Since the introduction of the expanded format for the Rugby League World Cup in 1995, there has been four World Cup Tournaments: 1995, 2000, 2008 and 2013.
The key to having a successful campaign at a World Cup should begin almost immediately following the commencement of the previous Tournament.
One of the decisions that should be at the very top of the priority list is who you intend on taking the nation forward in a coaching capacity with a strong list of contingency plans should Plan A fall through.
We saw this with Kearney when taking on the coaching role at the Warriors and having to reluctantly hand over the reigns to the Kiwi side.
The fact that we are a little over 12 months out from the 2017 World Cup and the powers that be decided to give the position to Dave Kidwell may well be the team’s Achilles heel and be the difference between the Kiwis potentially reclaiming the coveted trophy and walking away empty handed.
As far as preparation goes, the Kiwis seem to be well behind the 8-ball in comparison to their main opponents, England and Australia, in one area particularly.
Like NZ, both England and Australia have opted for coaching changes in recent times, the difference being the massive gulf in class between each countries respective selections.
In February it was announced that Wayne Bennett had accepted the role for England. I doubt I need to go into detail about what Bennett can do with sides that he is involved in as his record speaks for itself.
He is arguably the best coach of the modern era with a knack of getting the best out of players in his teams.
It was announced in December last year that Mal Meninga would be the man to lead the Australian side into the next World Cup. Some say his coaching record is nothing flash at club level, I disagree.
During his stint as Raiders head coach between 1997-2001, the Green Machine managed to finish third, seventh, ninth, fourth and eleventh respectively.
Apart from his final season where the club finished in 11th position, Meninga had a very successful stint in charge of the Raiders. The year they ended up in ninth position saw them finish on 31 points.
Since the introduction of the top eight no club has missed the eight scoring as many points and it wasn’t until the 2016 season where Canberra actually managed to score more points than they did in that 1999 season.
Let’s not forget what Mal managed to do with the Queensland State of Origin side. He managed to turn them from a team that looked as though they might be on the wrong end of a NSW dynasty and completely flipped the scenario by turning the Maroons into arguably the most dominant Origin side in history.
Then we have the Kiwis and their newly elected coach in Kidwell and his coaching pedigree. While I am under no illusion that it is still early days for him as a coach and he may very well become a successful coach at International level, it’s hard to understand why the NZRL would decide to blood a rookie so close to a World Cup.
While it may not have been ideal or part of the plan for the NZRL not to have the luxury of having Kearney remain at the helm right through until the World Cup, it is not an excuse for not being better prepared.
They should have had a contingency plan for the possibility of Kearney not being able to continue on in his role, a contingency plan that isn’t blooding a rookie but being able to bring in an experienced and successful coach into the vacant position.
You need to look no further than the way Jim Doyle explained the process of Kearney replacing Cappy at the Warriors. Both himself and the club had plans in motion should Cappy not fulfil what was required of him during the season which potentially would have left the club needing to find a new coach, which is how it turned out in the end.
Doyle spoke of how he not only had a wish-list of coaches should the occasion arise but had also been in talks with those in his sights for months in advance. With the level of professionalism now on display in the rugby league world, a knee jerk reaction to a bump in the road is not acceptable and poor performances on the field are the side effect to such reactions.
In only the handful of games that Kidwell has been in control of we’ve already seen some worrying signs. While some may seem like non-issues and others can be put down to experience or lack thereof, they all add up to a failure in setting up a platform that provides the side with the best possible chance of victory.
Some examples from the top of my head on what has or has not been on display already from Kidwell should have even the heartiest Kiwi supporter sitting on edge are as follows.
Not settling on a goal kicker
In the one off Test we had Isaac Luke kicking, Kahu versus the Poms in the opening round of the Four Nations and Shaun Johnson in the game against the Aussies.
Goal kicking is as much skill as it is routine and chopping and changing kickers in every game does nothing but disrupt this.
