Blues 2019
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I agree I'd like to see a new forwards coach come in (ideally Coventry). The scrum has actually improved this year under Afeaki i'd keep him as scrum coach but yes the maul defense continues to be poor.
I fear though that with the 2nd coaching appointment not yet named it will be underwhelming and not a forwards coach - like a lesser known skills coach or something.
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@bovidae said in Super Rugby News:
Dave Ellis is listed as the skills coach so is his head on the chopping block? Or does Tana assume the role of backs coach in the current coaching team?
Umaga doesn't have responsibility for a single area. He opted to have specialists beneath him and take a hands off approach this year.
I think the Sunwolves loss was the catalyst for that. Thats the only time I can remember him taking responsibility and he said he would review his input. -
@kiwimurph It'll be the reconfirmation of Tana, won't it?
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@kiwimurph The lengths of the appointments will be quite interesting - as could be the titles.
I wonder if they might "promote" Tana to "Director of Coaching" or something?
I'm really wondering what they've used as a carrot for Leon to go up there. Another Super Assistant's job doesn't seem like an upgrade - especially given the high risk of tarnishing his Midas touch.
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The second coaching announcement is that Tana gets a year. Not much of an endorsement from Redman and Co.
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LIVE: Blues 2019 coaching appointment media conference will be streamed live at 2pm today on the Blues Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/theblues/
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@wurzel said in Blues 2019:
The second coaching announcement is that Tana gets a year. Not much of an endorsement from Redman and Co.
I'm surprised. The rumour was he was getting extended for two years
The MacDonald appointment still doesn't make much sense from his perspective. He only recently walked away from a similar job.
I wonder if he is taking over as head coach in 2020 and this whole exercise is about protecting reputations? -
Leon MacDonald 3 year deal. Dave Ellis not returning - rest of coaching group to be confirmed - to be made/announced in July.
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MacDonald 3yrs
Shitty Umaga 1 yrDave Ellis is gone
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MacDonald in charge of attack
A different attack/skills coach every year that Umaga has been there (Feeney, Umaga, Ellis now MacDonald)
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@duluth said in Blues 2019:
I wonder if he is taking over as head coach in 2020 and this whole exercise is about protecting reputations?
I'm starting to think this is the case. Umaga talking about continuity of MacDonald being there if he doesn't get another extension
This board did want the Matson/Kirwan deal to happen..
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Umaga giggling at jokes about how shitty the Blues record has been
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The problem for the Blues is not scoring points (although they have scored the least in the NZ conf) but conceding more points. D-fence!!
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@duluth said in Blues 2019:
Umaga giggling at jokes about how shitty the Blues record has been
Look on the bright side mate. Only one more season after this season of his dross!
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I take it the board and CEO are staying as is then. What a shambles. Can't believe Redman still has a job.
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Dead Man Walking. Leon surely is now in charge and they are just managing Tana out (keeping SBW happy until the World Cup?).
If they can get a decent forwards coach as well to work with him, and Jackson can improve defence it will be a big step forward.
As much as I dislike ex-players as coaches, at least this time they have picked one that has improved a team to NPC finalists, and been part of a Super Rugby winning combination. Small things like looking at results like that instead of celebrity status.
Hopefully they will keep Tana out of any more selection choices too.
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I love that they don't want to undo all the hard work and 'experience' by putting a new coach at the helm...
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I just don't understand why he does't quit? I guess he just doesn't care about his reputation at all.
Must be a good pay check.
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@kirwan said in Blues 2019:
I just don't understand why he does't quit? I guess he just doesn't care about his reputation at all.
Must be a good pay check.
He's married to the wrong woman?
Mrs Glover is going to get RESULTS!
(Jesus - what a hellion!).
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@mokey said in Blues 2019:
Can't believe Redman still has a job.
I can't believe he ever got the job. What were the board thinking?
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The irony is that MacDonald could take Umaga's position again and Mitchell and Deans have nothing to do with it this time.
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Well, i was expecting more peoples heads to be exploding after Tana got an extendion but i guess everyone saw it coming.
Leon is a good signing. Hopefully they can upgrade a few of the others too.
