Your say: Henry reappointed as ABs coach on Home Services

Jan

Your say: Henry reappointed as ABs coach

posted by admin in Window Cleaning

Has the NZRU made the right decision? Send us your feedback or email editorial@stuff.co.nz and well publish your comments.

RE: King Henrys reign continues
Feedback (latest posts at top):
I know it will be seen as Henry bashing but I hope the Wallabies cream the All Blacks who are totally one dimensional and play to such a strict game plan that they are unable to shift as proved against France.-Gary Wagener
Don%26rsquo;t Blame Robbie. He was treated poorly by the NZRU and deserved to take this opportunity. He has done a fantastic job at the Crusaders. Don%26rsquo;t blame Robbie when the Wallabies beat the All Blacks. He is only doing his job. And if the Aussies win the World Cup in NZ in 2011, we know who put this in place. It was not Robbie, but the out of touch and back protecting NZRU. Don%26rsquo;t blame Jock Hobbs. He acted properly. I just Hope Robbie comes home and coaches the All Blacks one day. This Board will have to go before this will happen though. Good Luck Robbie.-Chris Waldron
I am delighted for Robbie Deans, particularly after the shabby and casual way he was treated by the New Zealand Rugby Union, and I wish him well. I never ever thought I would support Australia when playing New Zealand, despite my grandmother coming from Tasmania and my father being born in Australia, but the Wallabies will have my backing for at least the next four years. Is it possible to get a bet on the next World Cup at this early stage?-Rod Maxwell
I think its okay for Robbie Deans to become Wallabies coach. We just have to accept that he will take a lot of information with him and we will need to change our game dramatically and quickly. We also have ensure he never coaches in NZ again!-Peter
Congratulations to Robbie, and Im glad to see there are no accusations of ship jumping, etc. It worries me though - why does everyone assume that Henry is a useless coach because he lost the World Cup? Personally, I think the NZRFU did the right thing in keeping Henry in the job. We have tossed out good coaches in the past for losing one game. I think the NZRFU are at last showing a little insight, and that continuity of coaching might actually win us the World Cup next time. It is a shame for Robbie, but, as he has shown, he has options elsewhere. Maybe well get him back when Henry retires.-Christine
Our loss is the Wallabies gain. Good on Robbie Deans for offering his services to the All Blacks first. Good on the Wallabies for selecting an excellent coach. I wish Robbie Deans and his family all the very best in this new venture. He will be greatly missed, but always welcome back home again!-Robert
Good on him, I wish him well, He hasnt had great treatment here. There are plenty more heading across the ditch!-Jan %26amp; John
I would say congratulations to Robbie Deans for his new position and up yours to the NZRU. I personally feel he should have been given the All Blacks job. When Mitchell%26rsquo;s team didn%26rsquo;t make it he was sacked but Henry %26ndash; whose team finished worse than Mitchell%26rsquo;s %26ndash; gets reappointed. Go figure!-Paul %26amp; Sharon
Congratulations Robbie, you deserve this appointment, shows that the Aussies know Winners when they see them, and thats why their sports teams have the wood over PC Correct Rock Star teams from Nannie NZ. The best thing you can do now is Take out the Bledisloe and Tri Nations this year, and show the arrogant Morons from the NZRU what they missed out on. THe Master of Disaster Tew has done it again, how many more cock ups is this man going to be involved in and keep his job. Hey Henry how you feeling on your meagre little Salary, even thats too much for you.-Bill
Good luck to Robbie. It is such a shame that NZ rugby is going to be second or third in the world for the next four years. We will not be in our own word cup final, will we be as mature in handling that as France was?-Bruce McLennan
It says more about the incompetence of the NZRU administration than anything else. They appear to be taking their cue from NZ crickets celebration of prima donnas who are perennial international losers. The only thing they can celebrate is the odd player who manages to shine through on the International stage. NZs best AB coaches have been ex-ABs. First there was Fred Allen then there was Brian Lohore. Others, such as Hart and Henry, have been good coaches but never seem to achieve the heights of ex-AB coaches. George Garard
