All Blacks 2026
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@Victor-Meldrew said in All Blacks 2026:
@Chris said in All Blacks 2026:
@Victor-Meldrew said in All Blacks 2026:
@Chris said in All Blacks 2026:
@Victor-Meldrew said in All Blacks 2026:
@Chris said in All Blacks 2026:
@Bones said in All Blacks 2026:
or even better, cut out the poison.
This is the key for the next coach,great results will come after this is done I believe.
I hope the NZR empowers the coach to be able to do this.Depends where the poison lies - or laid. Key thing is everyone working to a single goal with clear leadership and roles. Read somewhere that Shag had to apologise for being late to a meeting.
No reason you can't have disagreements or arguments provided they are handled in a mature respectful way by all concerned. Seems that's been lacking if what we hear about Robertson dismissing players concerns is true
Of course a big part of coaching is man management,
But sometimes some players just will not do the best for the greater good those are toxic. And need to be culled or the rot continues .
It really depends if the playing group is divided which is possible.
Does The ABs look a little like the demise of Manchester Untied dominant then a power gap when the dominant coaches and players leave/retire.I've always worked on the basis people want to do a good job. It's pretty easy to spot and cull those who don't. I doubt any of the current squad fit into that category, so it's up to the new coaching set up to manage that.
It's also the mix of people/chemistry that's important. Seen uber-successful management teams which, by the textbooks should have been disastrous. A lot of it is luck, but good selection process can increase the odds.
The problem with coaching is the players playing love you and the players you don’t pick dislike you.In high performance you always have disaffected people it goes hand in hand.
Selection is always the hardest thing to manage.Other AB coaches seem to have managed this without too many problems. Not being selected doesn't mean disaffected if you have good communications with players - something Foster and Shag seemed to have in spades.
Will be key criteria for next coach methinks.
We are dealing with a new generation of players some have a big sense of entitlement something I see in my coaching jobs a lot more than I used to.
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@canefan said in All Blacks 2026:
@Chris said in All Blacks 2026:
@Victor-Meldrew said in All Blacks 2026:
@Chris said in All Blacks 2026:
@Victor-Meldrew said in All Blacks 2026:
@Chris said in All Blacks 2026:
@Bones said in All Blacks 2026:
or even better, cut out the poison.
This is the key for the next coach,great results will come after this is done I believe.
I hope the NZR empowers the coach to be able to do this.Depends where the poison lies - or laid. Key thing is everyone working to a single goal with clear leadership and roles. Read somewhere that Shag had to apologise for being late to a meeting.
No reason you can't have disagreements or arguments provided they are handled in a mature respectful way by all concerned. Seems that's been lacking if what we hear about Robertson dismissing players concerns is true
Of course a big part of coaching is man management,
But sometimes some players just will not do the best for the greater good those are toxic. And need to be culled or the rot continues .
It really depends if the playing group is divided which is possible.
Does The ABs look a little like the demise of Manchester Untied dominant then a power gap when the dominant coaches and players leave/retire.I've always worked on the basis people want to do a good job. It's pretty easy to spot and cull those who don't. I doubt any of the current squad fit into that category, so it's up to the new coaching set up to manage that.
It's also the mix of people/chemistry that's important. Seen uber-successful management teams which, by the textbooks should have been disastrous. A lot of it is luck, but good selection process can increase the odds.
The problem with coaching is the players playing love you and the players you don’t pick dislike you.In high performance you always have disaffected people it goes hand in hand.
Selection is always the hardest thing to manage.There will be disappointment for players that miss out. But if there is a feeling that the coach is fair reasonable and respectful, I expect that it should be mutual even if there is disagreement
Same as I replied to @Victor-Meldrew
We are dealing with a new generation of players some have a big sense of entitlement something I See now more than I had before in my coaching roles. -
@mohikamo said in All Blacks 2026:
@nostrildamus said in All Blacks 2026:
I assume Pat Lam needs to coach at a higher level first as HC but is respected in over in Ireland...
I thought Pat Lam was shit when he was at the Blues.
Honestly, it is a while ago, and I cant remember exactly why, but I do remember thinking he was a dick.
Possibly . . . a little too much favoritism to certain underperforming players, which is a current issue as well.
Maybe he's good in the HP director role, we need one of those.Yeah bad run with Blues, they had issues but many were glad he left. Don't recall personality issues though. Surprised he took a less resourced club in Ireland and beat the big boys. Got Connacht their first major trophy I think.
Also stole Aki away to Ireland I think... -
@nostrildamus said in All Blacks 2026:
@mohikamo said in All Blacks 2026:
@nostrildamus said in All Blacks 2026:
I assume Pat Lam needs to coach at a higher level first as HC but is respected in over in Ireland...
I thought Pat Lam was shit when he was at the Blues.
