Graham Henry, fall on your sword
Roar Pro
By Zolton, 27 Jul 2008 Zolton is a Roar Pro
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While it’s highly unlikely that Graham Henry will take the initiative at any point in the near future and step aside, it’s increasingly clear that a swathe needs to be cut through New Zealand rugby in order to restore the mana – and mongrel – in this once great rugby nation.
If the warning bells for the All Blacks weren’t already loud enough after the home defeat to the Springboks, then they’re deafening now. And it’s not as if most pundits didn’t see it coming.
After all, Robbie Deans is the finest rugby coach in the world.
His record with the Crusaders, and now – already – with the Wallabies, suggests that he understands better than anyone how to instill a winning mentality in his players, well before the hard work on the field has been done.
Players respond to Deans. They trust him. And they play with a sense of confidence in the knowledge that if they stick to his instructions, chances are they’ll come out on top.
The All Blacks, on the other hand, are playing like a team that’s afraid of losing.
Henry has not instilled the same aura of impregnability that has always been a trademark of Deans’ coaching. Not through want of trying, of course. But that type of attitude can’t be forced into the players’ psyche.
It’s instinctive, it runs deep, and it comes with an inherent confidence that things are being done better in your camp than in the next.
Few in the All Blacks would believe that now. Especially not the Crusaders contingent.
The weight of expectation playing first for a country that expects success, and then for a coach hanging tentatively to his position, must be an enormous pressure.
Contrast this to the 2008 Wallabies who have everything to gain, and nothing to lose.
Although I didn’t see it, by all accounts even the Haka, that once fearsome signal of intent, has lost its aura. It’s hardly surprising; the right to intimidate is earned through results. A losing side doesn’t frighten an opposition before the ball has been kicked off, regardless of how hard they try.
Beyond the surface, there are even deeper issues at play.
Most significantly, one wonders just how much influence Deans has had over New Zealand rugby during the past few years. Has the ongoing success of his superbly drilled Crusaders team masked real problems at a grassroots level?
The Crusaders have formed the nucleus of the All Blacks squad in recent seasons. The two best players in New Zealand, and perhaps the world – McCaw and Carter – have been drilled in the Deans approach to rugby.
The Crusaders have for so long set the benchmark for how winning rugby should be played. And in doing so, they’ve motivated other New Zealand Super 14 sides to push themselves to the next level in order to compete.
Only, they haven’t.
In this season’s Super 14, the Hurricanes were the next best New Zealand side after the Crusaders, finishing in fourth place. In 2007, the Blues finished the preliminary rounds in fourth place, to the Crusaders third.
There was no overwhelming New Zealand domination of the Super 14 ladder.
So perhaps the expectations of the All Blacks have been overstated.
Regardless, Deans is gone, and somehow Henry has to bring back that sense of invincibility – not only in his players, but in the minds of the opposition – which has for so long been the rock upon which great New Zealand teams have been built.
I doubt that he can do it.
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Rob said | July 27th 2008 @ 7:38am | Report comment
Ive been a pest on this topic for a while now. Just from an Aust. perspective there is more to having the outstanding resume because of the courses you have done. There are so many coaches at all levels who have the credentials but dont have the people skills to go with it. I would guess that Deans treats his players with dignity and respect. They respond in kind not because they have to but because they want to. Compare that to the legacies of the last few years where players were abused by the coach to the point of tears and wanting to give the game away. For the future of Aust rugby I hope Dean’s philosophies start to filter through all levels.
Peter K said | July 27th 2008 @ 8:00am | Report comment
Carter said the main difference was Henry is quicker with the cane. I wonder how much of the AB losses he credits to himself, is selections and his game plans , or does he do a eddie jones and blame the players everytime.
John M said | July 27th 2008 @ 9:15am | Report comment
Agree with Rob’s comment. After years of perservering with a donkey Australia now have a world class coach, and as importantly, a good bloke. How on earth did NZ let him go (but I’m so glad they did).
Andrew Marks said | July 27th 2008 @ 9:28am | Report comment
Without doubt Henry is living on borrowed time. What will be interesting is what Deans will do if the NZRU comes cap in hand and asks him to coach the AB’s. After all – unlike players – Deans only has to give notice and he can walk away. By the measure of the man I would expect that he would honour his contract.
Deans has a generosity of spirit that is admirable. He has invited coaches to Wallaby training sessions. I just hope that all levels of Australian rugby takes every opportunity to learn as much as we can from him. Deans will not be with us forever. There will come a time when he heads back to his roots.
