By Lucky Vince Pienaar
All Blacks senior coach Leon MacDonald leaving the team, literally days before their most important match after the World Cup, could not have come at a worse time.
Not only is it bad timing for the All Blacks, it’s a bad time for coach Scott Robertson and all of New Zealand rugby.
It makes the mountain the All Blacks have to climb at Emirates Ellis Park so much higher and steeper.
Making matters worse for the All Blacks is that Tony Brown, the coach who is making such a difference to the Springbok team, was expected to go to the All Blacks, but he surprised the rugby world by coming to South Africa instead.
On Monday, less than a week before the first test, the real value of Brown’s decision stands in the spotlight.
Two coaches left the Springboks after the World Cup, but both departed with the best wishes of South Africa and Rassie Erasmus.
While Springbok head coach Jacques Nienaber went to Leinster, fitness coach Felix Jones went to England.
Now Jones has resigned, “with immediate effect”. Again, the timing could not be worse for England head coach Steve Borthwick. England’s tour to New Zealand happens in three months.
It is expected that Jones, the brilliant coach that he is, will be flooded with job offers. There is even talk that he might come back to South Africa – except the Springboks are chock-a-block full of great coaches already, thank you very much.
At player level, the fight about the “possession” of Siya Kolisi rages on, but clearly, Siya and his family want to come back to South Africa.
Steven Kitshoff is already back in the country after a lukewarm effort for Ulster.
While the rugby world waits to see what Rassie will do with his team selection on Tuesday (with the split on the bench being the hot topic), Rassie is spoilt for choice. His only problem is who to leave out.
Second-guessing Rassie is a useless exercise, but expect the unexpected.
On the other hand, Scott “Razor” Robertson, despite New Zealand’s brilliant showing against Argentina, has to decide who to include in the match line-up, not who to leave out.
As much as Razor is downplaying the impact of Leon MacDonald’s departure, don’t underestimate the damage of the senior coach’s resignation. It nudges the odds a little further in the Boks’ favour.
Pictured above: Rassie Erasmus.
Source: Springboks/X
