Rugby Union News and Views

NZ's sporting year has been abysmal. We hoped to have the Americas Cup and the Rugby World Cup this year and failed in both.. at least Yachting got the Louis Vuitton Cup.. The A1 gran Pris team is doing well too.

But Rugby is our national game and passions run high enough to put the appontment of the national coach up there with electioneering and politics as pub talk topics to get stroppy over.


Graeme Henry said he would be judged on his teams performance at the world cup... BS!!

He has just been reappointed by those who appointed him in the first place..

Henry said the abs lost because of bad refereeing.. not just barnes bad calls but the inference that Kaplin left his glasses at home very conveniently. The NZRFU appointment committee bought this..

This reappointment is tantamount to agreement at the highest level in NZ rugby that Henry didn't deserve to get the sack because Jonathan Kaplin missed a forward pass.

Meanwhile Robbie Deans got rejected by the NZRFU for national duty and is off to OZ this week for an interview.. He looks like the best bet for Aussie. How ironic if he brings Aus over here to take the Cup in 2011. That'll hurt big time.. and I'd wanna spit the dummy straight at these idiot wallys at the NZRFU who should have had the guts to fall on their swords.

NZ rugby is doomed to rotation..never knowing who the starting team is and seeing experimental (mental) positional experiments carried out in high level games.

No one is going to games or renewing sky tv subs here and talk back radio waves are swamped with callers saying they hope Deans brings the aussies over to thump the NZRFU....

Hopefully (though doubtful) Henry will retire in two years or get licked out by a new panel and an sos will be answered by Warren Gatland to return from Wales to coach the ABs.

I hope SA and Aus don;t have the same turmoil picking a coach.

Originally posted by Tirau Dan
NZ rugby is doomed to rotation..never knowing who the starting team is and seeing experimental (mental) positional experiments carried out in high level games.

This strategy always seemed like a good one to me - keeping a squad match-fit, instead of a core of players, but I must agree with you: It did backfire badly.
Maybe Henry will go back to playing his best 22 every game after the WC performance?

I still believe NZ can now field two full 22 man sides who can beat any team on the day, but apparently momentum and consistency plays a much bigger role than people (Including Greame Henry) thought...

Robbie Deans has more or less got the job as Aussie coach.they sounded him out a while ago and he knocked it back,but he will get it.
What a bonus for Australian Rugby Union,

With the rotation policy the team cant really gel and develop the combinations it needs to perform each week.You really do need a settled team .Maybe up to 3-4 changes is ok but not the core of the team being chopped and changed.

Both on the mark guys.. though the nzrfu support the rotation 50 out 58 ex all blacks wanted it dumped in a private poll. Up until a few years ago we all knew who the abs were.. they were the 15 best players in nz. Now no one knows and more and more and fed up and turning away in disgust,

Talk back radio callers are openly supporting Deans to bring aussie over and thump Henry and the nzrfu. They forget the players are the meat in the sandwich. they aren't allowed to comment by contract... it would be awful if we had abs booed at a game on home soil... Hopefully sense will prevail.

NZ of course for the first time will have to qualify for the next wc. any bets on that?

Originally posted by Tirau Dan
NZ of course for the first time will have to qualify for the next wc. any bets on that?

😀

I wouldn't worry.

Robbie Deans was indeed snapped up by Australia within a few days of being rejected by the NZRFU. He commanded an Aussie record three year contract starting after super 14 08 .. so he'll take them to the next World Cup.
He was the best available coach.. He should have been given the ABs..

Most of NZ are hoping Deans will bring over the aussies and thrash the abs so badly over the next two years that they'll have to dump Henry. Sad

Originally posted by Tirau Dan
Robbie Deans was indeed snapped up by Australia within a few days of being rejected by the NZRFU. He commanded an Aussie record three year contract starting after super 14 08 .. so he'll take them to the next World Cup.
He was the best available coach.. He should have been given the ABs..

Most of NZ are hoping Deans will bring over the aussies and thrash the abs so badly over the next two years that they'll have to dump Henry. Sad

Seems like rugby is now a fully paid-up member of the professional sports arena.
Patriotism doesn't pay the bills...

I hope Jake White also gets a nice job coaching some other national team and then brings them over to beat the boks.

Originally posted by Tirau Dan
Robbie Deans was indeed snapped up by Australia within a few days of being rejected by the NZRFU. He commanded an Aussie record three year contract starting after super 14 08 .. so he'll take them to the next World Cup.
He was the best available coach.. He should have been given the ABs..

Most of NZ are hoping Deans will bring over the aussies and thrash the abs so badly over the next two years that they'll have to dump Henry. Sad

Not hoping - worried that!

Crying shame - given Deans' record, he should have been the ABs coach. The Aussies have always had good players and with Deans coaching them, they'll be a force to reckon with again very soon ...