KEY POINTS:
The timing of the independent review of the All Blacks' ill-fated 2007 World Cup campaign always meant it was destined to be a footnote. To be anything else, it would have had to be completed before the New Zealand Rugby Union chose a coach for the next two years.
Its release yesterday had the capacity to embarrass Graham Henry, the reappointed coach, only if it was excoriating in tone. It is not quite that but, equally, it is far from a whitewash. The review's authors, Sport and Recreation New Zealand official Don Tricker and lawyer Mike Heron, have put pressure on Henry to learn rapidly from his mistakes.
They identify that at the heart of the All Blacks' quarter-final defeat by France in Cardiff was the collapse of the much-touted leadership programme. "In the dying minutes of that critical game, the leadership model failed to deliver what was its most important objective _ decisions which give the best chance of winning the game." At that time, six of the 10-strong leadership group were, for various reasons, off the field. Nonetheless, this was a serious meltdown, part of the blame for which must lie with the coaching staff. There were other examples of inadequate preparation, such as the decision not to "push the emotional button" before the match. The knock-out nature of the World Cup and France's knack of upsetting the All Blacks suggest this was not a time for relying on clinical efficiency.
The failure of that leadership model may have created a temptation to suggest a return to a more traditional policy. But the one-leader, follow-me approach has also been problematic. Indeed, failure of leadership is a recurring theme of All Black rugby. It goes quite some way to explaining why the World Cup has not been won since 1987. Importantly, therefore, the report delves deeper to discover serious shortcomings at lower levels. It concludes that the leadership and mental preparedness approach of the All Blacks must be integrated across all levels of professional rugby down to age-group national sides. Achieving this will be crucial to future success.
The other major criticism, that of the conditioning programme, is based, similarly, on poor execution. The review says the coach was given too much leeway for what was an untested and thus risky exercise. While conditioning was based on a sound premise, its implementation was not "optimal". It suffered from a one-size-fits-all approach, while any improvement in performance was negated by dented confidence because of the extended absence from rugby and flawed reintroductions to the Super 14. Remedying that, mainly by limiting the domestic playing plans of leading All Blacks, should be relatively straightforward.
The review will doubtless be criticised for going outside its brief to investigate the performance of referee Wayne Barnes. It need not be defensive about this. His display, especially the failure to award the All Blacks a single penalty in the second half, despite their dominance, had, as the review suggests, "a significant impact". But the authors are less convincing in suggesting that winning the World Cup was over-emphasised by the rugby union, and that future planning should be lower key in terms of player and public awareness.
The World Cup will always be the pinnacle of rugby achievement, and the next one will be held here in 2011. Like it or not, expectations will be high, whatever the rugby union does. There is immediate pressure, therefore, on Henry to start moulding a winning team. He would probably not have that opportunity if this report had been timed properly. Much of what he attempted was clearly on the right track, but sizeable mistakes were made. He is on notice not to repeat them.