The lack of minutes for Taumololo in the Perth Test
Having the head coach of your international team simply “forget” to bring on the best forward in the NRL and subsequently leave him languish on the bench is unacceptable.
Only playing Greg Eastwood for 15 minutes versus Australia
Considering the massive defensive effort the Kiwis were forced to endure and with some of the big lads looking gassed, I find it strange that he couldn’t find a way to bring on fresh legs.
The constant referring to “we’re improving every week”
After the Perth game it’s hard not to improve as I don’t think we could have been any worse. We were average at the very best against the Poms and no better against the Aussies. With the current squad at his disposal, which is one of the stronger ones named in recent times, this team should be playing at a much, much higher standard than what we’ve seen so far.
Being ‘proud’ of the performance against Australia
Don’t get me wrong here, everyone can be proud of the way the team managed to defend their own line when the Aussies seemed to be camped down that end.
The fact of the matter is that the reason we were forced to defend our line so ferociously was due to our own poor handling and/or discipline.
We coughed up simple ball, we gave away silly penalties with a number of them being on fourth and fifth tackles, we were completely outmuscled in the arm wrestle up front.
Our kicks and kick chases were poor when we had the opportunity to pin the opposition either in-goal or deep in their own half and our defence everywhere on the field apart from our goal-line was borderline terrible with missed tackles regularly allowing the Aussies to get out of trouble and almost instantly put us back under pressure.
I can do is hope that I am wrong and that I am made to eat my own words on the back end of some much improved performances.
It’s important to note that my concerns are a direct result based on what has been said and done up to this date of Kidwell’s time as Kiwis head coach. It is in no way meant to be a sign of disrespect to a legendary Kiwi and I will support him as coach of the team for as long as he is in that role.
That doesn’t mean I won’t express my concerns and as it stands, I have a few.
Republican
Guest
They will rebound v us as NZ sporting teams always find the fire in the belly v us, that they do not display v other international competitors. Only a big win by the Kangaroos v NZ will suffice because anything less will be a win for Kiwi League. The tournaments results have been inconsistent which subsequently means form is impossible to gauge. In that context, a NZ win is definitely on the cards for the final.
Realist1975
Guest
Sorry for the length.....Alarm bells were ringing the moment Kidwell was selected as coach. The bells rang louder when players like Mannering and Foran weren't available coupled with well known under performer for the Kiwis JWH selected in favour of known big time player (Sam Moa). Bells were getting louder when I found out that former Warriors defence coach (Morgan) was involved in the coaching team setup. As for team selections it's really hard to know where to start. The team looks disorientated and lack genuine enthusiasm except when performing the Haka. Amazing how history repeats and these times remind me of when Gary Kemble was coach. They are not playing as a cohesive unit with the spine in tatters. I feel for Johnson as all the pressure is placed on him. Then you get people having a go at the one person who can win you games, whilst not targeting their frustrations at other players who offer really nothing but mistakes and penalties. He's an easy target as Australia just needs to worry about him. Kahu is solid but not dangerous, Leuluai is a out and out hooker, Luke as good he can be is an individual player really. Tactics wise I would limit running the most obvious Johnson to Proctor play and swing the ball wide. Where have all the offloads gone? Tbh Taupau and Blair have played well and should start. Bromwich reminds me of Dane Carlaw - he needs more aggression especially if he's the captain now. Someone also needs to take care of Inglis. Inglis is a great player and a bully yet no one seems to have been ballsy enough to smash him. He's smashing everyone and intimidation is a massive key to victory. Do I rate this Australian team - hell no compared to great teams of the past. But it's not their fault that whilst they have dropped a clog in the last few years, the decline is no where near the landslide of the last year for the Kiwis. My first two moves right now is to firstly select the right team and challenge the players. This Australian team has so many weaknesses it's not funny. Boyd can be exploited on his positional play as it has in the past but in people's head they just listen to what the so called experts say. The Aussie front row is the weakest I have seen yet aren't be dominated because the weakness if say Woods is not getting exploited by players such as Taupau. Woods would be on when Bromwich is playing. Hence you need to see who your opposition is and plan accordingly in some way to obtain potential for momentum. You need to identify their weaknesses and plan your strengths around it. You know that Blair is the best pressure in the game so let him target Cronk who did nothing in the GF when pressured. I could go on and on. The key is for people to stop listening to the commentators and just use their eyes and watch for themselves. Stop being a youngster and think for one self after watching the game and you will see that there are a lot of areas that can be exploited. But first the foundation has to be right and it's not. Whoever recruited Kiwdell and co should be personally named and asked why? As like Ray Price said I think- who selects the selectors?
