Henry got it.

[ZoSo]

Yeah by all accounts it sounds like it was a sham and sewn up ages ago.

[Ab]

According to Deans, the NZRFU executive turned up at his presentation. Even though they didn't have a vote in the appointment decision.

[Griven]

Im with AB, right royal fuck up in monumental proportions. We bent over backwards and then sideways to boot for Henry, he failed miserably. Deans has been extremely successful with the core All Blacks in the Crusaders. Now instead of giving him his deserved shot as head All Blacks coach we invest another 2 years in coach that didn't deliver so he can hand over to an assistant (prolly Hansen).
In the meantime Deans is over in Aussie building up a team that has enough young talent to be very competitive and crushes us on home soil in the 2011 WC.

To sum it all up GfuckingG NZRFU.

[Ard Righ]

Originally Posted by Griven

Im with AB, right royal fuck up in monumental proportions. We bent over backwards and then sideways to boot for Henry, he failed miserably. Deans has been extremely successful with the core All Blacks in the Crusaders. Now instead of giving him his deserved shot as head All Blacks coach we invest another 2 years in coach that didn't deliver so he can hand over to an assistant (prolly Hansen).
In the meantime Deans is over in Aussie building up a team that has enough young talent to be very competitive and crushes us on home soil in the 2011 WC.

To sum it all up GfuckingG NZRFU.

Which 'core All Blacks' are you referring to? Deans hasn't coached a good 3/4 of the All Blacks squad, so let's drop the fanboi propoganda.

The infamous 'Canterblacks' failed miserably the last time that experiment was given a go, for those with feeble memories.

Anyway, http://www.stuff.co.nz/4317730a1823.html
Tietjens for President!

[caffiend]

Henry says reconditioning will stay, but admits it was wrong to disrupt competition play: http://www.stuff.co.nz/4318801a1823.html

I think he has a point. It's also a bit annoying to read that the message did go to the team to try a drop-goal in the RWC QF.

[Griven]

Im not a Deans fanboi by a long shot, just recognize Deans was the better option.

[Ab]

http://www.stuff.co.nz/4318836a1823.html

Unlike Henry, with his compulsory stand-down of players from the Super 14, Alex Wyllie, Laurie Mains, John Hart and John Mitchell did not cause wholesale disruption to the rest of the national rugby programme. But unlike Henry, their campaigns weren't rubber-stamped to the same extent by the national hierarchy.

To have moved on from the Henry regime would have meant an admission from the NZRU board, and its senior staff, that they had also failed. And owning up to errors, and apologising for them, has never been a strong suit of the national union, even in the amateur era.

So Henry's reappointment has been made with the interests of the NZRU paramount, not those of New Zealand rugby.

Part of the NZRU manipulation has been promoting an argument that Henry's reappointment has been in accord with public opinion, and that the country is now over the hysteria which made such victims of Wyllie, Hart and Mitchell.

That would be a tonic if it were so. But the suspicion is that it is more to do with a growing indifference towards the game. As was seen all too often this year with sparse attendances, many are now voting with their feet.

One's own impression has been that Henry's re-appointment has rankled most with the more informed rugby connoisseurs, former All Blacks, administrators and many in the media. One is not surprised to learn that one poll among former All Blacks was 84 per cent in favour of Robbie Deans.

Another misconception has been that this has been another Auckland-Canterbury issue and there is another suspicion that among some of the Auckland public Deans, as a Cantabrian, was not favoured.
But clearly that's nonsense when you have in the opposing camp a large cast made up of Tew, Wayne Smith, Steve Hansen, Mike Eagle, whose support, as acting board chairman, of Henry has to be described as ''brave,' and even Henry himself. After all, he's an old boy of Christchurch Boys' High School.

The most pertinent lingering question is why now is the NZRU bothering to have an inquiry? It's already delivered its own verdict. And in the likely event of an inquiry being another whitewash what steps will then be taken?

The many clubs and unions facing insolvency can only wonder at the expense of it all. If there is any consolation from what many see as farce it is that at long last provincial affiliates may exert some sort of protest at the 2008 annual meeting. But such is the state of New Zealand rugby that, too, may be a forlorn hope.

[Ab]

Originally Posted by Ard Righ

Which 'core All Blacks' are you referring to?

Off the top of my head the most important players in the All Blacks of recent years -- and by that I mean "their presence wins games and their absence often loses them" would be:

Tana Umaga
Richie McCaw
Dan Carter
Justin Marshall
Carl Hayman
Doug Howlett
Chris Jack
Jerry Collins
(maybe) Aaron Mauger when he's having a good day.

[JP]

I think all it proves really is that you can't please everybody.

Whether Henry got it or not there would be plenty of outrage. Probably less if he didn't though i'd guess since the standard has been to chop the coach.

[Griven]

To give some more perspective, Mortlock and Latham are frothing at the mouth at the very real possibility of Deans coaching them. Doubt the Aussies would even give Henry a second look if NZRU had gone with Deans.

[Ab]

Word on the street is that if Deans accepts a Wallabies offer, he'll be metaphorically escorted to his desk to pack up his shit and walked off the premises by the NZRFU. Because they're so cool.

[Ard Righ]

Originally Posted by Ab

Off the top of my head the most important Crusaders players in the All Blacks of recent years -- and by that I mean "their presence wins games and their absence often loses them" would be:

Richie McCaw
Dan Carter
Chris Jack

Griven said core All Blacks in the Crusaders, of which there are few...

[Ab]

Yeah, and of my top-of-the-head list, 5 of the 9 were coached by Robbie Deans.

[Griven]

The core imo is what they build the team around, which is McCaw and Carter period. Both coached long term by Deans.

[ZoSo]

Perfect cartoon:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/666356a17217.html

[blynk]

Originally Posted by Ab

Off the top of my head the most important players in the All Blacks of recent years -- and by that I mean "their presence wins games and their absence often loses them" would be:
Richie McCaw
Dan Carter
Justin Marshall
Chris Jack
(maybe) Aaron Mauger when he's having a good day.

And going back a few years, looking at players Henry coached before he went to Wales
Z Brooke
S Fitzpatrick
C Dowd
O Brown
J Lomu
And there are a number of other high quality players to choose from.

[Juju]

Originally Posted by Griven

We bent over backwards and then sideways to boot for Henry, he failed miserably.

I'm trying hard to match up "failing miserably" to "87% win rate", and "Most successful coach since 1968".. but I just can't do it. Care to lend a hand? Can I buy a vowel?

[Ab]

With the exception of the Lions whitewash in 2005, I really don't care about any of the wins. What Henry delivered was the worst All Blacks performance in a World Cup ever. The quickest exit, the greatest amount spent, the worst damage done to the state of the sport in NZ.

[Griven]

My comment was in regards to being told time and time again, this was done for the world cup. 4 years ago he was hired for 1 purpose and 1 purpose only, in that regard he was a complete failure.

[Stilgar]

Originally Posted by Ab

With the exception of the Lions whitewash in 2005, I really don't care about any of the wins. What Henry delivered was the worst All Blacks performance in a World Cup ever. The quickest exit, the greatest amount spent, the worst damage done to the state of the sport in NZ.

Boo fucking hoo. What a load.

[Ab]

Tell that to unions like Northland, half a million dollars in debt at the END of the rugby season, facing insolvency. Boo fucking hoo indeed.