Mike Eagle, director of the New Zealand RU, recently claimed that the World Cup would not be the deciding factor in who was appointed All Blacks coach. It was the latest in a now growing line of indications that Graham Henry would keep the job, which indeed he did.

Henry has long proven that he is politically saavy.  In 1990 a young ambitious Henry managed to tie a vote to replace Maurice Trapp and Bryan Williams as Auckland coaches - and force a second vote.  This was despite Trapp and Williams having just recorded their third consecutive unbeaten year with the always mighty Auckland provincial team.

Henry's closing argument at the time was that no top-level coach should guide a side for more than three or four years.  He discarded this theory as he remained Auckland coach for six years - ironically the same amount of time he will coach the All Blacks at least.

'Already Richie McCaw has been appointed captain elect. Clearly, as the World Cup evidenced, this All Black team lacks steel and iron-willed leadership. Tana Umaga surely is not proud that his fearsome leadership has not been replicated'


The NZRU now states that the priority of the All Blacks machine is a maintenance of their winning record between World Cups. On the surface of it, that comment is sound. The World Cup now sits in Springbok hands, but ultimately flawed preparations do not erase the most complete four-year Test record in world history.

In 2005 and 2006 the All Blacks won 23 Test matches and lost only two games, with Bledisloe Cups, British Lions whitewashes and Grand Slams won while changing the entire starting XV game to game, along with Tri Nations titles. I  have never seen a rugby team as dominant as they were in those two great years.

Even in 2004, when Henry and backline coach Wayne smith introduced the Randwick style flat backline attack to the All Blacks and they finished last in the Tri-Nations, they quickly re-discovered their menace and destroyed France 45-6 in what many rugby purists labelled the most complete Test-level rugby performance ever seen.

Credit is deserved. Those 42 Test victories in four years mark an achievement that is unlikely to be equalled again in this era.  But the All Blacks suffered their earliest ever defeat in a World Cup to an average French side - and mistakes were made that should not have been.

It was maintained in the NZRU annual 2006 report that the top All Blacks priority (i.e. Henry's central job requirement) was to win the World Cup. The powers-that-be signed off on reconditioning, a NZD $50m World Cup war chest (did that money come at the expense of domestic unions and grassroots?) and  let Henry have his own way with only one goal in mind. Everything he did was done with the sole intention of winning the cup - and he failed.

Not only did he fail, but he refused to take any responsibility for any of his actions. There is clear evidence that his re-conditioning and rotation had its flaws, with All Black stars playing only 10 to 15 games in 2007, and statistically the same year the All Blacks conceded more knock-ons and threw more missed passes than any other top 10 team in the world. Surely a malaise of no combinations?

Henry only admitted that he had made some mistakes after being re-appointed.  But he has still made no indication that there will be drastic changes.  Already Richie McCaw has been appointed captain elect.   Clearly, as the World Cup evidenced, this All Black team lacks steel and iron-willed leadership.  This is despite the World Cup squad containing no less than three former All Black captains and two Super 14 captains.  Tana Umaga surely is not proud that his fearsome leadership has not been replicated.  

One only has to look at the immense strength of the New Zealand Super 14 squads to know that the post World Cup All Blacks will still be powerful.  Far more so than any of the other nations, all of whom have suffered retirements and 'defections' to Europe. This will be one aspect where Henry's rotation policy will bear obvious fruits. 

But will he select men who have been in favour with him these last few years and rotate them?  Surely the first thing he needs to do is restore the mana to the famous Black jersey and hand out jerseys to the best XV players in the country and sack them if their form drops.  That would be far more aggressive rotation that would bring out the best in his team.

Oscar Wilde once remarked: "Everybody who is incapable of learning has taken to coaching."  Considering that Henry and his men in black's first significant test of 2008 is becoming more than likely to be against a Robbie Deans-coached Wallabies, this theory will be put to the litmus test.

Will there be blood on the NZRU floor if this occurs?