maximillian
Roar Rookie
I remember when Kearney 1st became coach of the Kiwis he was also very inexperienced. The NZRL then offered Bennett a mentoring role to help Kearney transition into a head coach. I wonder if this may also be a good idea for Kidwell? Someone like Cleary could be a good mentor & also help out with the tactical side as Kidwell has been exposed on this front.
Gareth Sykes
Roar Rookie
Hey Mitch, great minds think alike eh? Haha. Not sure if I'm allowed to drop links to my personal blog on here or not? If you're on FB feel free to look me up (Gareth Sykes - profile pic is of Kiwis logo) and add me if you like. I also run a Warriors supporter group called "New Zealand Warriors #Faither" where i share my articles so feel free to join that. Anything I write goes onto my blog, as I'm not sure if I can actually supply the link here or not if you just google "New Zealand Warriors Faither Supporters" it'll pop up. Been a bit quiet on it of late as I'm still hurting after another dissapointing season lol. Oh, and if you're interested in writing articles I'm always looking for more people to add content to the Warriors blog. Cheers mate
Bruce
Guest
It still doesn't explain why there was a Test match in perth - did the RL administrators think there were playing in perth Scotland. The Scots game should have been played in Scotland although the team sheet may have been embarrassing.
Cedric
Guest
dead right about Leuluwai, he has done good service for NZ at hooker, I've said it a few times Martin should have come off the bench in Perth not late in a game against Scotland. Where was plan B if Leuluwai got injured or lacked attack? It appears the attack is about Johnson and no one else. But at last Martin got on the field and along with another X factor player DWZ they helped NZ score a try! Dead right again about Paulo and Takarangi, if you recall Taka even had a few games at No.6! Another worry is the Kiwis' had 10 players out for the ANZAC test and now we have 5 out, I think the Roos' are just missing Slater. What's with that, is it just bad luck. I just hope all are fit for the WC!
Mitch
Guest
Hey Gareth, is there anyway to follow your work? Your article and even your comments are very similar to my views. I think Cleary is the best option for one. Game management is horrible. Selections and Interchange are piss poor. Keep it up
Aem
Guest
SKD has always performed well for the Kiwis prior to this year, and there are several centres unavailable - so that's that selection. JWH I can see why he'd want to try, but it hasn't worked. Moa was in no way good enough this year to bring in. Taylor, Thompson? You must be joking. Taylor just doesn't fit the team at all, and Thompson has been absolutely woeful at times this year... when you have Harris, Proctor & Mau in the side already... why on earth would you waste a spot on him? Dockar-Clay has no NRL experience at all and has been playing halves, Levi is in recovery from surgery and unavailable. McIlwrick (NSW cup team of the year, has played some NRL) might've been a better option, or Havili if he had any prospect of NRL at the Dragons. Regardless, they don't need another hooker, Leuluai is a hooker. They need a half - because Leuluai sure as hell ain't one of those, no matter how many times they put him in the 6 jersey. Norman doesn't want to play for the Kiwis (and is a anyway, let's be honest here), and Cleary wants to play for NSW/Aus. I'd have looked at Ata Hingano - not likely to be an NRL regular until 2018, but a stunning prospect who made his (impressive) debut late this year, with Martin as a first 17 guy and Hingano a backup in the squad. There are views for a bunch of guys to be considered, but the two guys who really should have been selected (ridiculous snubs, really) were Brad Takairangi (a genuine 3rd centre option that isn't a guy who has sat on the bench all year such as Beale - would have taken SKD's spot in the first 17 after that first game or two), and Junior Paulo (imagine adding Paulo to a middle set with Bromwich, Taumalolo and Taupau....).