This is another case of what this country has become, a bunch of nannies who cant take responsibility for their failures. It started nine years ago with Aunty Helen and has now affected our sporting bodies. The NZRU are a bunch of losers who are covering their backsides over the backing of Henrys debacle. Jersey devalued with the excuse we needed a larger pool of players, crucifying the Super 14 and Air New Zealand Cup, with the statement, %26quot;Judge me on my World Cup performance%26quot;. Well Henry it appears the NZRU think spending millions of dollars and losing millions of dollars on gate taking is acceptable. Sorry, this lot has to go before we lose more coaches and players, and maybe sponsors. One thing, I will now follow the league and the Wallabies under their new to-be coach Robbie Deans. All this talk about Henrys record, wake up people it was against 2nd rate teams. Bill - an ex supporter
As a kiwi living in Australia I can barely stand the thought of seeing Robbie Deans on the 6 oclock news every night dressed in green and gold. Sure Graham Henry had a fantastic track record prior to the quarter final loss, but isnt the thought of losing Robbie Deans to our fiercest rival combined with his outstanding super rugby track record enough reason to appoint him as the new All Black coach?Disheartened All Black supporter
How can Henry be trusted? %26quot;I wont rotate players in the world cup year%26quot;, %26quot;We will select our best team%26quot;, %26quot;Judge me on the World Cup%26quot;. He simply reapplied to not damage his pride. How can we believe a man that doesnt keep his word? Henry made far too many mistakes in the match that really counted. Not selecting Mauger in the starting team - let alone the bench, resting Jack, telling the team to push for a penalty rather than a drop kick and taking off experienced players such as Kelleher and Collins when cool heads were needed. A bad decision simply to cover the boards backside; something that ONeill will be smiling at - another sight we hate seeing.Sam
I think Henry is the best man for the job. No disrespect to Deans.Surely the players must take some blame for the loss. Perhaps the leader on the field?Suneal Singh
42 wins from 48 starts , one of the most successful All Back coaches, we should not judge him on one tournament. What about the Tri Nations, grand slam, Lions tour? We have short memories and are too quick to put the boot in. We were one penalty from the semi finals. Graham Henry should not be judged on a poor performance from a referee. Brendan
You have to be kidding me Oliver!? Henry buggered off to Wales for a huge pay check after he could not arrest the job from John Hart after the disastrous 1998 season. Deans was sacked (as an assistant) and stayed loyal to coach the Crusaders for another four years %26ndash; taking them to a final in 2004, winning both 2005 and 2006, and a semifinal (with a depleted and hardest hit squad due to the reconditioning programme courtesy of Mr Henry) and you say he is uncommitted. Gee it must be hard having such good players at Deans%26rsquo; disposal%26hellip; I mean Henry has %26quot;a ridiculously over-talented squad of players at his disposal%26rdquo; in the All Blacks and they got knocked out in the quarter finals. Benjamin Trower
As a Kiwi living in Australia I don%26rsquo;t think too many people know what we have to go through over here. We are constantly called %26ldquo;chokers%26rdquo; - and guess what we will be again and probably beaten by a team of Wallabies coached by a Kiwi. Graham Henry always said, judge me on my results at the World Cup. Out in the quarters %26ndash; the worst result in the history of the game and he still keeps his job. John Mitchell got us further than him and also had a good record in the years that he coached, but he got sacked. What will happen if Henry loses a couple of games at the start of next season? The public will call for a change and then who do you replace him with? Gatland in Wales, Deans in Australia and don%26rsquo;t be surprised if Cooper disappears as well. Well done NZ Rugby Union, short- sighted again. From this point on the team will have my support but not the coaching staff. They should have been brave enough to admit they stuffed up and along with the entire rugby union board, should have fallen on their swords.Kevin
I am absolutely delighted with the boards decision to reappoint Graham Henry. Congratulations Henry! I look forward to more of the excellent high quality rugby he provided AB fans with during the past few years. Choice!ST
Unfortunately I was at the game. Afterwards Henry said %26quot;wouldnt change a thing%26quot;.Now he says %26quot;taking the players out of super 14 was a mistake%26quot;. He must think ex rugby supporters are as stupid as the NZRU. Of course he would say that now. Thats what the panel wanted to hear.He wouldnt even require Enoka the choka to advise him on that one. To travel to the RWC from NZ, only to be treated to that sort of rubbish was and will remain an insult. Lets face it, We had 30 of the best from NZ but we didnt have a team. Or a captain for that matter. Henry may have been involved in a few NZ wins, But some of the opposition including Aust and France %26quot;C%26quot; were just plain ordinary. After 50 years as a rugby fanatic including playing, coaching juniors and seniors, and helping at committee level, I am now turning my back on the entire organisation. The NZRU should take note as I am not the only one. Mark Beauchamp, Kerikeri
