Former New Zealand Rugby chief David Moffett says outgoing All Blacks coach Steve Hansen stayed in charge for two years longer than he should have.
Hansen ended his eight-year tenure with the All Blacks after the World Cup, where the team finished third after a disappointing performance against England in the semi-finals. Regardless, as head coach he had an incredible 86% win ratio and guided New Zealand to the 2015 World Cup and six Rugby Championship wins.
Speaking on national radio station Newstalk ZB, Moffett argued that New Zealand Rugby should learn from what went wrong in the Hansen era.
‘The thing I’d be looking for is what vision they have for the future of New Zealand rugby, and what learnings have they taken from the last two years,’ Moffett said. ‘I have a lot of respect for Hansen but I think he and the people with him went on for two years too long.
‘For the past 12 months, I don’t think they’ve known who is their best side. I think that was shown in their selections for their game against England, and I don’t think they knew what their best game plan was.’
Crusaders boss Scott Robertson and Hansen’s assistant Ian Foster are believed to be the favourites of the 26 candidates that have been invited to apply to succeed Hansen. Jamie Joseph took himself out of the race by extending his tenure as Japan head coach, while Warren Gatland ruled himself out due to the British & Irish Lions tour to South Africa in 2021.
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Moffett added he believes it will be a good time to bring in a fresh face for the All Blacks’ head coaching job.
‘What there is a real opportunity now to do is inject some real enthusiasm into the All Blacks, and that will start with the coaching team. I actually think we need some fresh, young new thinking into the All Blacks system.’
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