Francesca Rudkin: On assistant coach Leon MacDonald leaving the All Black’s group

Well, that was a bit of a shock wasn’t it.

It seems everyone was a bit taken aback to hear that assistant coach Leon MacDonald would be leaving the All Black’s group.

Less that 24 hours out from the All Blacks heading to South Africa for two Rugby Championship tests, New Zealand rugby confirmed MacDonald would not continue in the role.

Fronting the media, head coach Scott Razor Robertson outlined the reasons why the decision has been made.

He said there were differences around the philosophy on rugby, and how it's played, and they didn’t quite click in different aspects.

Razor added the went through a process, and got to this point, and they believed that Macdonald stepping away was the best thing for the All Black group.

Sounds pretty straight forward right – and refreshing to hear what sounds like a legitimate reason rather than a manufactured one. It just didn’t work.

People have been surprised by MacDonalds departure because they two have known each other for around 27 years. They have played and worked together before, but that doesn't necessarily mean it’s going to be plain sailing – especially when you step up into the biggest, most intense job in New Zealand rugby.

John Kirwan had this to say about the decision on the Mike Hosking Breakfast this morning ....
Incredible courage, I believe, on behalf of both of them if it's not working out, because the status quo would be probably stay there, finish the season. But you know for them to move on this quickly, I think it's the best thing for the team.

He’s right. Macdonald is a very good coach, one we will probably lose to an overseas team now – but it takes courage to acknowledge if a situation isn’t working, and integrity to the right thing for yourself and the team.

Of course we’re still keen to try and distil down what has happened here. The simple reason why this relationship hasn’t worked might just come down to the fact there are too many cooks in the kitchen. Do the All Blacks need 6 coaches? Graham Henry and Steven Hansen were able to run the All blacks successfully on 3 coaches.

There had been rumours that players were dealing with too many voices – this simplifies that somewhat.

Another suggestion is that it’s an adjustment to go from Head Coach to assistant coach. Coaches end up tripping over each other, there are mixed messages, or a coach is left feeling maligned.
But regardless of the intricacies of why they have come to this decision – it's hard not to be impressed by it. Good on them for not letting it fester. Good on them for being open and honest about the fact it didn’t work. It sounds like the two have departed on decent terms, and now it’s time to move on.

Will it have an impact on the All Blacks? I doubt it. They have dealt with much more difficult HR issues in the past, and I imagine they will be fully focused on facing South Africa.

 

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