Over the past three seasons there has been a lot of commentary from Sir John Kirwan about improvements at the Blues within their high-performance structures, work ethic, selection and recruitment policies at lower age levels, and team culture.
As an outsider looking in, we can’t see all the work going on behind the scenes, and some of these improvements only directly affect development pathways to the Blues’ squad.
We can only judge these stated improvements upon the team’s performances and results which isn’t particularly flattering for the Blues.
Professional sport is a business where only one metric matters – wins.
In Kirwan’s first two years, he received coaching support and mentoring from two members of the World Cup-winning coaching team, Graham Henry and Mick Byrne. The result was two 10th-place finishes that included two away victories – one in his first year and one in his second.
This year Sir John was forced to take on the backs coaching role as he couldn’t recruit one for this season, and the additional workload and pressure isn’t helping, with the team currently sitting 13th on the ladder with no victories away from Eden Park this year and four home matches left to play.
The irony is that Sir John was part of an Auckland rugby renaissance during the 1980s that was associated with backline flair and strikepower, and now coaches a backline struggling to manipulate defences and score tries.
Newly appointed coaches generally plan a three-year strategy to deliver improvements and results. There have been recent examples of coaches that have overachieved and delivered improvements and results ahead of expectations – Ewen McKenzie, Dave Rennie, Jake White, Michael Cheika and Chris Boyd.
However fans and the board are more accepting and forgiving in their opinions of a team’s performance if progress is visible week to week and on an upward tangent.
Kirwan is now asking for a leap of faith from the Blues board and long-suffering supporters to be granted an extension of at least one more year. He’s outlined a bold plan to poach Crusaders assistant coach Tabai Matson to join his team next year and be groomed to succeed for the 2017 season.
Apparently following an extensive review conducted by the Blues, he has support from the playing group who believe that if the right coaching team is put in place with Kirwan, he has the vision, passion and respect to lead them out of the doldrums.
On the surface this endorsement strengthens his case, however it does lead to a couple of questions.
Does this suggest the players didn’t believe in the previous coaching team of Henry and Byrne? Does this suggest Kirwan couldn’t work as well as he wanted and needed to with Henry and Byrne? Why wasn’t this raised by the players last year?
Are self-serving interests from the players a factor? A new coach will have their own ideas of how they want the team to play and what kind of players they need to execute their game-plan. Not all of the current squad would survive the cut under a new coach.
What is hard to believe are reports in the media that the Blues board are expected to grant Kirwan an extension and rubber stamp his plan.
There is also an attempt to link Kirwan’s tenure at the Blues to the situation the Highlanders were in at the end of the 2013 season, which was a huge disappointment after high expectations following 2012 and their off-season recruitment.
After an awful campaign, player feedback about head coach Jamie Joseph was non-ambiguous: he possessed a number of positive qualities but could only be retained if he agreed to make significant and wholesale changes.
The key difference though, is that Joseph achieved better-than-expected results in his first year and has followed them up in his third and current year as coach.
Former Blues coach Pat Lam must be watching these developments from afar with mixed emotions. He’s as proud a Blues man as Kirwan and wants nothing more than success for his former team, but he never received the same level of support from the board as his successor, was a victim of racial vilification from ignorant bigots, and in 2011 led the Blues to their sole finals appearance since their last title win in 2003.
I would love nothing more than to see the Blues recapture their former glory. They have the biggest rugby nursery in New Zealand, are the largest Polynesian city in the world, and export more players to New Zealand teams than any other region.
From all accounts, Kirwan is admired, respected and well liked. But there is clearly something not clicking between himself and the players. That is a problem that won’t be solved by introducing different voices next year, he is the boss and ultimately responsible and accountable.
If Kirwan is retained as coach, some simple boxes need to be ticked for next season:
• Win games away from Eden Park
• Harness the flair and score more tries
• Improve talent identification and recruitment across the entire catchment region
• Show greater patience with player development particularly in key positions 7, 9 and 10
Taylorman
Guest
Are the still directions left other than all those they've tried since 2003. Love these substance-less offerings...exactly what direction would you propose though?
ClarkeG
Roar Guru
I doubt that you know the entire board and all those people involved in the Blues operation so it’s a bit unfair to refer to all of them as being that insulting description you used. Fair enough to point out where you think they have gone wrong so if you have some knowledge of their development programmes, including coaching, then enlighten us.
Mark
Guest
12 years without a title from NZ's largest player and commercial base Moron is being polite Auckland and the Blues are very poorly run Ask someone about the development programs - including the coaching development
Buk
Guest
Yeah good points. While I didn't think much of the appointment, I am not sure giving him the boot and appointing an outsider will necessarily improve things. When I first moved to Wellington, a successful rural province coach, Jed Rowlands (non-All Black, non-Aucklander) was appointed to the Blues as head coach. He had to follow Graham Henry's success, but was appointed over the top of Henry's assistant. It ended up being a recipe for disaster, as he was regarded as a country bumpkin and never properly accepted.
ClarkeG
Roar Guru
Ben it was 'Aucklandlaurie' who said rugby is dying in Auckland but he has not re-entered the discussion to support that comment. I am one that has no knowledge of Auckland rugby’s pathway system so it would be interesting to know what these are in comparison to that suggested by 'Shane D'.
Harry Jones
Expert
Keep telling yourself that, Julia.
Shane D
Roar Rookie
Got to agree. I think I have heard similar things to you & its turning players off. JK great Auckland man that he is has had his shot. The Blues need to look in a new direction.
