All Blacks assistant coach Leon MacDonald quits midway through Rugby Championship
Thursday, 22 August 2024
All Blacks attack coach Leon MacDonald has quit after five tests.
Head coach Scott Robertson said the pair held differing views on coaching and ‘it wasn’t working’.
MacDonald won’t be replaced.
All Blacks assistant Leon MacDonald has quit his job midway through the Rugby Championship due to a clash of coaching styles with head coach Scott Robertson.
New Zealand Rugby said discussions between Robertson and MacDonald on their “working approach” have been taking place for several weeks, with the pair agreeing to mutually part ways.
The All Blacks made the bombshell announcement as they prepare to travel to South Africa for back-to-back tests against the world champion Springboks.
The shock coaching change comes after the All Blacks split their two home tests against Argentina.
They suffered a surprise loss in Wellington in their opening game of the Rugby Championship but bounced back in style to register an emphatic bonus point win in Auckland last weekend.
“Leon and I have been having some honest conversations with each other for a little while now,” Robertson said.
“As coaches we have differing views and both agreed it wasn’t working. Leon and I both care deeply about the All Blacks and we believe we’ve made a decision that’s best for this team.
“There’s a huge amount of respect and appreciation for Leon in the group and the work he’s put in to get us to this point in our journey.
“As a team we have acknowledged that contribution and our focus now needs to be on South Africa, it’s going to be two tough test matches over there.”
A former All Blacks fullback, MacDonald was recruited by Robertson to oversee the attack after coaching the Blues at Super Rugby Pacific for five years.
The Blues ended their 18-year trophy drought when they won the Super Rugby Trans Tasman competition under MacDonald in 2021 and reached the grand final when the full Pacific format resumed in 2022.
Before joining the Blues in 2019, MacDonald served as an assistant to Robertson at the Crusaders. He also coached Tasman in the NPC.
The All Blacks’ attack failed to fire in their first two tests of 2024, which ended in narrow victories against England.
But the change has been made after the All Blacks produced arguably their best attacking performance since Robertson took charge, after running in five tries during a 35-3 first-half blitz against the Pumas in Auckland.
The one-sided first half set the All Blacks up for a comfortable 42-10 win, extending their unbeaten run at Eden Park to a staggering 50 matches.
MacDonald won’t be replaced. Instead, assistant coach Scott Hansen and contact skills coach Tamati Ellison will take on additional responsibilities.
The All Blacks also have former Hurricanes coach Jason Holland on board as a specialist attack coach.
Chris Lendrum, NZ Rugby’s head of professional rugby and performance, admitted Robertson and MacDonald were not aligned in their coaching views.
The All Blacks players were informed of the change on Thursday morning, before it was made public.
“You’ve got two great coaches who have been having some robust but constructive discussions on the approach to drive the All Blacks over a period of time now,” Lendrum said.
“Ultimately, they have made a brave decision that they believe is best for the team.
“Leon is a highly regarded coach and has made a huge contribution to rugby across a number of teams in New Zealand, and we’d love to have him back in our system in the future. For now, I’d like to thank him on behalf of NZR and wish him all the very best.”
The All Blacks are due to travel to South Africa this week ahead of their next match against the Springboks in Johannesburg on September 1 (NZT).
Blues pair Patrick Tuipulotu and Stephen Perofeta have been ruled out of the trip due to ongoing calf injuries.