated, reaching this decision as soon as possible is a good thing, and both parties should be commended for prioritising the team. He went on, “I believe that what they have done is the right thing.” “Although there have only been five games, it’s evident that they’ve noticed something wasn’t working and that there was a chance this might be… The players will find it uncomfortable, especially those who are close to Leon MacDonald.
But even if it went on, there was a chance it could get worse and more disturbing. They have done the right thing by addressing the issue early rather than allowing it to worsen because the players would be fully aware that two of their coaches weren’t on the same page.
Online supporters seemed to take the news well; many pointed out how different the circumstances were from the last time an All Blacks assistant coach left the squad, which was in 2022 when Ian Foster was forced to fire Brad Mooar and John Plumtree due to a run of poor performances. With an 80% winning percentage for the year and a more aggressive style, the Kiwi supporters are feeling somewhat upbeat ahead of one of the biggest challenges in sports: taking on the Springboks in South Africa.
Johnson stated that even though Robertson provided thoughtful answers to the major queries, certain issues remained because of MacDonald’s lack of understanding. The second element, in my opinion, is that they have a sizable coaching staff—too large, in the opinion of many—and some of the input we’re receiving suggests that the players were somewhat surprised by the variety of voices and the volume of material they were exposed to from the start.
“An other issue is that having so many coaches increases the possibility that some of them could trip over one another and that someone could feel a little left out. Could it be the case in this instance, I wonder? In any event, the All Blacks now have eight days to get over the shock and get ready for the Rugby Championship’s third round at high altitude while they go to Johannesburg. “They have a very difficult trip to South Africa coming up, so they need to get over this pretty quickly and convince themselves they’re on the right track.”