Honestly, it is a while ago, and I cant remember exactly why, but I do remember thinking he was a dick.
Possibly . . . a little too much favoritism to certain underperforming players, which is a current issue as well.
Maybe he's good in the HP director role, we need one of those.Yeah bad run with Blues, they had issues but many were glad he left. Don't recall personality issues though. Surprised he took a less resourced club in Ireland and beat the big boys. Got Connacht their first major trophy I think.
Also stole Aki away to Ireland I think...I didn't rate him at the Blues either. Haven't followed his time in Ireland, but it appears he's developed considerably as a coach in that time
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FUCK NO.
This is a dream job for a coach (just ask Razor).
The chance to lead a side to victory against SA in SA, and a RWC, inside of two years!
Do that and you go down as one of the greatest coaches in rugby history.
That's how I'd be lookin at it if I was a coach in the runnin for the gig.And the players should be the same.
The last two years were f'n BS, now lets get super f'n focused, go out there, no f'n about, get the job done, and be f'n heroes!!!!
That's how they'll be thinking, and that's what i'd be thinking. -
@allblackfan2 said in All Blacks 2026:
Impressive. It seems that he took on a number of previously failing teams and repeatedly turned things around within quite short times. He certainly must have a knack for motivating and building winning teams.
Super impressive.
I really like the coach of the other team in the final as well.
Tomorrow is the decider!
A lot of outstanding coaches in College football.
Outstandingly well paid too.If we get anything like those two, i'll be 100% happy.
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@mohikamo said in All Blacks 2026:
FUCK NO.
This is a dream job for a coach (just ask Razor).
The chance to lead a side to victory against SA in SA, and a RWC, inside of two years!
Do that and you go down as one of the greatest coaches in rugby history.
That's how I'd be lookin at it if I was a coach in the runnin for the gig.And the players should be the same.
The last two years were f'n BS, now lets get super f'n focused, go out there, no f'n about, get the job done, and be f'n heroes!!!!
That's how they'll be thinking, and that's what i'd be thinking.Let’s see how this plays out who gets the job who rules himself out and in 12 months is everyone hoppy or we have a mess still.
You are hoping the AB is the great coaching gig it might not be atm. -
@Chris said in All Blacks 2026:
@canefan said in All Blacks 2026:
@Chris said in All Blacks 2026:
@Victor-Meldrew said in All Blacks 2026:
@Chris said in All Blacks 2026:
@Victor-Meldrew said in All Blacks 2026:
@Chris said in All Blacks 2026:
@Bones said in All Blacks 2026:
or even better, cut out the poison.
This is the key for the next coach,great results will come after this is done I believe.
I hope the NZR empowers the coach to be able to do this.Depends where the poison lies - or laid. Key thing is everyone working to a single goal with clear leadership and roles. Read somewhere that Shag had to apologise for being late to a meeting.
No reason you can't have disagreements or arguments provided they are handled in a mature respectful way by all concerned. Seems that's been lacking if what we hear about Robertson dismissing players concerns is true
Of course a big part of coaching is man management,
But sometimes some players just will not do the best for the greater good those are toxic. And need to be culled or the rot continues .
It really depends if the playing group is divided which is possible.
Does The ABs look a little like the demise of Manchester Untied dominant then a power gap when the dominant coaches and players leave/retire.I've always worked on the basis people want to do a good job. It's pretty easy to spot and cull those who don't. I doubt any of the current squad fit into that category, so it's up to the new coaching set up to manage that.
It's also the mix of people/chemistry that's important. Seen uber-successful management teams which, by the textbooks should have been disastrous. A lot of it is luck, but good selection process can increase the odds.
The problem with coaching is the players playing love you and the players you don’t pick dislike you.In high performance you always have disaffected people it goes hand in hand.
Selection is always the hardest thing to manage.There will be disappointment for players that miss out. But if there is a feeling that the coach is fair reasonable and respectful, I expect that it should be mutual even if there is disagreement
Same as I replied to @Victor-Meldrew
We are dealing with a new generation of players some have a big sense of entitlement something I See now more than I had before in my coaching roles.There's precious little evidence that so called entitled players caused Razor's sacking.
There are, on the other hand, a wealth of stories coming out as to what a shit man manager he was, alongside his mate Scott Hansen.
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@Chris said in All Blacks 2026:
@mohikamo said in All Blacks 2026:
FUCK NO.
This is a dream job for a coach (just ask Razor).
The chance to lead a side to victory against SA in SA, and a RWC, inside of two years!
Do that and you go down as one of the greatest coaches in rugby history.
That's how I'd be lookin at it if I was a coach in the runnin for the gig.And the players should be the same.
The last two years were f'n BS, now lets get super f'n focused, go out there, no f'n about, get the job done, and be f'n heroes!!!!