What a disgrace the NZ Rugby Board is to NZ. Aussie must be delighted that we have rejected a man of Robbie Deans callibre. Henry had his chance and he stuffed it. Yes there were contributing factors but at the end of the day he failed to deliver a winning format and team. Deans was the only man to lead us to World Cup Success. I wish Robbie Deans every success and if he goes to coach the Wallabies, well I think that I will be cheering Aussie on to win the World Cup in NZ. We dont deserve to win if we fail to remove a coach who lead us to a shocking World Cup exit. Henry does have a good overall record but so does Deans. Henry you muffed it retire! Jenny
Congratulations to Graham Henry! What a disappointment to the %26quot;rugby press%26quot;, but now you need to move on! Most polls clearly showed the public preferred Henry,despite the efforts of the %26quot;rugby press%26quot;. The NZRU decided that Henry offered more than Deans,so I am happy with that. Now it will be interesting to see if Deans takes on the Wallaby coaching job,and turns the front-row into a rugby force. Just imagine the ABs playing OZ in ChCh, with Henry in one corner and Deans in the other. Will the Cantabs fill their Stadium to watch that match,and supporting their man in green and gold? Yeah, right. John L, Stanmore Bay
Amazing how the All Blacks coaching appointment can generate so much interest. I am an avid AB supporter but I struggle to see why this appointment could split a nation. Henry has a good record but stumbled at the crucial hurdle, Deans has a history at AB level with the same stumble, whether it is quarters or semis a loss is a loss. Henrys reappointment shows that the board have no vision for the future of NZ rugby, the future I believed lay in the hands of Mr Gatland. Mike T
By reappointing Henry, the NZRU is saying that Wayne Barnes had a lot to do with NZ losing the Cardiff match at the World Cup.Nick, Bangkok
No they have not made the right decision - look at how Clive Woodward bombed with the lions despite longterm success, look at how the Aussies are keen to have Robbie Deans, and how the NZRU has played cronyism.John Geddes
In two minds here - it will be tragic to lose Robbie to Oz but also congratulations to Henry on reappointment, if for no other reason than to shove it to some of the appalling journalists and commentators who have been in %26quot;revenge%26quot; mode at the cost of balance. If the three blind mice hadnt been officiating we wouldnt even be having this feedback. Granted the ABs didnt play well but since when did that fact somehow both legitimise an appalling refereeing display, and totally negate the effect this had on the game and result. Given the same latitude the Frogs were given, Auckland or Canty would have beaten us on the day. Having said that lets hope that the so called experts who advised Henry on how to get the best out of the troops are never consulted again (as with politics the problem is poor advice). Also get rid of the cast of thousands and all reference to - %26quot;brands, moving forward, windows, outcomes, execution (unless its Paddy OBriens) and all other corporate gobbledegook. Its our game not theirs. Get behind Graham and the ABs and lets put it right.Brian, Lower Hutt
I am astounded at the negative feedback regarding Henrys re-appointment as coach. He has an excellent record and the players have confidence in him. It is ridiculous that he is blamed for the WC semi final loss when it was the players (and the ref) that let us down. He is definitely the best man for the job and has proved himself at international level with both the Welsh and the All Blacks. Why are we all still so obsessed with the World Cup anyway? Id rather see the ABs consistently beating the other rugby nations during the 4 years in between (as we have been doing). I still have pride in the black jersey and will continue to be a proud supporter. Shame on all the hotheads saying %26quot;Go the wallabies%26quot; or %26quot;Im now watching rugby league%26quot;… as if they wont be getting chills up their spine the next time they watch the haka! Good luck Graham. I know that youll prove all the nay-sayers wrong. You have my full support.Kerry Perkins
This is absolute rubbish! The NZRFU have forgotten about the greater good of the game. NZ are now poised to lose the very man that could take charge of the Wallabies and have us beaten on our own soil in four years time. The NZRFU have displayed a very dark set of politics within the group to shore up their own admission of guilt that they all got it so wrong, and just in case it really is that bad they have an escape plan that will leave the next coach 24 months to mend 6 years of inept decision making. Horrified ExPat!