We are all be better off for knowing the man.
cosmos forever said | July 27th 2008 @ 9:38am | Report comment
It’s interesting that you mention that there is a need to get the mana back. I thought that the main problem last night was that the coaching staff seemed to be relying on the squad having mongrel and foot skill – and they completely forgot to build an actual game plan.
I think the All Blacks need to rely a bit less on individual brilliance and a bit more on strategy and planning – Henry seemed incapable of giving them this.
All Blacks weren’t a team out there – just a bunch of very talented blokes who all thought they could break the Wallaby line and score the winning try. That’s one of the reasons they lost I think.
sheek said | July 27th 2008 @ 9:43am | Report comment
The chinese have a well known saying, “the journey of a 1000 miles starts with the first step”. In other words, take care of the small detail, & the big picture will look after itself.
Deans is amazing. Unlike so many business managers, he is not outcome obsessed. By developing the basic skills & encouraging his players to enjoy each stage of the journey, they are developing both as players & people at an extraordinary rate.
If wannabe coaches attend his training sessions looking for an insight into his training drills, they will miss the point. They should instead focus on how he relates to everyone around him. There are plenty of books out there telling us how to be successful in different things. At the end of the day, they key is our ability to relate to each other.
True Tah said | July 27th 2008 @ 9:53am | Report comment
Cosmos,
the All Blacks being a ‘bunch of talented blokes who thought they could break the Wallaby line’ – very very true, this was apparent in the Dunedin game v the Boks.
Its clear Deans has melded a team together – your body is not your body, it belongs to your team mates.
The continued inclusion of Sione Lauaki baffles me, for being a talented player, he is incredibly lazy. As an example of this, he jersey slung either Giteau or Barnes to the ground, showing his considerable strength, however he made no effort to follow up the tackle, the tackled player was off the ground quickly and was away.
And Im sure OJ cringed when he say Lauaki charge towards the Wallaby line, ball in one hand, only for Peter Hynes to rip it out. Sums it up for the ABs.
I was at Australia A v Maori, and I though Liam Messam did an outstanding job against what I considered an excellent Australia A backrow (one of our strengths). He is the sort of bloke you want in your side, not an outrageously talented by lazy player.
ohtani's jacket said | July 27th 2008 @ 10:32am | Report comment
Henry’s walking on thin ice.
The All Blacks’ game plan was a dud from the kick off. They were headless chickens, trying to run the ball from everywhere instead of playing a territory game, creating a forward platform and working it through the backs.
We could’ve had McCaw, Collins, anyone from Euirope, we still would’ve lost. We’re not going to win Test matches playing that sort of rugby.
Andrew Marks said | July 27th 2008 @ 10:33am | Report comment
Sheek – couldn’t agree more. The term for it today is “emotional intelligence”. Wayne Bennett and Paul Roos have also displayed a high level of this.
Sam Taulelei said | July 27th 2008 @ 2:36pm | Report comment
Good article Zolton, and very much like the game last night NZ has no answers. If Henry falls on his sword (which I very much doubt given he had the opportunity to do so last year) will Hansen appeal as his successor given their association over the past four years. After all the NZRU still harboured some feelings against Deans given his association with John Mitchell in the past. Henry presented this coaching team as a package deal with the NZRU so if Henry goes, then so do the rest of them.
Outside of this trio, the pickings are slim to none, Deans and Gatland are coaching other teams. Colin Cooper and Ian Foster haven’t achieved much with their teams, Pat Lam is too inexperienced although he was touted as part of Deans coaching team if he got the All Blacks job. The mandate of the NZRU states that you have to be coaching within NZ for at least 12 months to be eligible for the All Blacks so you can also rule out any international candidates.
Watching the test last night felt to me like watching the Crusaders play in gold jerseys against the Blues or Hurricanes in a Super 14 game. The Wallabies impressed me greatly with their composure and committment in defence and at the breakdown and really outplayed NZ despite the overwhelming advantage in possession NZ enjoyed. NZ really played like a group of individuals at times and not a team as used to be their hallmark, they were riddled with errors and none more so than Lauaki who made more impact for Australia coming off the bench than NZ. Carter shone like a lone beacon and was ably supported by Muliaina and Sivivatu in the backs and Braid struggled to impose himself on the game. The tight five did their job but it looks like the left hand isn’t talking to the right hand at the moment with their structure and gameplan.
I don’t think it’s time to hit the panic button yet but it’s definitely backs against the wall time and the balance of power in world rugby has shifted to the other side of the Tasman. Australia are a team in the ascendancy while NZs progress has stalled at the moment after some strong performances in their first four tests. Perhaps those early results were deceiving about the quality of this NZ side.
However a great game to watch although not the result I wanted and a great peformance by the men in gold. I do so love Bledisloe Cup matches above all others.