New Zealand rushed Robertson appointment, says Hansen

By Sports Desk March 22, 2023

New Zealand would have been better off biding their time before announcing Ian Foster's replacement, according to former head coach Steve Hansen.

The All Blacks confirmed on Tuesday that Crusaders coach Scott Robertson will succeed Foster after this year's Rugby World Cup in France.

Robertson, who lost out to Foster on the position when Hansen stood down four years ago, has been handed a deal that will run through until after the next World Cup in 2027.

Foster revealed earlier this month he would not be reapplying for the job when his contract expires in November. 

The 57-year-old questioned New Zealand Rugby (NZR)'s decision to find his successor while their tournament preparations are in full swing.

NZR said "significant competition for elite coaching talent" forced them to act now, but Hansen believes that decision may backfire.

"I think they got burned last time so they were worried about that," he told The Platform podcast. "What they didn't take into account was everybody had their coaching sorted.

"In my opinion, they would have been better to wait, but in their opinion they wanted to push the button and they've done that.

"They're in charge of New Zealand Rugby, so it's them that die and fall on these decisions.

"Just like coaches there's got to be repercussions if it doesn't work. If it does work, well they've been super."

Robertson played 23 Tests for New Zealand and has been praised for his work since moving into coaching, having won six successive Super Rugby titles with Crusaders.

That made Robertson an obvious contender to take over as the All Blacks' next head coach, but Hansen questioned NZR's handling of the situation.

"It doesn't come as a surprise because he's been offered the job. [Foster] fought back and maintained it [last year]. He was obviously the prime candidate," Hansen said.

"I don't know who else applied and they're not telling us, so I think [NZR's] leading us in the dark whether there was more than one candidate or not."

New Zealand, who are third in the rankings, begin their Rugby World Cup campaign against hosts France before facing Namibia, Italy and Uruguay.

Related items

  • Ireland making no excuses for All Blacks defeat but will assess 'energy levels' before Argentina Ireland making no excuses for All Blacks defeat but will assess 'energy levels' before Argentina

    Ireland coach Andy Farrell intends to assess the "energy levels" of his players before picking a team to play Argentina as he seeks to ensure his side can have no excuses in a busy November.

    New Zealand won 23-13 in Dublin on Friday, Ireland's first home defeat in more than three years, and Farrell's side will play three more matches before the end of the month.

    Next up are Argentina next Friday, after which Ireland face Fiji and Australia.

    There may be the temptation to make sweeping changes given the result against the All Blacks and a performance that Ireland captain Caelan Doris acknowledged was "not good enough".

    But Farrell is not rushing into any snap decisions, determined to pick a team that will allow Ireland to compete throughout the coming weeks.

    "It's a tough month, four back-to-back games on the trot, so we will see what the energy levels are like," Farrell said.

    "A lot of guys put a good shift in considering their training time, never mind game time, so we'll see how bodies are when we're back in and see what the feeling is like."

    Regardless, Farrell will not allow the schedule to be used as mitigation this month, adding: "We've always prided ourselves on getting up to speed and being as good as we possibly can be first game up, because that is the cards we are dealt with.

    "It doesn't matter if you have had three training sessions and 12 minutes of games or seven consecutive games and 50 training sessions. You try to be your best, and we weren't [against New Zealand]."

  • Winless Sunshine Girls finish sixth at Fast5 World Series after close loss to England Winless Sunshine Girls finish sixth at Fast5 World Series after close loss to England

    Jamaica’s Sunshine Girls concluded their campaign at the 2024 Fast5 Netball World Series in New Zealand with a sixth-place finish. Despite a valiant effort from an inexperienced squad, the Sunshine Girls ended the tournament winless after tough matches on Sunday, the second day of competition, where they faced a formidable lineup of opponents.

    In their opening Sunday game, Jamaica faced defending champions Australia and struggled to keep pace, eventually falling 39-56 to the three-time title holders. Later, they encountered Uganda, who managed a decisive 43-26 victory over the Sunshine Girls. Jamaica's final match of the day was a close showdown against England, where they were edged out 38-36, securing a sixth-place finish for Jamaica.

    The fifth/sixth-place playoff against England was particularly intense, with both teams evenly matched in a low-scoring game. Heading into the fourth-quarter Power Play tied, England's Paige Reed scored a critical four-pointer, followed by more points from Jones. Jamaica kept pushing, with Amanda Pinkney attempting three six-pointers in the closing moments, any of which could have swung the game Jamaica’s way. However, the shots didn't connect, and England held on for a narrow win, securing fifth place with Kelly named Player of the Match.

    Meanwhile, Australia capped off their campaign with a thrilling 34-30 victory over hosts New Zealand, rallying from 15 points down to claim their third consecutive Fast5 title.

    South Africa finished third after defeating Uganda 46-42.

    Looking ahead, the Sunshine Girls will have a chance for redemption when they meet England’s Roses again in the upcoming Vitality Netball Horizon Series, beginning on November 16 in Manchester. This four-match series offers the Sunshine Girls an opportunity to rebound and gain valuable experience against their familiar rivals.

     

     



     

  • Spinners star as Sri Lanka beat New Zealand by four wickets in opening T20I Spinners star as Sri Lanka beat New Zealand by four wickets in opening T20I

    Sri Lanka defeated New Zealand by four wickets in the first T20I of their two-match series in Dambulla.

    Captain Charith Asalanka scored an unbeaten 35 to help the hosts go past the 136-run target set by the Black Caps with an over to spare. 

    After losing opener Kusal Mendis for a duck in the second over, Kusal Perera hit a quick 23 runs off 15 balls, while Kamindu Mendis also added the same amount to the scoreboard as Sri Lanka eased to victory despite losing six wickets. 

    The tourists had struggled on a surface that aided Sri Lanka's spinners, with Dunith Wellalage (3-20), Wanindu Hasaranga (2-20) and Maheesh Theekshana (1-21) picking up six wickets between them. 

    All-rounder Zakary Foulkes, who went on to get his career-best T20I figures of 3-20 with the ball, and Michael Bracewell both scored 27 runs for a youthful New Zealand side, which ultimately lost wickets at regular intervals and could not mount the big score needed to truly test Sri Lanka.

    The two sides will meet again in the second and T20I match on Sunday before the first of the three one-day internationals at the same venue on Wednesday. 

© 2024 SportsMaxTV All Rights Reserved.