Blues coach Leon MacDonald will take the reins for the All Blacks XV. Photo / photosport.nz
For much of 2023, New Zealand Rugby’s handling of the All Blacks coaching situation has overshadowed anything else the game has had to offer. Now the dust has settled around Scott Robertson’s appointment, Blues coach Leon MacDonald has a message for New Zealand’s rugby fans.
“I feel like we can now just get on and support the All Blacks wholeheartedly in the World Cup, and Fozzie [coach Ian Foster] and the team deserve New Zealand’s support,” he said.
“The soap opera is done and dusted now, and I think we’re all looking forward to seeing the All Blacks play in France and get the job done.”
The soap opera is yet to see its final act play out, however, and MacDonald is one of several characters who appear set for a leading role.
MacDonald has widely been linked to a role within Robertson’s coaching team, as he was a part of the Crusaders coach’s ticket when he lost out to Foster in late 2019.
Robertson is yet to announce who will join him in the All Blacks coaching ranks beyond 2023, and when asked about that this week, MacDonald confirmed he had remained in frequent communication with Robertson but did not give anything away as to whether he would be on the ticket this time.
“It’s such a big topic at the moment, and firstly Razor getting the job is great news and I’m stoked for him. I think he’ll do a great job, and he’s been biding his time around the announcement of the assistants,” MacDonald said.
“That’s a big part of his gig. He’s going to assemble his team and he should have the ability to announce that as and when he wants.
“As soon as we’re able to talk a bit more about it, I’d love to chat. But at the moment I’m unable to.”
MacDonald is the latest Kiwi coach to have been asked about potentially joining Robertson, with Crusaders assistant Scott Hansen and Hurricanes coach Jason Holland also being probed about the situation this week.
Holland, along with MacDonald and All Blacks forwards coach Jason Ryan, was part of Robertson’s proposed team when he went for the role in 2019, while Hansen has been a long-serving assistant with Robertson and many have tipped him to land a role within the top team’s system, indicating a coaching cleanout in the not too distant future.
Should MacDonald be a part of Robertson’s plans, he said he was unsure if he would be able to fulfil a role within the All Blacks system as well as his post at the helm of the Blues, though he did indicate he would prioritise any offer to join the national team, noting the black jersey was “the pinnacle in New Zealand”.
For now, however, his focus remained on a jersey of a different colour as the Blues look to bounce back from a loss to Robertson’s Crusaders last weekend in their clash against the Western Force on Sunday afternoon.
MacDonald has made a host of changes to his side this weekend, with six of the team’s All Blacks rested and a further four unavailable due to injury.
That has opened some opportunities for the young talents in the side to get extended minutes in the starting lineup, including Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens, Zarn Sullivan and Anton Segner, while Stephen Perofeta gets a start at first five with Beauden Barrett out.
Blues: Zarn Sullivan, Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens, Bryce Heem, Harry Plummer (c), Mark Telea, Stephen Perofeta, Sam Nock, Hoskins Sotutu, Adrian Choat, Anton Segner, Cameron Suafoa, James Tucker, Ofa Tuungafasi, Kurt Eklund, Joshua Fusitu’a.
Reserves: Ricky Riccitelli, Jordan Lay, Marcel Renata, Tom Robinson, Sam Darry, Taine Plumtree, Taufa Funaki, AJ Lam/Corey Evans.
Follow the Blues v Force on nzherald.co.nz, Gold Sport, The Alternative Commentary Collective and iHeartRadio