Former All Blacks head coach Steve Hansen has described the relationship between New Zealand Rugby, the organisation's board, and New Zealand’s professional players as “probably the worst it’s ever been”.
In an interview with Today FM’s Tova O’Brien on Thursday morning which will put more scrutiny on NZ Rugby and its board after the All Blacks slumped to the recent series loss to Ireland - a continuation of poor results under head coach Ian Foster - Hansen was scathing of the organisation's performance.
"The relationship between the board and the [executive] with the players at the moment is probably the worst it's ever been," said Hansen, who was an All Blacks assistant for the team’s World Cup triumph in 2011 and in charge for the repeat effort four years later in the United Kingdom."
There was a lack of transparency and a disconnect, he said.
"I don't think they are doing their job right at the moment.”
"There have been a lot of reviews of [former Blacks Ferns coach] Glenn Moore and Ian Foster on their coaching ability recently but when was the last time the NZ Rugby Union did a review on itself? Our high performance department at the moment has to be squirming about our record at under-20 level.
"We haven’t won a tournament. We started off with the under-20s in 2008, we won the first four and we won in ’15 and ’17. Since then we’ve finished seventh and fourth and England and France have dominated the tournaments. Are we getting that side of our business right? I don’t think so."
The former All Blacks coach defended his successor Ian Foster. (Source: 1News)
Moore resigned this year after several poor results by the Black Ferns on their northern tour last year and a review into his and his management's handling of hooker Te Kura Ngata-Aerengamate, who claimed she had a mental breakdown during it.
"We talk about he tangata, he tangata… it’s the people, it’s the people," Hansen added.
"I didn’t see much of that in protecting Glenn Moore and Ian Foster – we still don’t know what happened with Glenn Moore. Glenn coming out saying there were a whole lot of lies spoken. They’ve come out and aired all their dirty washing at the front part of the property rather than the back.
"Their job as an organisation is to run it with strength and leadership but do it in a way that looks after the people that work for you otherwise you’ll end up with a high turnover of staff which I think they’re having at the moment."
Hansen, the All Blacks' head coach between 2012 and 2019, said the issues were being reflected on the field and he harked back to 2010-2019 which he said was the All Blacks’ most successful era.
"The board and exec were humming - there was complete togetherness and connection with the actual All Black team,” Hansen said.
Asked about Foster, Hansen said: “I think all good coaches go through adversity in their career and we’re seeing that now with Ian Foster.
“He won’t be happy with how things have gone of late but I don’t think the issue is just inside the team I think there are bigger issues than that.
"I'm probably sitting in the seat best to be able to quantify whether he is a good coach or not, because I coached with him for 16 years at the highest level. He is a very good coach".
"I don't think the issue is just inside the team, I think the issue is bigger than that."
Hansen also had a crack at the media’s performance over the past few weeks regarding the criticism of Foster, saying: "It's not acceptable to write or say things on social media that are cruel, nasty, malicious, spiteful, vicious…straight out bullying really.
"It’s the world we live in now with trolling. There’s no care or consideration of the person you’re writing about or their family. I can guarantee you that the people doing it had it done to them they’d melt away in the corner. We’re better than that in New Zealand but, unfortunately, we get emotional."
The interview came in the wake of the news that Crusaders head coach Scott Robertson wants to coach both the All Blacks and another nation to World Cup victories.
Robertson, wildly successful with the Crusaders with six championships in six years, was knocked back for the top All Blacks job in 2019.
Foster has since contracted Robertson’s forwards coach Jason Ryan after axing John Plumtree and backs coach Brad Mooar.
Asked whether Robertson would be a good fit for the All Blacks or whether the Crusaders' coach needed overseas experience first, Hansen said: "I think as long as you are flexible in your thinking and you develop your rugby mind as you go, you can do that here in New Zealand, or you can do it overseas.”
Hansen also criticised former NZ Rugby chairman Brent Impey's decision to "roast the players" over their wariness over the Silverlake deal, but said NZ Rugby chief executive Mark Robinson needed more time in the job.
"Why Steve Tew was let go in 2019 when a new coach came on board, I can’t fathom it – and again that’s a board decision.
"Mark Robinson is going to be a good CEO. However, everyone is into Sam Cane about his captaincy, I remember in 2007 that Richie McCaw was the worst captain we’ve ever had according to the media and public but he went on to be the greatest captain we’ve ever had. He’s the only rugby player to lift the World Cup twice [as captain]."
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