I think the reporters who could only see Deans as the next coach have lost touch. The public didnt want it and the NZRU took the wise decision to look at Henrys record overall. How silly to sack someone just because of one game. Get over it. Brent
I cant believe how quickly people forget. 42 victories from 48 matches is a damn good record. Id rather see the ABs consistently the #1 ranked team in the world. Compare us with England; Champions in 2003 yes, but then couldnt win anything worth writing home about for 4 years before finally coming right and reaching the cup finals again. I know which team (and coach) Id rather support. Jimmy C
Sorry to say but agree with a number of comments concerning a poor decision made. The NZRFU have done nothing to counter the fact of public perception that the measure of a successful All Blacks coach is world cup success. Henry has therefore failed miserably. A precedent has therefore been set that failure will be rewarded. Mitchell has every right to feel a disappointed man. Put the NZRFU in the dock.Terry C
Why is everyone upset? Has Graham Henry not won the Bledisloe Cup, Tri-Nations, Lions series and a Grandslam?! Lets be honest here he has a 87% winning record. Everytime NZ fails at the world cup the NZRFU appoint a new coach. Has this helped the past how many times? No, so its good to see they are keeping the faith with the current coaching staff. How anyone can blame Henry for the world cup loss Ill never know? He wasnt the one on the field, he did his best! Thank god Deans didnt get the job or Reuben Thorne and Caleb Ralph would be starting All Blacks! How would everyone feel about that?!!Richard Wilson
Glad to see Henry survived the witch hunt. Why dont they have a similar interview process for the players? Do they not shoulder any blame at all - Im pretty sure they were the ones out on the field. What would the publics opinion be if a failed olympian blamed the coach? Sour grapes? Why are rugby players in this country so untouchable?Chris
I lost interest in rugby when the players werent allowed to play and this just goes to show that there is nothing that will change my mind about watching. I would go to aleast a couple of games a year but wont bother now. I think that there is no longer a All Black team just a New Zealand team. How many hard games have we won, one in SA that we were luckly to win as we were all offside to score the winning try. EX Rugby fan and player since 7 years of age.Bryan
What a cock-up. NZ rugby is on the way out. Australia must be bloody laughing.Gordon
New Zealand rugby has been on a steady decline for quite some years… now this is the final kick in the teeth. New Zealand, forget about ever winning the World Cup. Forget about being Number One in the world. Forget about being a rugby nation. It is truly over.Ryan Carleton
I agree with Roy, this whole debacle is nothing more than a back scratching exercise, and a PR exercise to try and vindicate the Board of the NZRFU for their own failures. This so called application process has wasted many peoples time, having been in a similar employment position myself where the outcome is already decided, I find it sick that the NZRFU board can get away with this sort of rubbish. What I also find very curious is how he can be re-appointed while there is currently a review of his world cup campaign going on? Will be a very interesting next few years. I am sure Heartland rugby will be jumping in their boots with joy.BFT
Absolutely they made the right decision. How many times have each of us messed up and weve been given a second chance to find that we are better and stronger and more focused than ever before. Remember too that Graham Henry isnt the one of the field playing the game - thats up to the other 15 guys who go out onto the field. There is no %26quot;I%26quot; in team - weve got to stop using the coach as the fall guy all the time. We all thought GH was the greatest when we won everything else. One mistake does not outweigh all the good that has been achieved. You learn from your mistakes not your wins. Come on NZ, get over it and move forward.Denise M Steele
Bugger! If this means Bye Bye to Robbie then it probably means Bye Bye to the Bledisloe cup as well.What a disaster! Sandy F
I applaud the re-selection of Henry as coach. Using the wise words of Jerry Collins I can summarise the findings of the Independent Board even though the pair have yet to start. Jerry was quoted before the loss to France: %26quot;If we win (the world cup), then it (the re-conditioning) worked. It we dont it didnt%26quot;. I agree with Jerry. When one looks back at the previous (2005 and 2006) two seasons the rotation was clearly working. We easily swatted aside the Lions, won the Tri Nations and Bledisloe Cup. We also prevailed in all tests in Europe (when notably Australia and South Africa did not). The difference this season was the conditioning theory, which was new and an experiment. And that proved our undoing - not the rotation policy. We lacked match fitness and intensity when we played France. During the Tri Nations there were signs we were under done. Not by much but enough to suggest we were vulnerable. To be sure some niggly things got in the way in France too. The jersey saga was badly handled by the IRB at the world cup with respect to matches against Scotland and France. The selection of Wayne Barnes as ref and his subsequent poor performance (which cost us 16 points I might add) in the quarter final was another IRB error. The review will pick up all this I am sure. Stephen

Henrys re-appointment is the NZRU admission of complicity in failure, guilt and ineptitude tinged with an un-said but arrogant challenge to the naive rugby public. %26quot; So…. what are you going to do about it?%26quot;SJT
Henry had the Welsh and his biggest claim to fame there was selecting former AB Shane Howarth who turned out not to be remotely Welsh. Then he had the best Lions side since at least the 1970s and couldnt beat Australia. Then took the ABs to their worst ever RWC performance. The NZRFU has a lot to answer for…didnt we get some new ones in after we lost the RWC hosting rights in 2003. Apparently they have the same arrogant mindset.Jon Henderson
