Richie Mo'unga and Jason Ryan celebrate after the Crusaders' victory in the Super Rugby Pacific final. Photo / Photosport
Richie Mo'unga and Jason Ryan celebrate after the Crusaders' victory in the Super Rugby Pacific final. Photo / Photosport
Crusaders chief executive Colin Mansbridge believes Jason Ryan will bring out the best in the players – like he has with the Super Rugby franchise – in his new role with the All Blacks.
Ryan, who has been Scott Robertson's right-hand man and forwards coach at the Crusaders since 2017,was appointed as the newest member of the All Blacks coaching team last week.
The forwards and scrum guru's arrival comes as All Blacks assistant coaches John Plumtree and Brad Mooar were both relieved of their duties following a string of disappointing performances by Ian Foster's side.
While Ryan's departure will be a big blow for the Crusaders, Mansbridge said he was happy for the coach to have an opportunity to take his skills to the international arena.
"We're just so stoked for the guy," Mansbridge told Newstalk ZB. "He has been a key part of the whole environment in the last six years. And he's grown; he'll tell you himself how much he's grown over that period and the few years before.
"A touch of sadness to see him go but he's only going to the All Blacks, it's not like he's going to the moon. In the same way that some of the old specialist coaches have been around, we hope to see him in and around the environment in the future, as well as in other environments."
Mansbridge added that Ryan's new role with the All Blacks is a testament to his hard work and attention to detail.
"Jason's an exceptionally hard worker and he's really good on detail. I think that's the thing that's stood him in good stead. He's just been really really good on detail and really really courageous around that detail and exploring as much as he possibly can. It's a testament to him and his hard work."
Following Ryan's appointment, Foster said the players' respect for the incoming coach and his work with the Crusaders was a big reason behind him joining the All Blacks.
"Players have a lot of belief in him [Ryan] as a person and a coach. He's done a great job, particularly the last couple of years with the Crusaders," Foster told Sky TV's The Breakdown.
"Primarily, early on, he's going to have a clear focus around the lineout, driving play and defence."
Richie Mo'unga and Jason Ryan celebrate after the Crusaders' victory in the Super Rugby Pacific final. Photo / Photosport
Ryan will bring a much-needed fresh voice to the All Blacks environment, but it's how he deals with players and his ability to teach and listen that could prove to be his most valuable skill, says Mansbridge.
"The interesting thing isn't the voice but it's as much about the ears – and Jason's got some lovely ears by the way. It's as much about the ears as it is the voice, and it's sort of the way the questioning is done, seeing the opportunity and creating some clarity through effective questioning. It's sort of traditional pedagogy or teaching, and he's really good at that.
"He'll see stuff and he'll share it and quiz the players on it. They're very engaged. He almost creates them thinking in their own voices and that's pretty special actually. He's got a really nice manner of doing it.
"I've observed him a bit myself and I love the way he tests, challenges and encourages, but he also asks questions and gets [players] to look and search. I think he's a really good exponent of getting them to ask themselves. That's a good way of picking up another voice."
The next job for Mansbridge is the difficult task of replacing Ryan – "he's going to be some really big shoes to fill, no doubt about that" – but the Crusaders boss also admitted the prospect of having to replace their head coach has been in the back of the mind.
Asked if there were plans if Robertson – one of the most highly rated head coaches in world rugby who has himself expressed a desire to one day coach the All Blacks – were to leave the franchise in the near future, Mansbridge said it was something "we're always thinking about".
"There's no doubt we're always thinking about it. Sometimes some things happen and I think it's just about breezing and working through it. But we're always thinking about it but we don't have plans at the moment, that's for sure."
