The All Blacks have announced a significant change to their staff ahead of two Tests against the Springboks, with assistant coach Leon MacDonald stepping down after “some honest conversations” with Scott Robertson.
New Zealand Rugby revealed that head coach ‘Razor’ Robertson and MacDonald have held discussions on their working approach for several weeks.
As a result, the pair have mutually agreed to part ways.
MacDonald was the head coach of the Blues in the Shop N Save Super Rugby Pacific before leaving the franchise to take up an opportunity with the national team.
With MacDonald leaving the All Blacks ahead of two Tests against the world champion Springboks in South Africa, New Zealand Rugby has confirmed that assistant coach Scott Hansen and contact skills coach Tamaiti Ellison will take on more responsibilities for the rest of the year.
All Blacks coach Scott Robertson says he and MacDonald have been having some honest conversations with each other for a little while now.
Robertson says as coaches, they have differing views and both agreed it was not working.
He says they both care deeply about the All Blacks and believe they have made a decision that is best for this team.
Razor says there is a huge amount of respect and appreciation for MacDonald in the group and the work he has put in to get them to this point in their journey.
He says as a team they have acknowledged that contribution and their focus now needs to be on South Africa.
NZR Head of Professional Rugby and Performance, Chris Lendrum says they have got two great coaches who have been having some robust but constructive discussions on the approach to driving the All Blacks over a period of time now, ultimately, they have made a brave decision that they believe is best for the team.
The Springboks host the All Blacks in Johannesburg next Sunday at 3am while the Pumas play the Wallabies in Buenos Aires at 10am.
[Source: Rugbypass]
