Ranked: The best (and worst) Blues coaches of all time

(L-R) Leon MacDonald, Sir Graham Henry, Sir John Kirwan, Tana Umaga. Photo / Getty Images.

At the start of this season, Blues fans will have been in one of two minds: that their team is either on the brink of building on last year's Super Rugby trans-Tasman triumph (their first significant silverware, believe it or not, since 2003) or on the cusp of a season which will slowly deflate with all the familiar disappointment of an old balloon which marked a special occasion now long past.

Given the Blues' capacity to disappoint despite a talented squad and excellent early history, both arguments probably have merit. But they turned a corner last year under Leon MacDonald, their victory in Super Rugby TT coming after the Crusaders once again took out the far more intense Super Rugby Aotearoa competition, and the fact that eight of 12 teams will make the Super Rugby Pacific playoffs (two-thirds of the competition, which means making the playoffs is a non-negotiable rather than a real achievement), anything less than an appearance in the grand final in June will be a blow.

Last year's win in the final over the Highlanders at Eden Park was the culmination of a rescue act begun by MacDonald in 2019. The signs are good again. The Blues have again recruited well, have few weaknesses and appear settled and well-organised under MacDonald, who is entering his fourth year at the franchise after taking over from Umaga, who, like many before him, had a difficult time of it.

From being the inaugural two-time champions, the Blues slid into years of mediocrity. From the giddy heights of Carlos Spencer to a whole series of unsuitable No10s including a spectacular roll of the dice on one Benji Marshall. From glorious, stirring attacks under Sir Graham Henry, led by the likes of Michael Jones, Sean Fitzpatrick, the Brooke brothers, Spencer, Eroni Clarke and Doug Howlett, to… well, an often shambolic defence and disinterested work-rate that really had to be seen to be believed.

How important is the head coach in all of this? The records suggest that only the very best Super coaches win titles, and therefore MacDonald must now be considered one of those.

It would be trite to say that it's not an easy gig, but it's worth remembering that gone are the days of 11-match seasons for teams. Covid has made the world smaller, and South Africa's departure from the competition means there is less travel these days but the pandemic has brought its own pressures and complications. There are also more matches and there is more pressure to attract a paying crowd.

Playing squads are larger and with more variance in terms of age and abilities, and a televised first XV competition and Super academy often leave youngsters high on expectation of instant selection if not instant success.

In the age of social media and everyone having a camera in their pockets, the head coach has to be across everything in the knowledge that results are imperative and that his future, and that of his family, could be decided by the bounce of a ball or referee's whistle.

It's true that modern Super Rugby coaches have an army of assistants, physios, mental skills experts and managers, but they all need managing too and the metaphorical buck stops with the head coach. He, and, yes, they've all been male, must also set the vibe of a franchise. Chief executives are nominally in charge (with the grace of the board), but the head coach is the rallying figure.

MacDonald, who initially joined as an assistant before a re-shuffle with Umaga made him the head coach (a pragmatic and, as it turned out, very good decision), is fortunate to have a deep squad, but that's no accident. The former Crusaders' assistant's calculated approach alongside Umaga and Tom Coventry has brought a structure and organisation which haven't been hallmarks of the Blues for more than a decade, and Joe Schmidt's arrival for this season should continue that progress. And that makes the Blues an attractive destination for players.

But where does MacDonald, a former All Blacks fullback, rate in the pantheon of 10 Blues coaches from the start of the competition in 1996? Read on to find out.

10. Jed Rowlands

Rowlands' appointment for the 1999 season (before he was sacked) raised eyebrows as he beat out men who were considered to have more rounded CVs, including John Boe, Maurice Trapp and Mac McCallion. Rowlands, a former school teacher, then endured a season characterised by failure and media leaks instigated by dissatisfied players, many of whom were used only to success (or making finals at least). His appointment reeked of politics and so did his demise. Won four games out of 11, a success rate of just over 36 per cent, which is among the worst at the franchise. A decent man at the wrong place at the wrong time.

Blues coach Jed Rowlands against the Hurricanes in 1999. Photo / Getty Images.

9. Frank Oliver

Oliver, the former All Black and Hurricanes head coach, also lasted one season as head coach in 2001 and won only four of 11 matches, like Rowlands. Oliver, who died at the age of 65 in 2014, was appointed in 2000 as an assistant to Gordon Hunter and took over when Hunter's health faltered. A tough but approachable former Southland lock who never left you in doubt about his opinion on matters, Oliver edges Rowlands due to his involvement with the franchise the previous year.

8. Sir John Kirwan

The effervescent former All Blacks wing came to the Blues for the 2013 season via international roles in Italy and Japan and stayed until 2015 when his coaching career came to an end. After a bright start, Kirwan did not have success results-wise. In fact, his 36 per cent winning record from 18 victories in 50 games is the worst at the franchise. Looking from the outside in, those three seasons were characterised by a charming bewilderment. Kirwan could certainly talk, but his message rarely got through to his players and yet he was instrumental in capturing a young kid by the name of Rieko Ioane virtually straight from school. If anything sums up his entertaining reign it was Kirwan's signing of Benji Marshall as a No10 from the NRL. It didn't work. Such fun.

