All Blacks 2026
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@MN5 said in All Blacks 2026:
The team needs a fresh start. I'd pick Wallace Sititi. ( despite a less than impressive second season )
When Dalton Papalii is there to do the heavy lifting he'll shine again.
Too early for Wallace and Roigard IMHO but they def. need to be in the Snr Mgmnt group. Scooter never looked comfortable to me and wonder if he'd like to give it up.
Think they'll want to have some stability so probably stick with Scooter,r Ardie or take a punt on Codie.. If JJ gets the nod then Paps a possibility.
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@hikastags said in All Blacks 2026:
No thank you on Wayne Smith coming back. He was helping Razor during the SA games.
Hansen & Fozzie's team in Japan is crap (they almost faced relegation to D2).
All these guys coaching is outdated IMO.
Take your point, but we do need a few grey-hairs in the camp - even if not assistants.
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@antipodean said in All Blacks 2026:
@jimmyb said in All Blacks 2026:
Fairly biting remakes from Smith. Not saying I agree it was a bad decision, but interesting nonetheless
For me that's sufficient evidence that the benefit of Wayne's presence has exhausted itself. He's tainted as a mentor by the outcome of the review when he fixates on the winning percentage and not the manner of the play on the field.
He may be a nice guy who genuinely feels for Razor, but he's also the person who said it's what the stats don't tell you you see for yourself.
I like how Razor's win percentage keeps increasing.
But yes, time to move on from Wayne Smith. The issues behind the scenes were damning and you don't just lose your gig as head coach for no reason.
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@hikastags said in All Blacks 2026:
No thank you on Wayne Smith coming back. He was helping Razor during the SA games.
Hansen & Fozzie's team in Japan is crap (they almost faced relegation to D2).
All these guys coaching is outdated IMO.
Exactly. Coaches become past it too. The game keeps moving.
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@hikastags Evolution rather than revolution is what we need.
I've always been really impressed with Steve Hansen's skills as a selector and in man management so I'd love to see him with something like the selector/mentor role that Brian Lochore had early in the Graham Henry era, although he's no longer a Head Coach.
Steve Hansen was voted by his peers World Rugby Coach of the Year four times.
We have guys with knowledge of leading successful World Cup campaigns, we'd be stupid not to tap into that a bit.
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Two positives to having Tana involved in the set up is 1) he was instrumental in the AB culture change in 2004 under Ted and 2) if there is a big divide in the squad based on ethnicity/descent his presence on the coaching staff could be very useful
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@KiwiMurph said in All Blacks 2026:
if there is a big divide in the squad based on ethnicity/descent his presence on the coaching staff could be very useful
I absolutely hope that isn't the case. One of the great strengths of AB Rugby thru the decades has been welcoming diversity but, above all, insisting on unity.
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@KiwiMurph said in All Blacks 2026:
Two positives to having Tana involved in the set up is 1) he was instrumental in the AB culture change in 2004 under Ted and 2) if there is a big divide in the squad based on ethnicity/descent his presence on the coaching staff could be very useful
My brother bought up Tana as coach and I laughed, but the more I thought about, the more I thought that his influence in camp could be handy behind the scenes.
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@jimmyb said in All Blacks 2026:
Fairly biting remakes from Smith. Not saying I agree it was a bad decision, but interesting nonetheless
That is interesting, because Smith was - I think - still in his performance coach role with the ABs so surely someone who was interviewed and presumably had supportive things to say.
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@KiwiMurph said in All Blacks 2026:
Two positives to having Tana involved in the set up is 1) he was instrumental in the AB culture change in 2004 under Ted and 2) if there is a big divide in the squad based on ethnicity/descent his presence on the coaching staff could be very useful
If anyone's read Dan Carters book, he says Tana was the alpha and the most influential player on the squad at the time (04/05).
Said he had the mana and was massive in driving the standards for the team.
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@DaGrubster said in All Blacks 2026:
@sparky said in All Blacks 2026:
I'm not against Jason Ryan staying on as Tight Five coach as he has done a very solid there, but there needs to be a total clear out of the other coaches involved since 2024.
Virtually all aspects of the team went backwards in 2025.
Including the Forward pack.
However, i wonder how much weight we can out on individuals and performances give what has xome to light.
Ryan did a great job up to and including Rwc23 but the forwards had a poor year last year.
I guess it will depend on the new regime but he has proven himself at this level.
AB pack took Bokke and Pommy lineouts to pieces!
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JJ and Cotter are 2 currently contracted to NZR, so assuming they apply would be easy in terms of existing contracts, with MP, who is Tana contracted to?
Others, like Brown, Schmidt and assume Rennie are currently contracted so even if they apply may have stand down period as you'd assume if they have to be bought out of contracts won't apply.
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@booboo said in All Blacks 2026:
Looking forward I've had a thought about appointing a captain and whether that is necessary.
May have mentioned it and I'm sure the eventual head coach will take this on board but ... don't appoint a captain.
Appoint a senior leadership group.
Allows you to pick a XV/XXIII free from being obliged to pick certain bloke. Once you've got your team, then appoint a captain(s). And feel free to sub any of them on or off.
Am thinking along the lines of (retaining) Scooter, Paddy T, Ardie, Codie, someone in the backs...
Or do the football thing. Appointment a ‘club’ captain. Doesn’t always start, depending on circumstances, but holds sway. Allows you to have 1-2 other senior guys who can step up to captain; gives flexibility.
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@Chris-B said in All Blacks 2026:
@jimmyb said in All Blacks 2026:
Fairly biting remakes from Smith. Not saying I agree it was a bad decision, but interesting nonetheless
That is interesting, because Smith was - I think - still in his performance coach role with the ABs so surely someone who was interviewed and presumably had supportive things to say.
"Disaffected players speak behind your back and get to rubbish you, incognito, during end-of-campaign reviews," he said.
I think that is an issue. There is the power dynamic of not wanting to ruin your selection chances by criticising a coach directly. But context can help you respond to criticism if you’re the coach.
Hard to know what the future holds. I bet the Warriors wish they had never let Ivan Cleary go - a shocking decision. Still based on performance and trends this seems like the right call.
Wonder how long they will take to appoint the new coach?