Renegade
Roar Guru
England's best performance in each tournament for the past 4-5 years has been against Australia and I think we can expect the same this weekend. The last time we met them in London (2011) produced an amazing spectacle. They were the only team to score tries against us in the 2013 World Cup and were a bombed try away from beating us in the dying seconds in Melbourne the following year. I agree with you about us taking the foot off the pedal last week but seriously the kiwis were woeful.... All of that plus I sense Bennett has an ambush brewing this weekend.
Gareth Sykes
Roar Rookie
Team selections, poor bench rotation, lack of attacking game plan (43 points in 3 games = 14 points average per game. That's terrible considering the wealth of attacking flair we have), different goal kicker every game, a seemingly lack of energy/enthusiasm from the side for the majority of the games we've seen under Kidwells watch to name a few suggest the coach has some answering to do. The NZRL dropped the ball, simple as that. Who knows what they were thinking giving the head coaching job of an international team to an Assistant Coach, you might have been able to get away with it 20 + years ago but with the professionalism of the game these days you can't afford to give anything to the opposition .
Gareth Sykes
Roar Rookie
I agree with everything you've said. Thompson must feel extremely hard done by not to have made the tour.
Gareth Sykes
Roar Rookie
As far as I am aware he is contracted up until the World Cup.
Alex L
Roar Rookie
Is it the coaching of Kidwell, or is it the absence of Foran to manage the game on the pitch? The coach can't get out there and call every play unless they get Alfie to run the drinks.
kiwijack
Guest
the selection of his team from the start has been a disaster. JWH and SKD should ever have been selected n their club lone as it was ordinary. Why was Moa not selected his form has been good also Thompson and Taylor. NZ need another quality half/five eight and should chase Norman. Zac Docker-Clay or Danny Levi should have toured instead of Brown. I thought that Kidwell would bring some passion to the team but that appears to not be the case instead he coachs like his former mentor Taylor. I agree with the calls for Ivan to replace Kidwell and co. Maybe Kidwell could stay on as assistant.
eagleJack
Roar Guru
Rene, you really give the English a chance? Even after a pretty awful display against the Scots last week? I felt last week the Aussies took their foot off the throat against the Kiwis. Did enough to win with plenty in the tank. Whereas the English played exceptionally well and couldn't defeat the Kiwis in their first game. If the game goes by form then the Kangaroos cruise through meeting the Kiwis in the Final. It would be a significant upset to see England there. You'll certainly get big odds.
Jeffrey Dun
Roar Rookie
Agreed. I thought the Poms created more chances. Apart from the Kiwi's dysfunctional attack, the thing that has surprised me the most is the Kiwi's lack of impact in the forwards. I expected them to dominate, but they have not dominated in any of the matches I have seen and I thought the Kangaroo forwards got over the top of them in Perth and England.
Sleiman Azizi
Roar Guru
Each time New Zealand throw the ball around, particularly through the middle, they look like world beaters. I do not understand why they do not persist with their strengths. It's disappointing to watch the world number one team slipping as they have been.
J
Guest
If England beat Australia or draw they definitely deserve to be there. NZ have only managed a single victory this year - a 1 point win.
Johnno
Guest
Kiwis I reckon will take afferimitive action and sack Kidwell. The world cup is too important not to. New coach by next years world cup I reckon. How long is his contract?
The eye
Guest
and England..do ?