All Blacks: Henry told - don't be so grumpy

All Black coach Graham Henry is hard to convince he needs to lighten up. Photo / Sarah Ivey

The New Zealand Rugby Union has tried to soften Graham Henry's image by encouraging the former headmaster to be less "principally".

The revelation is included in a 12-part series starting next week on nzherald.co.nz, The State of Rugby in New Zealand, an investigation of the issues facing the sport a year out from the World Cup.

In a piece about the All Black coaching panel, NZRU chief executive Steve Tew tells of how it can be difficult to explain to the All Black coach that he is sometimes perceived as taciturn.

"Graham Henry gets nothing but positive interaction with New Zealanders," Tew said. "So when we're talking to him about perhaps his image and how we would like him to not be so principally and grumpy, at times he doesn't get it because when he talks to people they are very positive."

The All Black coach features widely in the series, delivering a further mea culpa over the failed policies surrounding the World Cup campaign in France. "A lesson we learned from 2007 was when we took players out of the Super 14, it wasn't the best thing to do," Henry said.

The "cotton-wool club" decision probably had ramifications on the field, but it was the wedge driven between the Super 14 franchises and the All Black management that was potentially the most damaging aspect.

Said Henry: "Working very closely with the Super 14 franchises, their management, their player management and their coaches is critical."

STATE OF RUGBY

* To watch the series go to nzherald.co.nz/rugby.
* Part one, Criticising Rugby, begins on Monday.