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After the 2007 Rugby World Cup, there was the inevitable fallout following the disastrous quarter-final exit by the All Blacks.
Many New Zealand rugby fans demanded a new coach and most expected that Graham Henry would either stand down or be sacked.
Much to the stunned surprise of many, Henry re-applied for the position and so began a long drawn out process that divided opinion among the New Zealand rugby public.
I, for one, was a Henry fan, and while I was absolutely gutted at the World Cup exit, I had seen enough in the preceding four years to see that the All Blacks were on the right track.
And despite the ’07 Cup, we were still considered the best side in the world – a winning percentage of over 80 percent saw Graham Henry regarded as one of the All Blacks most ‘winningest’ coaches.
Plus, I had seen the farce surrounding his predecessor in John Mitchell, who compiled a similarly successful record in his short tenure after being thrown the job in 2002. A semi-final exit at a World Cup, and he too was gone by lunchtime.
I had also seen how England had handled their quarter-final exit at the 1999 World Cup. They retained their coach, Clive Woodward, and the rest is history.
Standing opposite Henry was Robbie Deans, the popular and very successful Canterbury and Crusaders coach,who had forged an impressive coaching record for himself, and one that many believed should give him the top All Blacks job by rights.
Deans was a good man, and deserving of consideration. But further examination of his coaching credentials shows a rather different picture than the rosy one the media prefers to show.
Appointed Canterbury coach in 1997, Deans immediately gained success, winning that year’s NPC title. Yet in the next three seasons he came up empty-handed.
A far cry from current coach Rob Penney’s record of four successive NPC titles. While Canterbury again made the final in 2000, they lost to Wellington, though they did end up with the Ranfurly Shield.
Deans was appointed the Crusaders coach in 2000, succeeding Wayne Smith who stepped in to the All Blacks role.
What Wayne Smith had done for the Crusaders has gone largely unnoticed, as he took over a side that finished dead last in the inaugural Super 12 competition in 1996, and turned them in to Champions just two years later, scoring a double with them the following year, and along the way installing the systems and the structure that would make them the most successful Super rugby team in history.
This series of sytems would ensure that future coaches, players and management would have a clear blueprint of success to work from.
Robbie Deans became the first benefactor of that in 2000, when he took over from Smith, and capped a hat-trick of Super rugby titles. Todd Blackadder has continued the fine tradition, reaching successive semi-finals and this season’s final.
Yet in 2001, Deans’ second season in charge, the Crusaders slumped to 10th.
In 2002, Deans was appointed assistant coach of the All Blacks alongside head coach John Mitchell. What has also since gone unnoticed in the wash-up of the 2003 World Cup was the role that Deans had in the playing of Leon McDonald at centre during that campaign and the controversy surrounding the non-selection of a fit Tana Umaga.
While John Mitchell was left to face the wrath of the New Zealand media and public, Robbie Deans got off scot-free and untarnished.
So when November 2007 rolled around, the country was still in the depths of post World Cup grief, and Deans was seen as our saviour, the man who would lead us to the promised land, as his coaching record spoke for itself.
And yet…one NPC title in four attempts. One Ranfurly Shield win in 2000. Five Super Rugby titles in nine seasons. Losing World Cup semi- finalist.
Hardly inspiring stuff, considering the Crusader legacy started by Wayne Smith, continued by Deans and later Blackadder.
When Graham Henry was reappointed as All Blacks coach in December 2007, all hell broke loose. There were the idiots who pledged to never support the All Blacks again and to proudly wear the yellow of Australia instead.
The lunatics who spat the dummy, simply because ‘their’ man didn’t get the coaching role they felt he deserved.
When Australia came calling,and Robbie became ‘Dingo’ Deans, then a new brand of New Zealander emerged. Those that supported the Wallabies.
So across the ditch went Deans, to become the enemy, amid a chorus of resentment from many Australians. Robbie Deans was simply ‘un-Australian’ and how on earth could he gain the respect of the Wallaby dressing room?
Well, he earned the respect and adulation of all the Australian rugby public after four successive victories. First there was Ireland, France and South Africa. Then the Wallabies fronted up in a hugely anticipated Tri-Nations showdown with the All Blacks, and belted out a super-impressive 34-19 win.
Dingo Deans was The Man.
Yet, how the mighty fall.
The next Ten tests in a row were lost to the Men in Black, and Graham Henry. In the seven years before Deans, the Wallabies had won seven times and lost 11 against the old foe.
In between times have seen Australia lose to Wales in 2008, Scotland in 2009, England (in Australia) in 2010,and Samoa in 2011, while producing the Jekyll-and-Hyde performances usually reserved for club Colts sides, not internationals.
His 56 percent winning record is below that of all four of his predecessors – John Connelly (64 percent), Eddie Jones (57 percent), Rod MacQueen (79 percent), and Greg Smith (63 percent).
And the coup de grace may well be the 15-6 loss that the Irish inflicted last Saturday night at Rugby World Cup 2011.
Australian rugby is a fearsome enemy. One that should always be respected. They are World Champions twice over and have produced some of the greats of the game.
So why the Australian Rugby Union would employ a New Zealander with a dubious coaching record to coach the Wallabies is beyond me. The results so far show a total lack of foresight.
Foresight that the New Zealand Rugby Union had, thankfully.
No comfort for the New Zealanders who rushed out to buy Wallaby jerseys in support of their boy.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.