Path finally cleared for Fozzie's Last Dance
PLUS: The Week That Was and the Warriors Weekend That Will Be
So New Zealand Rugby held the line, with chair Patsy Reddy (pictured) announcing on Wednesday that a coach for 2024 and beyond would be put in place in the next four to six weeks.
On the same day Ian Foster announced he would not be seeking another term, taking at least one large thorn off the nettle and making his somewhat cynical media offensive look more and more like a Hail Mary.
It does beg the question: couldn’t all this have been avoided if NZR had put a timeline in from the moment it indicated it would be making an appointment pre-RWC. The idea, articulated by Reddy, that they didn’t want to say anything until the work was done but had their hand forced, does not reflect well on the organisation.
As much as I believe that Foster was the wrong man for the wrong time and that he has done nothing to disabuse me of that notion over the past three years, there has been a lack of common decency in the way he has been treated. If NZR had given a clear timeline in December, when news first broke of a change in their post-World Cup appointment policy, of the appointment process, the incumbent would surely have avoided the indignities of last week.
“Until now, New Zealand Rugby has been reluctant to talk publicly about an appointment process for the All Blacks coach to protect the integrity of the process, and to minimise the scrutiny on the individuals involved,” Reddy said, straight faced.
If there’s one thing Reddy does to change the ethos of NZR, I would hope it is to convince the board and executive that timely and detailed information flow is the best way to grow trust and to avoid vacuums in which speculation and misinformation flourish. Treat the public more like stakeholders, and a lot less like consumers.
Meanwhile, captain Sam Cane is pleased we have a decision, although probably not all that pleased with the decision:
“Not just players, but I think everyone might be a little bit over how long it’s been playing out publicly with different things here and there. But the fact that the decision’s been made, now everyone can move on and know what’s happening. Whether individuals agree or disagree with the decision or the process, that’s neither here nor there now. It’s been made and you just move forward with it.”
Gregor Paul ($) picked up on Cane’s weariness and ran hard with it, amusingly likening NZR to a puerile comedy show.
Such has been the haphazard decision-making on this topic, that the last six months have played out like an endless episode of Benny Hill – everyone fascinated by its awfulness, gripped to see if somehow it could get any worse, and now it’s impossible not to wonder whether NZR headquarters is just people driving around in milk floats, wearing white coats and randomly finding discarded bras in their pockets every now and again.
LOL, I couldn’t help but picture CEO Mark Robinson at a World Rugby meeting, going to grab a tissue to blow his nose and pulling out a g-string instead.
Paul has an interesting line about NZR being seemingly governed by public opinion and I get where he’s coming from, but I believe public engagement is of far more concern to NZR than public opinion - and they are two similar but different things.
For Foster, the task now is pretty simple: win the damn thing and ride off into the international coaching sunset with the smuggest, smirkiest grin you can imagine.
For the rest, it’s time for tale of the tapes between the contenders.
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As a keen observer of not just sport but the sports news media, I will be fascinated to see how the various MSM arms handle Fozzie’s Last Dance.
There is no question that Stuff and Newshub, two of the Big Five, will be piqued by missing out on Foster’s first-hand thoughts last week. There is also no question that when it comes to breaking the big news around the All Blacks coaching and general New Zealand rugby matters, NZME’s New Zealand Herald has been miles in front of their rivals.
Without being on the inside, you can only guess that it is in part because they’ve been more sympathetic to Foster, particularly in comparison to Stuff.
The favourite to secure the role in 2024, Scott Robertson, might come across as relaxed and easygoing, but I’m told he knows how to play the media game better than most and will be well aware of what’s been said and written.
It will be interesting to see if there is any subtle repositioning by the various media - or in some cases really unsubtle.
THE WEEK THAT WAS
Speaking of cynical exercises…
New Zealand Cricket low-key announced they will play a three-match T20I series against the United Arab Emirates in August.
The squad will stop over in the UAE on the way to England for its white ball commitments, and play all three games under lights.
NZC CEO David White was described as “delighted” to be playing the ICC Associate Members.
“In terms of the global cricket family, it’s important we keep helping each other, and growing the game on an international scale… I know the Black Caps will be looking forward to testing themselves against a competitive UAE team.”
From what I have been told, the players are very much NOT looking forward to testing themselves against a competitive UAE team and in fact have been asking rather pointed questions as to the quid pro quo behind them packing three extra games and an extra week into already bulging schedules.
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THE WEEKEND THAT WILL BE
NRL, Super Rugby, ANBL, F1, netball, football… it’s that time of year where weekend viewing patterns start to get like a jigsaw puzzle.
I’ve been desperately trying to play NRL catch-up this morning, scanning the squad lists and I’ve come to an inescapable conclusion: this is our year! Okay, okay, that might be an exaggeration but the arrival of Andrew Webster has made me optimistic in a way that goes beyond typical, cliched Warriors pre-season buoyancy. This squad feels like it has a ceiling of sixth and a basement of 12th (and I reserve the right to disown those few short lines if they fall to the Knights in Wellington).
Andrew Gourdie asks Andrew Webster how much he knows about the Warriors, and here Michael Burgess ($) outlines the key factors for the Warriors, which are pretty much every aspect of the game.