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@pukunui said in Blues 2019:
Well, i was expecting more peoples heads to be exploding after Tana got an extension
They are only calm due to my persuasive arguments
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We are waiting to see if Coventry is the new forwards coach.
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@tim said in Blues 2019:
We are waiting to see if Coventry is the new forwards coach.
That's a Crosby Stills and Nash song right there. I'll buy you a virtual beer if you can name it.
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@pukunui said in Blues 2019:
Well, i was expecting more peoples heads to be exploding after Tana got an extendion but i guess everyone saw it coming.
Leon is a good signing. Hopefully they can upgrade a few of the others too.
The other factor is there may be a deeper coaching pool available in 12 months time than there is now. The likes of Gatland, Pivac (if he was unsuccessful getting the Welsh gig) etc. So a 1 year deal for Tana isn't the worst outcome.
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@kiwimurph It's a slightly strange arrangement for Leon.
If the Blues show no improvement, Tana gets the boot and Leon is a contender (but probably a weakened one) for the top job.
If the Blues improve significantly, Tana gets to stay on.
If Tana gets the boot, Leon ends up assisting someone (e.g. Gatland) who might not want him.
I guess there's more to the discussions than what we know - including that there will likely be an AB coaching re-shuffle, which NZ Rugby doubtless have some ideas about the outcome of.
It's been quite surprising the shallowness of applicants for Super coaching jobs in recent times, as well. E.g having to coerce Tony Brown to take on the head coach role at the Highlanders. But, Mauger, Cooper, Tana, Boyd, Razor and Plumtree are largely appointments from inside NZ - Mauger returning (I think?) only because he was sacked.
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@chris-b said in Blues 2019:
@kiwimurph It's a slightly strange arrangement for Leon.
If the Blues show no improvement, Tana gets the boot and Leon is a contender (but probably a weakened one) for the top job.
If the Blues improve significantly, Tana gets to stay on.
If Tana gets the boot, Leon ends up assisting someone (e.g. Gatland) who might not want him.
I guess there's more to the discussions than what we know
Or its a managed departure. Think about that old Matson/Kirwan deal that this board was keen on before switching to Umaga
Kirwan was a failure and after three years they came up with a plan to give Kirwan a soft landing. Recruit an up and coming coach from the Crusaders as an assistant.. the head coach is only extended for one year.. then the up and coming coach takes over in year two.
It may be the same plan but without openly talking about it.
Of course that wouldn't be a rugby decision. It would be a decision designed to protect egos and reputations. Yup, that sounds like the Blues.
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@duluth It would be interesting to know what discussions have taken place and who has been told what.
It would be pretty strange if they've told Leon he's getting the job for 2020, because as Murph notes above, there's likely to be some other pretty good options on the table (though whether someone like Gatland would really be content to come back to spend four years coaching the Blues in the hope of getting a crack at the ABs is a moot point).
NZ Rugby has also had a voice in this - you'd think that if they were managing Tana's departure, they would just have found him another job - could have, for instance, have probably coerced Ta$man into appointing him to replace Leon.
They must have given Leon some sort of carrot though. I can follow his logic from this article - tricky having his family in Blenheim and coaching in Christchurch - and not much prospect of Razor moving on anywhere in a hurry.
But, I'm not sure how his family situation has changed too much. That article says his kids are 11-17, so he's still going to have at least two, probably three, in high school. He's shifting them to Auckland to take up an assistant's job, which is arguably a step down from head coaching in NPC.
There's got to be a carrot!
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RS interviewed Gatland late last year (they replayed a part of the interview this morning) where Gats said it was all about timing with so few jobs in NZ.
He said post RWC, he'll come home, go to the beach, if something is available at Super he will look at it, otherwise he said he could end up back in UK go to France or Japan.
Whereas I think Gifford basically said anyone who thinks guys like him, Schmidt et al are gonna come back and go down to super are kidding themselves.
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@taniwharugby Would have to be a lifestyle choice for Gatland/Schmidt etc.
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@chris-b said in Blues 2019:
@taniwharugby Would have to be a lifestyle choice for Gatland/Schmidt etc.
Or ambition
Take a pay cut, but have a greater chance of being AB coach
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