That's how they'll be thinking, and that's what i'd be thinking.Let’s see how this plays out who gets the job who rules himself out and in 12 months is everyone hoppy or we have a mess still.
You are hoping the AB is the great coaching gig it might not be atm.You're painting the picture of what happens if NZRU has got this wrong. I think that's fair, but I think it goes both ways.
It also looks pretty clear that we weren't going to get close to SA or a WC with the Razor group, so whoever that does come in will need a good set of balls on them, and will need to be sure that they can do the job, but will also know that they don't need to do too much to stay in the role till the WC, and if they can get through a QF there, they'll likely keep the role.
At the moment, if you can restore the team unity and cohesion to 2023 levels, you'd be ahead of the current group. Given the amount of shit - rightfully in many cases - that has been heaped on Foster, that's a very fucking low bar to reach and says plenty about Razor's magic or lack thereof.
I can't see guys like Joseph, Cotter, or Rennie being afraid of the opportunity. And, if they are, then that's a great first door if they don't wish to apply.
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@gt12 said in All Blacks 2026:
@Chris said in All Blacks 2026:
@mohikamo said in All Blacks 2026:
FUCK NO.
This is a dream job for a coach (just ask Razor).
The chance to lead a side to victory against SA in SA, and a RWC, inside of two years!
Do that and you go down as one of the greatest coaches in rugby history.
That's how I'd be lookin at it if I was a coach in the runnin for the gig.And the players should be the same.
The last two years were f'n BS, now lets get super f'n focused, go out there, no f'n about, get the job done, and be f'n heroes!!!!
That's how they'll be thinking, and that's what i'd be thinking.Let’s see how this plays out who gets the job who rules himself out and in 12 months is everyone hoppy or we have a mess still.
You are hoping the AB is the great coaching gig it might not be atm.You're painting the picture of what happens if NZRU has got this wrong. I think that's fair, but I think it goes both ways.
It also looks pretty clear that we weren't going to get close to SA or a WC with the Razor group, so whoever that does come in will need a good set of balls on them, and will need to sure that they can do the job, but will also know that they don't need to do too much to stay in the role till the WC, and if they can get through a QF there, they'll likely keep the role.
At the moment, if you can restore the team unity and cohesion to 2023 levels, you'd be ahead of the current group. Given the amount of shit - rightfully in many cases - that has been heaped on Foster, that's a very fucking low bar to reach and says plenty about Razor's magic or lack thereof.
I can't see guys like Joseph, Cotter, or Rennie being afraid of the opportunity. And, if they are, then that's a great first door if they don't wish to apply.
It still confounds me that Razor actually took us backwards over his two years
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@gt12 said in All Blacks 2026:
@Chris said in All Blacks 2026:
@mohikamo said in All Blacks 2026:
FUCK NO.
This is a dream job for a coach (just ask Razor).
The chance to lead a side to victory against SA in SA, and a RWC, inside of two years!
Do that and you go down as one of the greatest coaches in rugby history.
That's how I'd be lookin at it if I was a coach in the runnin for the gig.And the players should be the same.
The last two years were f'n BS, now lets get super f'n focused, go out there, no f'n about, get the job done, and be f'n heroes!!!!
That's how they'll be thinking, and that's what i'd be thinking.Let’s see how this plays out who gets the job who rules himself out and in 12 months is everyone hoppy or we have a mess still.
You are hoping the AB is the great coaching gig it might not be atm.You're painting the picture of what happens if NZRU has got this wrong. I think that's fair, but I think it goes both ways.
It also looks pretty clear that we weren't going to get close to SA or a WC with the Razor group, so whoever that does come in will need a good set of balls on them, and will need to sure that they can do the job, but will also know that they don't need to do too much to stay in the role till the WC, and if they can get through a QF there, they'll likely keep the role.
At the moment, if you can restore the team unity and cohesion to 2023 levels, you'd be ahead of the current group. Given the amount of shit - rightfully in many cases - that has been heaped on Foster, that's a very fucking low bar to reach and says plenty about Razor's magic or lack thereof.
I can't see guys like Joseph, Cotter, or Rennie being afraid of the opportunity. And, if they are, then that's a great first door if they don't wish to apply.
I agree with this. The irony is we have better options in most positions than 2023 and players like Vaa'i have progressed a lot.
If, as I suspect, the players were frustrated with communications and unity compared to 2023, then an experienced coach would be able to build on that. One reason why I'd like to see someone from 2023 like Schmidt involved.
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@Victor-Meldrew said in All Blacks 2026:
@gt12 said in All Blacks 2026:
@Chris said in All Blacks 2026:
@mohikamo said in All Blacks 2026:
FUCK NO.
This is a dream job for a coach (just ask Razor).
