NZRU need faith if All Black bandwagon is to keep on rolling

Wayne Smith

Sport does crazy better than any other field, even politics. The Black Caps get smashed in Australia and coach John Bracewell earns a contract extension. The All Blacks go undefeated on tour and hammer France in Paris and coach Graham Henry earns nothing more than a slap on the back.

The irony will have not been lost on Henry, who will only know at the end of next year whether the New Zealand Rugby Union want him to carry on.

It's not crazy that New Zealand Cricket have extended Bracewell's contract. He stands out as the best candidate. Also, this Australian side ranks as one of the best ever to play the game.

What is crazy is the NZRU's refusal to come in line with the rest of the rugby world and give coaches four-year contracts.

The policy has angered All Black assistant coach Wayne Smith, who had a swipe at the NZRU last week. "That's the way they do things. I think it's very short-sighted," he said to London's Daily Telegraph.

Like Bracewell, Henry is the obvious man for the job. His first year has been far from perfect, but early mistakes have been addressed. Assuming, and there is every reason to believe they will, the All Blacks progress from the platform created in Europe, Henry should be re-appointed.

Why not, then, act early and extend it now?

Warren Smith, a lecturer in sports psychology and coaching at Massey University, believes it won't happen: "Rugby is one of the youngest professional world sports, therefore the administrators are lacking in maturity in how they develop their systems.

"They don't understand the dynamics of professionalism. It will probably be another 10 years before the maturity is there.

"The difference between New Zealand and Australia is that the Australian Rugby Union is a learning organisation. Even in the face of defeat the whole organisation takes the cue they have to learn from their mistakes and apply them to another setting.

"Their coaches have a bit more longevity, even though their records may not stack up any better than the All Black coach." That attitude filters down New Zealand rugby's food chain. A couple of losses is usually enough to get the drums beating.

Auckland's NPC coach Pat Lam spent most of this season, his first in the job, hearing how he should be given the boot. Otago's Wayne Graham suffered the same fate. Both survived, just, unlike Manawatu coach Peter Kemp, who was fired after less than 12 months.

As a measure of the short-termism afflicting New Zealand, this year's 10 first division NPC coaches boasted only nine completed seasons collectively with their current teams. What does it say when Kieran Crowley (Taranaki), Vern Cotter (Bay of Plenty) and Aussie McLean (Canterbury), who each completed their third seasons in charge in 2004, are considered veterans?

"It says," according to Smith, "that the coach is always the weakest link. The All Blacks have the 30 best players in the country but you choose one coach who you think might be the best, but is possibly not. You can't fire a team after losing. In New Zealand a coach is pretty much left on his own. By not creating this holistic responsibility chain, it is quick and easy to cut the ties.

"A lot of it has to do with the impatience of people upstairs."

This impatience is understandable but still unforgivable. Coaches require a realistic time frame in which to impose a culture, identify a style and understand their players.

It was only by the end of this year that the new All Black coaching team were getting a handle on their players. Perhaps the coaches overestimated and overtrained them at first.

Coaching is a fluid process. Players and teams evolve. So next year the coaches will learn more again. However, the possibility of Henry, Steve Hansen and Wayne Smith being removed from office just as they are beginning to make progress remains very real.

That is crazy and if the NZRU need to be convinced about the merits of long-term thinking, look at Manchester United.

Last month the club's manager Alex Ferguson celebrated 1000 games in charge.