Shane D
Roar Rookie
Ben - I don't believe that league is taking over rugby in Auckland, I'll leave that fantasy to Rattue. For every Ioane there is a player or two being signed away to a NRL club. I have guys that I played with for years whose sons are now living in Sydney & Brisbane. These guys were talented union players but when given the professionalism of the recruiters & solid offers placed by the league clubs compared to what the Blues had to offer ( promises to be included in development squads etc) they took the league option.
ben
Guest
Begs the question why henry and byrne left and why he cant find a backs coach. Its laughable that after 3 years the results have gotten worse each year and zero improvement....that jk thinks he can call the shots: ie i will coach for another year with matson then he can take over my legacy and i will take the high performance unit...!! Im very close to the saili brothers so have an in ......and previously wrote on here what some of the issues with jk are. It cant continue.
ben
Guest
Akira ioane and rieko ioane would beg to differ and so would i. If you had anything at all to do with akld rugby esp 1st xv level you would know the pathway. To say akld rugby is dying and league usurping it is actually quite funny.....reminds me of how soccer was taking over as well.
Mike Julz
Guest
At the end of his coaching career, Kirwan will be remember as a great rugby player, awful rugby coach. But if he does stay as the Blues coach, his fate will be decided on the first couple games next year, if he does not win, its the end for him for sure. Can't take this any longer. But I'll say give him one more year.
RobC
Roar Guru
Thanks Sam. Seems to me, if SJK can nab a top tier (AB level) fly half and back 3, he'll have no problems winning His pack passing and dropping the pill is trying to make up for it They're not that far off, I reckon
Shane D
Roar Rookie
What league does very well is offer young players a clear pathway. Sign with us, play under 19's this year impress & you will play 2nds next year, if you are still going ok you will be looking at a senior spot. That pathway is not there in Auckland rugby at the moment.
Kia Kaha
Roar Guru
As much as I like the Highlanders, I'd be curious as to what Jamie Joseph could do with the Blues. I think he could add some steel to the pack and still bring out the Polynesian and Melanesian flair. It would never happen as he's got the Highlanders punching above their weight. As for JK, if he does negotiate his way out of this season, I'll have to hand it to him he has more negotiation skills than a gaggle of ambitious cabinet politicians. The only thing that might save him is that pretty much all the losses this season have seen the Blues with a chance of winning the game.
ClarkeG
Roar Guru
"far more to offer young 17-20 year olds" .... do elaborate? Representatives of NRL clubs holding discussions with NZ secondary schools players. Hardly breaking news is it. How many years do you think this has been happening.
taylorman
Roar Guru
Yeah I wish it were that simple now. Thing is, you don't need to be from the area to play or coach for them now. Players grow up in Auckland used to play for Auckland , or Auckland B, or remain at their club. The moving wasn't so prevalent, meaning Auckland playing stocks just got stronger and stronger. Coaches are the same. They weren't paid, so they stood in line, Hart, Trapp, Henry etc. No one else wanted them in those days. It took professionalism to break down the thought of Aucklanders playing for Canterbury, coaches moving around etc. JK's not only inexperienced with Auckland rugby coaching but coaching winning sides. With Italy and Japan, winning wasn't the par for the course, so he built a reputation on non winning aspects of fast and attacking rugby, regardless of the results so much. He's managed two world cup campaigns so has a wealth of experience in that domain, winning more matches than not just not being part of it all. But since 2003 no coach has found the secret to Auckland rugby so Kirwans not alone there. The playing stocks have dried up from the 80's and 90's where usually half the AB's would be Auckland based. Is JK a good coach- perhaps not. Will bringing in another improve the situation? There is nothing that strongly indicates that other than a limp argument of 'well they couldn't do much worse'...all very well but hardly key performance indicators.
Owen McCaffrey
Roar Guru
Not much support here for Mr Kirwan. His record at the Blues is not great but as so many have said neither was anyone else's. Comparing his with any other Blues coach is simply splitting hairs. They have all had terrible records. The problem, as so many posters have said, is not with the head coach, but with the systems that support him and the players. The path the blues management have likely taken is a 1-year transition where they will continue working on the back office support issues now and then go to work on the head coach appointment next year. For example, the Blues still have yet to move in to a dedicated training base as they have been using UNITEC university fields for the past 13 years. This is finally being sorted along with dedicated facilities. Recruitment and retention of junior players is an issue that needs addressing. Getting talented forwards and backs and attack/defense coaches into place before next season is also top of their priority list. Also plugging major gaps in their playing talent stocks of forwards and backs for next season must be top of their mind already - midfield, tight forwards, fullback all areas where other teams have world class players but the blues lack depth. These are all serious issues for the Blues that scream for attention much louder than getting a new coach for 2016. Once they get those issues significantly sorted, they can start to look at Kirwan's transition next year.
Aucklandlaurie
Guest
The truth of the matter is that rugby is dying in Auckland, League has far more to offer young 17 - 20 year olds. Two weeks ago the NRL had a weekend off for Internationals, after a secondary schools (Mount Albert Grammar v Sacred Heart) first fifteen game some players had "discussions" with representatives of the Canberra Raiders and canterbury Bulldogs.
ClarkeG
Roar Guru
Moron is rather a harsh word don't you think?
Rugby Tragic
Guest
Thanks Dwayne... enjoy your chuckle! ... however, in fact after this year it will be 13 years not only 'this year' ....