The chance to lead a side to victory against SA in SA, and a RWC, inside of two years!
Do that and you go down as one of the greatest coaches in rugby history.
That's how I'd be lookin at it if I was a coach in the runnin for the gig.And the players should be the same.
The last two years were f'n BS, now lets get super f'n focused, go out there, no f'n about, get the job done, and be f'n heroes!!!!
That's how they'll be thinking, and that's what i'd be thinking.Let’s see how this plays out who gets the job who rules himself out and in 12 months is everyone hoppy or we have a mess still.
You are hoping the AB is the great coaching gig it might not be atm.You're painting the picture of what happens if NZRU has got this wrong. I think that's fair, but I think it goes both ways.
It also looks pretty clear that we weren't going to get close to SA or a WC with the Razor group, so whoever that does come in will need a good set of balls on them, and will need to sure that they can do the job, but will also know that they don't need to do too much to stay in the role till the WC, and if they can get through a QF there, they'll likely keep the role.
At the moment, if you can restore the team unity and cohesion to 2023 levels, you'd be ahead of the current group. Given the amount of shit - rightfully in many cases - that has been heaped on Foster, that's a very fucking low bar to reach and says plenty about Razor's magic or lack thereof.
I can't see guys like Joseph, Cotter, or Rennie being afraid of the opportunity. And, if they are, then that's a great first door if they don't wish to apply.
I agree with this. The irony is we have better options in most positions than 2023 and players like Vaa'i have progressed a lot.
If, as I suspect, the players were frustrated with communications and unity compared to 2023, then an experienced coach would be able to build on that. One reason why I'd like to see someone from 2023 like Schmidt involved.
Yeah, I would have classified myself as a hopeful doubter.
Quite some time ago, a few of us here showed that he was incredibly successful only when about three or four players were on the field and that he was basically running some of those senior ABs into the ground.
On the other hand, you couldn't question his success across a season, and I was really hopeful that he would bring that across to the ABs. I'd have happily turned around in the last year and said, well fuck me, he is a magician.
But, as it turns out, he's not, and it seems like the capabilities that got him to the top job weren't helping him at the top job, so while I feel sorry for him as a person, it seems clear to me that the AB legacy needs to be moved on.
Hopefully, we'll improve, but I'm still very fearful that we could face a QF (or worse) exit and worse in the future unless we address the short-term and structural issues in NZ rugby.
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I genuinely don't think we're too far off and it's been a morale/poor man management thing more than anything. Focus on consistency could work wonders
Some of the structural issues seem to have been addressed too - the AB XV providing a testing ground for future AB players and coached. More needed and hopefully on Kirk's radar
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@Victor-Meldrew said in All Blacks 2026:
I genuinely don't think we're not too far off and it's been a morale/poor man management thing more than anything. Focus on consistency could work wonders
Some of the structural issues seem to have been addressed too - the AB XV providing a testing ground for future AB players and coached. More needed and hopefully on Kirk's radar
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From a coaching perspective I see it as a great opportunity.
You'll be able to come in with quite a bit of carte blanche, have a fresh start, with your own mandate.
Robertson sort of had that opportunity too, still hard to believe how he f'd it all up.
Not like when Hansen, and even Foster took over; they were just trying to keep the show rolling along.All coaches think they can sort it, that's why they are coaches.
Even as Robertson was being nudged out the door he would been maintaining that he could sort out all the issues.
That's how they are.I see the Buffalo Bills just sacked their coach.
And they have a good team; one of the best records over recent seasons, but no SB.
Got a generational QB, that'll be a dream coaching job too. -
@Jimmy-Jimmy said in All Blacks 2026:
@Yeetyaah I agree.
Fuck AI.
How the hell can a fucking robot understand the emotions involved in being an AB supporter.
I want to be on here with people who know the joy and the angst that comes with bleeding black.
A.I is probably the only thing that could understand Hansen and Razors team talks and press conferences.
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@mohikamo said in All Blacks 2026:
Robertson sort of had that opportunity too, still hard to believe how he f'd it all up.
Yeah he absolutely had a licence to go at it after Foster was seen to be so bad. Maybe that ended up being the problem though, he was so far off the wall that players with plenty of experience outside the saders just couldn't get their heads around his methods.
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@Bones said in All Blacks 2026:
@mohikamo said in All Blacks 2026:
Robertson sort of had that opportunity too, still hard to believe how he f'd it all up.
Yeah he absolutely had a licence to go at it after Foster was seen to be so bad. Maybe that ended up being the problem though, he was so far off the wall that players with plenty of experience outside the saders just couldn't get their heads around his methods.
Whitelock's story about Robertson's using roosters leading chickens/sheepdogs penning sheep metaphors bears out the off-the-wall vibe. Sense a JJ dressing room might be a wee bit more conventional...
