Analysis: Five priorities for the new All Blacks head coach

Scott Robertson is gone after only two years and changes are required at the All Blacks ahead of a challenging period which includes an arduous tour of South Africa and a World Cup in Australia.

Here are five issues his replacement must immediately address:

Scott Hansen, Jason Ryan and Tamati Ellison remain employed by New Zealand Rugby – the organisation’s recent release announcing Scott Robertson’s demise made that clear – but they will be on tenterhooks until they get the nod or otherwise from the new head coach.

The feedback on their performances was clearly better than that shared about Robertson but they entered their roles knowing their future with the team was inextricably linked with him and will know that nothing is guaranteed.

The early departures of former assistants Leon MacDonald (in 2024) and Jason Holland (last year) were red flags that all was not well within the All Blacks coaching environment.

Will the new head coach want to sweep a broom through the whole environment? Will the new head coach be given licence to do so by NZ Rugby?

Some continuity would presumably be advantageous – certainly it has previously been encouraged by the organisation.

Insiders say recent media reports about Ardie Savea giving an ultimatum to NZ Rugby that he would leave the All Blacks should Robertson continue were overblown and based solely on innuendo, and that the vice-captain, who is contracted until the end of next year, never intended to leave early.

The question remains about the captaincy, though, and Savea appears a better fit than incumbent Scott Barrett on several levels.

The 32-year-old, who scooped all the nation’s major rugby awards last year, is an inspirational and influential figure and appears far more comfortable in the spotlight than Barrett, Robertson’s man from their Crusaders days.

One of NZ Rugby’s priorities is selecting a head coach who can unite a diverse management and playing group and one of the head coach’s first tasks will be to select a captain who can do likewise.

Savea appears to be the obvious choice and such a change – if handled properly –could lead to a return to form of Barrett, who remains one of the best locks in the game.

The All Blacks lost three times last year – a humiliation against the Springboks in Wellington, a defeat to Argentina in Buenos Aires after a victory a week earlier in Cordoba, and a comprehensive loss against England at Twickenham.

The second-half meltdown against the world champions at the Cake Tin apart, perhaps the biggest indication that all was not well was that loss in London which, while not entirely predictable, was certainly not surprising.

A clue was in Steve Borthwick’s bench which appeared far more capable of providing impact than the All Blacks’ –and so it proved.

Last season began with a victory over France in Dunedin and elements of promise around the All Blacks’ backline attack and use of space. Unfortunately, those promising signs did not amount to much – at least not consistently.

Robertson was curiously conservative with his selections, including his bench. Like him, the new head coach will be under intense pressure to win from the start but some signs of innovation would be reassuring.

The new coach must also incorporate the returning Richie Mo’unga, a man who left the international scene in 2023 as perhaps the best No.10 in the world, into his plans.

The All Blacks under Robertson were notable for inconsistent performances but this category should be widened to include off-pitch decision-making.

Nothing creates distrust and division like inconsistencies in the handling of off-field issues and there were widespread rumours about unhappiness arising from the differences in treatment of Damian McKenzie for missing a long-distance bus ride in San Diego and Ethan de Groot’s missed curfew in Japan – both in 2024.

De Groot was dropped. McKenzie was not.

Robertson admitted the All Blacks were not as good as South Africa under the high ball last year.

We’ll probably never know how he planned to improve this but it will be a priority for the incoming head coach because, like it or not, changes to the laws mean winning the aerial battle will be increasingly important over the next two years – during which the All Blacks will play four Tests against South Africa (in 2026) and a World Cup (in 2027).

France in Christchurch on July 4

Italy in Wellington on July 11

Ireland in Auckland on July 18

Stormers in Cape Town on August 7

Sharks in Durban on August 11

Bulls in Pretoria on August 15

South Africa in Johannesburg on August 22

Lions in Johannesburg on August 25

South Africa in Cape Town on August 29

South Africa in Johannesburg on September 5

South Africa TBC on September 12

Australia in Auckland on October 10

Australia in Sydney on October 17

Scotland TBC (away) on November 8

Wales TBC (away) on November 15

England TBC (away) on November 22