Sir John Kirwan during the round 10 Super Rugby match between the Highlanders and the Blues at Forsyth Barr Stadium on April 18, 2015. Photo / Getty Images.

7. Tana Umaga

Kirwan's replacement was Umaga, the former All Blacks captain and haka leader extraordinaire, who showed signs of getting the ship back on course before the ship resumed its haphazard course. Between 2016-18 the Blues won 19 matches of 46 for a success rate a touch over 41 per cent. Amid the occasional bright points was far too much mediocrity. A highlight, in terms of public interest anyway, was bringing back Ma'a Nonu for a season – the third time he had joined the Blues. Another pleasant diversion was the franchise's success in the Brisbane Global 10s tournament in 2018. At that point, the club's fans would have taken anything. Made way for Leon MacDonald at the start of the 2019 season while remaining as an assistant. This will be Umaga's final season.

Tana Umaga. Photo / Photosport.co.nz

6. Gordon Hunter

Hunter, the former detective, used to record his own interviews in the media stand-ups outside the Highlanders dressing room back in the Carisbrook days. He used a hand-held Dictaphone with the little tape whirring inside it. I know this for I saw him do it – a wide-eyed callow reporter up from Invercargill for the day and not quite believing what he was seeing. It was done presumably to ensure he wasn't misquoted. Given Hunter's reputation and former job, I doubt he ever was. He died of cancer aged 53 almost exactly 20 years ago, a true legend of the game for his humour and idiosyncrasy. He was a decent coach, too, with a winning record at the Blues in 2000 of more than 54 per cent which back then was pretty good. There are too many stories to tell here but one of my favourites was told by Scotty Stevenson about Hunter being involved in a drinking game organised by the opposition whereby all team members had to hold a hand over an eye and say three words before drinking a can of beer. Hunter, who had a glass eye, did as required. His words? "F*** it's dark."

5. David Nucifora

An Australian import between 2006-08, Nucifora had won a title with the Brumbies in 2004 and was then sacked; the first Super Rugby coach to suffer such a fate. Assisted Peter Sloane at the Blues and then took over in 2006. Nucifora oversaw the departure of disgruntled All Blacks lock Ali Williams, who left for the Crusaders and promptly won a title. There was talk of other player unrest involving Tony Woodcock and Joe Rokocoko. However, Nucifora took the Blues to the playoffs in 2007 and he had a relatively good success rate (for the Blues standards of the day) of more than 57 per cent.

(L-R) Head coach David Nucifora of the Blues in 2008. Photo / Getty Images.

4. Pat Lam

Another whose reign at the Blues ended in bitterness, regret, and in Lam's case, implied conspiracies. Lam was in charge from 2009-12 and his success rate was a touch under 50 per cent. Not great. But he did take the Blues to the playoffs in 2011 – they lost their semifinal to the eventual champion Reds. He was another Blues coach who struck as a good and knowledgeable bloke who simply couldn't get his message across to his players, or make it stick anyway. Went from Auckland to Ireland where he coached Connacht to a first ever major title in 2016 and is now enjoying success at Bristol Bears.

3. Leon MacDonald

Deserves his place in the top three for his success last year after years of under-achievement and his ability to significantly lift the workrate of his players as well as their on-field IQ. Business-like in front of the media – it's a job he clearly doesn't relish but he understands too that it's necessary and occasionally beneficial to his own ends. Appears to enjoy a close relationship with his players. A unique challenge this season will be his operating under the potential burden of expectation his team's recent success brought in the knowledge that he has easily the second best squad in the competition behind the Crusaders.

Head coach Leon MacDonald of the Blues looks on ahead of the round two Super Rugby Pacific match between the Blues and the Hurricanes. Photo / Photosport.co.nz

2. Peter Sloane

Sloane coached the Blues between 2002-05 and rates as the Blues' second best ever coach for his triumph in the final against the Crusaders at Eden Park in 2003. Sloane put a stop to the constant change characterised by the Rowlands, Oliver and Hunter years and that achievement in disappointing the Mainlanders will probably never be forgotten by Blues supporters of a certain age who endured the shock of their team losing the 1998 final at Eden Park to the old enemy, a loss that robbed them of a "three-peat", which the Crusaders promptly did themselves. Sloane's 65 per cent success rate stacks up pretty well, too.

1. Sir Graham Henry

Peerless. As the Blues' first coach, Henry took the franchise to consecutive titles in 1996 and 1997 before the aforementioned upset in 1998, a victory orchestrated by Andrew Mehrtens and a late bounce of the ball that flummoxed Junior Tonu'u. It's worth remembering that the Blues lost only six games under Henry's tenure and that he had a success rate of 82 per cent. A master manipulator and rugby tactician, Henry usually had all the answers and an uncanny sense of timing. After weeks of deflected rumours that he was off to coach Wales, the Blues called a press conference at Eden Park where he announced: "I'm going to Wales and I'm leaving tonight." Many years later he was knighted for effectively watching his exhausted All Blacks hold on 8-7 against France in the World Cup final on the same ground.

Auckland Blues coach Graham Henry talks with his team during the Super 12 rugby union match between the Auckland Blues and Waikato Chiefs, 1997. Photo / Photosport.co.nz