NZ Warriors v Newcastle Knights, Wellington, tonight 8pm, Sky Sport 4
I don’t know how I feel about the Super Round Melbourne, but I do know that there are not enough box-office match-ups - and that’s a problem. The best clash is tonight’s Southern Derby, one that really should be played in the South Island (and as it’s the same time as the Warriors, it won’t be getting watched live in my household). Apart from that, the Sunday afternoon game looks worthy of attention.
Crusaders v Highlanders, tonight 8pm; Brumbies v Blues, Sunday 4pm, both Melbourne, both Sky Sport 1
Better late than never to the Breakers party. Their bid for a fifth ANBL title starts tonight in Sydney against the Kings. According to my ANBL spy this is a series that should go to five games because even though the Kings have the best player in MVP Xavier Cooks, the Breakers are deep and defensively tough. Look for Jarrell Brantley to have a massive impact on the series. The former Utah Jazz forward is a two-way player and will be asked to do a lot of the heavy lifting when it comes to defending Cooks, who will throw up before tonight’s game.
Even Sir Richard of Christchurch is into it! Cripes!
Sydney Kings v NZ Breakers, Sydney, tonight 9.30pm, Sky Sport 3
The Formula One season is upon us and hopefully it will provide more drama than last season, where it was obvious early that Ferrari’s missteps and Mercedes’ bad car were going to make it a Max Verstappen-led Red Bull procession. Here’s a good guide to the teams and drivers.
Bahrain GP, Bahrain, Monday 4am, Sky Sport 2
The ANZ Premiership starts and, again, I’m playing catch-up, but I’m reliably informed that the best game, which features the return of Jane Watson, will be not quite on the weekend.
Stars v Tactix, Papakura, Monday 7.35pm, Sky Sport 1
A couple of big Premier League games involving Manchester teams. First Citeh and the Toon meet in the Crude-Oil derby, before Manchester United travel to their most hated rivals in a bid to confirm that for the first time since Sir Alex Ferguson’s departure, they are the real deal.
Manchester City v Newcastle, Etihad Stadium, Sunday 1.30am, Sky EPL
Liverpool v Manchester United, Anfield, Monday 5.30am, Sky EPL
Great insight there. The appointment of a CEO is surely the most important matter to NZR in this day and age. Looking at some of the good NZ companies (or world), seems that governance is strong and experienced. Where it’s not - failure. Is the difference here in sport that the emotion that gets the better of people? If I was looking at the coaching from a governance point of view, there would be some key metrics in the requirements given the role; for me the Sumner Beach Boy would be a long way off in terms of coaching but would be A++ for identifying talent (players and coaches), recruiting them and providing the space for them to do their jobs. He would also mark highly for fan engagement- his (cynical?) management of the media is also very clever (at times) which plays to brand. Given our playing drain if he is successful his biggest role may be to manage an environment where players who play overseas ($$$) are integrated into the domestic based talent seamlessly for AB squads post 2023 RWC, no point in cutting this players out now - too many good ones plying their trade elsewhere and given the growing importance of the RWC to the calendar, we should look to embrace it - the economic situation of our country can’t support so many professionals. Just an opinion!
Does NZRU’s incompetent governance tell us it is out of its depth?
I do not know the size of the governance mess Chair Reddy has inherited, but it must be significant given the many publicised missteps over the past one to two years. Some of the blame should rest with her predecessor and his peers on the NZRU Board. But without doubt, the person who is most culpable must be CEO Mark Robinson. It will be interesting to see how long a leash he will enjoy under the new Chair.
Between 1990 and 2005 I worked as a head-hunter in the corporate market. I managed up to six large clients who were engaged in banking, IT and telecommunications. My hands-on role was to engage with the Chairs and CEOs of these corporates who in turn would contract me to find them their next CEO or direct report. An average brief would take up to four to six months to complete. In nearly every case, the incumbent, who the client company wished to replace, was never aware of my activity. Indeed, employment laws around constructive dismissal could have come into play if the process was handled badly. When working for NZ or Australian clients, 70% of those shortlisted would have been head-hunted from offshore – greater IP. The brief was invariably to find the best person possible. Money was not normally a problem as the client knew to get the best from say, Europe or the US, the package would need to be cognisant of those markets.
The long running fiasco surrounding the appointment of a new coach, post RWC 2023, is one of many glaring examples of a management process not knowing what to do. I understand the Board has a sub-committee responsible for overseeing the process of appointing the AB Coach post RWC 2023? All that sub-committee had to do was copy the practice of many large corporates who regard the process of appointing senior executives as ongoing. It is a process that does not involve advertising, nor media involvement of any sort. It is a process run by a competent head-hunter whose job is to find the best possible candidate or candidates. And no one would know the replacement work was being undertaken until the announcement of the successful appointee.
Whatever result Foster’s team delivers at RWC 2023, the coach replacement fiasco has made his task so much harder. If the NZRU were a public company, the share price over the last period would have tanked to the extent that shareholders would be demanding directors’ resignations. Dame Patsy Reddy has her work cut out.