All Blacks 2026
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@sparky said in All Blacks 2026:
@jimmyb That's a negative spin on things.
Here are their coaching career highlights:
Jamie Joseph: 2015 Super Rugby Champion with the Highlanders; Led Japan to their first-ever Rugby World Cup quarter-final in 2019; Popular and successful coach of the All Blacks XV in 2025 on their undefeated northern tour.
Joe Schmidt: Won two Pro12 titles with Leinster; Won three Six Nations titles with Ireland, a Grand Slam in 2018; Guided Ireland to world Number 1 ranking; Assistant Coach of the All Blacks who made the World Cup Final in 2023.
Dave Rennie: Coached Wellington to their first NPC win in 14 years; Coached New Zealand under 20s to three consecutive world titles; Coached the Chiefs to back-to-back Super Titles; Coached the Wallabies to back-to-back victories over the Springboks in 2021 and second place in the Rugby Championship.
Vern Cotter: Won European Challenge Cup and the Top 14 with Clermont Auvergne, Runners Up in the Heineken European Cup; Reached the 2015 Rugby World Cup Quarter Finals with Scots before going out to Australia in a controversial manner, coached the Blues to their first Super title in 20 years.
@sparky said in All Blacks 2026:
@jimmyb That's a negative spin on things.
Here are their coaching career highlights:
Jamie Joseph: 2015 Super Rugby Champion with the Highlanders; Led Japan to their first-ever Rugby World Cup quarter-final in 2019; Popular and successful coach of the All Blacks XV in 2025 on their undefeated northern tour.
Joe Schmidt: Won two Pro12 titles with Leinster; Won three Six Nations titles with Ireland, a Grand Slam in 2018; Guided Ireland to world Number 1 ranking; Assistant Coach of the All Blacks who made the World Cup Final in 2023.
Dave Rennie: Coached Wellington to their first NPC win in 14 years; Coached New Zealand under 20s to three consecutive world titles; Coached the Chiefs to back-to-back Super Titles; Coached the Wallabies to back-to-back victories over the Springboks in 2021 and second place in the Rugby Championship.
Vern Cotter: Won European Challenge Cup and the Top 14 with Clermont Auvergne, Runners Up in the Heineken European Cup; Reached the 2015 Rugby World Cup Quarter Finals with Scots before going out to Australia in a controversial manner, coached the Blues to their first Super title in 20 years.
None of that is to write home about and the results are more average than not. It’s not negative, it’s realistic and not cherry picking one off domestic titles
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@Bones said in All Blacks 2026:
@jimmyb said in All Blacks 2026:
Rennie: Couldn’t buy a super rugby title
It was a decent rant, but I'm still trying to figure this one out.
Oh I have got that completely wrong and forgot he was coach in 2012 and 2013. My mistake. They were seriously good and I now see Rennie as a more viable alternative
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@jimmyb said in All Blacks 2026:
@Bones said in All Blacks 2026:
@jimmyb said in All Blacks 2026:
Rennie: Couldn’t buy a super rugby title
It was a decent rant, but I'm still trying to figure this one out.
Oh I have got that completely wrong and forgot he was coach in 2012 and 2013. My mistake. They were seriously good and I now see Rennie as a more viable alternative
Fuck man, that's hardly an oopsie. Oh just slipped my mind he won back to back titles straight away because that's pretty forgettable.
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@jimmyb Two more for your consideration.
John Mitchell - Coaching the All Blacks to their record away wins in both South Africa and Australia; Coaching the All Blacks to back-to-back wins in the Tri Nations; Coaching the USA to their visit win in the All Americas Championship; Undefeated in three years as coach of the England women's team; 2025 Women's World Cup winner; reigning World Coach of the Year.
Warren Gatland - Has coached over 200 rugby tests; Runner Up in the Six Nations with Ireland; Coached Waikato to the NPC title; three English Premiership and a European Title with Wasps; three Grand Slams and Six Nations Titles with Wales; Reaching the Rugby World Cup Semi Finals twice with Wales; Coaching the British and Irish Lions to their first series win in 16 years and a series draw in New Zealand.
We can't complain that we are short of potential Head Coaches with very impressive Coaching CVs indeed.
The questions are:
Do any of them fancy taking on the shit show?
Are any of them able to make the All Blacks more competitive with the best teams in the world and fast?
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@Bones Gats' record with Ireland and Wales is staggering given the resources he had available. One of the great coaches of all time. My concern is that he shit the bed with the Chiefs around Covid times. The trajectory of his career is in the wrong direction.
Even though I hate him, John Mitchell is an outstanding coach. I hope he applies.
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@sparky said in All Blacks 2026:
Do any of them fancy taking on the shit show?
Easier now Robinson has gone and Kirk has his feet under the table.
New coach isn't going to be undermined or left to swing a la Foster and poss. Robertson. -
@sparky said in All Blacks 2026:
Even though I hate him, John Mitchell is an outstanding. I hope he applies.
Get him as defence coach.
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@sparky unless I can't read, his "stint" with Ireland was quarter of a fucking century ago. Makes that article about 2011 look new age. Robertson was an AB!
Like I said, he doesn't do quick turnarounds, seems anytime he's brought in for that he does the opposite. He's a slow burner and not what we need.
It's down to Rennie.
Or Jones.
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@nzzp said in All Blacks 2026:
@sparky said in All Blacks 2026:
@Bones Warren Gatland started coaching Galway in 1989 so yeah he's been around as a coach for a very long time.
feels like 1889
I was still being schooled when rugby went professional. It was so amateur, I could have gone semi pro. I think that ends this conversation.
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@Mr-Fish said in All Blacks 2026:
I don't think Henry or Hansen had particularly impressive CVs (if titles were the only metric) when they were appointed, did they?
I take it you're talking about a Henry and Hansen who hadn't won multiple championships between them from opposite ends of the country nor tried their luck overseas?
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@Mr-Fish said in All Blacks 2026:
I don't think Henry or Hansen had particularly impressive CVs (if titles were the only metric) when they were appointed, did they?
Graham Henry had been Head Coach when Auckland won the NPC four times in a row in the 1990s and when the Blues won the Super 12 in 1996 and 1997 and then "Technical Adviser" when they won in 2003. He did so well at Wales initially that he was known by the locals as "The Great Redeemer".
It didn't go so well for him with the British and Irish Lions in 2001 and when he got sacked by Wales in 2002. He has since said he was suffering from burnout and clinical depression at the time.
Steve Hansen had coached Canterbury to a couple of NPC wins and been assistant at the 1999-2001 Threepeat Crusaders. His time at Wales was much less successful, but he had been All Blacks Assistant from 2004 to 2011 and was the continuation candidate after the 2011 World Cup win and was clearly liked and respected by the players.
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