Thank God, a victory for common sense. Graham Henry is the best coach available for the position and therefore deserved the job. Robbie Deans can wait his turn or even bugger off overseas if he is so uncommitted to NZ rugby, just like that arrogant idiot John Mitchell. Lets see how well he does without a ridiculously over-talented squad of players at his disposal. As for the All Blacks, they became the greatest team in the world under Graham Henry and remain so, the world cup result doesnt change that. Id rather that the All Blacks were consistently the best team in the world than simply giving a good showing at an uninspiring, mismatched tournament once every four years.Oliver
There is a large contingency of expats over in Australia from NZ, and me personally and many others can not believe the absolutely arrogance of the panel of board directors for NZ rugby. For the reinstatement of Graham Henry, theres the old saying that you %26quot;can lead a horse to water%26quot;, but I guess that can be re-written as%26quot; NZ cant win a world cup, but we sure as hell can reinstate an old war horse%26quot;. Its a sad day for NZ rugby and All blacks with this decision, if Robbie Deans does go to Australia I will transfer my loyalty behind Deans and support the wallabies? Something I thought I would never do?Damien Callaghan
While some people will undoubtably be saying that overall Henrys record was very good - the fact of the matter is although the All Blacks have won a significant number of games during his tenure, the All Blacks never looked really completely convincing. Game after game while we would celebrate the win the overall feeling was, %26quot;Good, but if we want to win the World cup we need to lift our game, lower the error rate, improve our handling and build a cohesive team%26quot;. That simply never happened. We never saw any of the flashy set moves that we have come to expect from our team. Throughout the last season the players looked stilted almost stifled as if they were unable to play their natural game. The understanding between players and the flair that we had come to expect from the All Black backline from the days of Merhtens and Marshall was never there. But what can you expect from a group of players who never knew one day to the next who would be playing in what position. While I understand completely the need for developing depth and bringing through players at the highest level how can we claim to be doing this by not giving players time on the paddock. Its not just that players didnt get time in the All Black jersey but that they lacked time in any jersey. How ironic that Mr Henry the great advocate of rotation re-applied for his position. Maybe he should stick to his personal ideology and rotate. Kate
The decision to reappoint Graham Henry to the All Blacks makes a complete joke of the NZ Rugby Union and its Board. Grahams main plan was to win the world cup and this plan was in progress two years out from the cup, he said he didnt mind losing as long as they won the world cup. He brought in the reconditioning programme which failed, obvious in the fact that no All Blacks fired at all after the programme and injuries were a common place in those that did the programme. The rotation policy did not give the team a chance to gel or get a pattern of play going and this was the most evident part of the whole team throughout 2007. His decision to leave Aaron Mauger out of the backline in the world cup final was his biggest error in his coaching history. Not one player in the backline showed any leadership in the final ten minutes and a good coach would have insured that his players were able to stand up and count in the big games, our guys cant do that and it showed. If a company put someone in charge of a project and the project fails poorly because of poor leadership and direction bringing embarrassment and international laughter to the company, would you honestly consider keeping that person in a job? If you did then YOU should resign. Henrys world cup record will speak for itself, worst result in world cup history. Paul Fahey
A victory for commonsense. To my mind, retaining Graham Henry is the right decision. Along with Steve Hansen, Wayne Smith and Robbie Deans for that matter, he is as good a coach as any around. So what would we gain from removing him? Lessons learnt. Move forward. Daniel Buckley
Well done NZRFU. I think Graham Henry is the man for the ABs. If Deans goes to Coach Australia then we know where his loyalties lie, not with NZ. With so many of the longtime ABs leaving, it will be a fresh start with so many good young talent coming through. Good luck Graham, Steve and Wayne.Linda Woodcock
What a relief. I think the NZRU has made the right decision, Bad luck Robbie Deans but the Better man won the Position. Im glad their some common sense still left in the old crows board room. Why fix what wasnt broken? Why start again when we have accomplished so much in the 4 years of All black rugby with graham Henry as coach. Have we all forgotten the a accomplishments we have gain/won? Bledisloe Cup, Tri-Nations trophy, rare Grand Slam, Depth to name a few. Due to Graham Henrys methods when have the Best rugby players in the world, every position was filled with talent three fold. Do we forget the all black where unstoppable and striked fear into all that played them no matter where they played? I have been Watching the build up to the reappoint meant of Graham Henry and I believe he has gotten a raw deal from the media for the World Cup lost, has any one heard the term %26lsquo;Guilty By Media. The facts stand, Henry has more and has done more for NZ Rugby more than any other coach, why sack him for One poor performance? Bad luck for Robbie but really he looks amateur compared to Henry and his All Blacks Luke H
Graham Henry - right choice. Robbie Deans had his chance as number 2 to John Mitchell. If Robbie deans we would go back to having the All Blacks simply being the Crusaders Super 14 side again. Henry brings balance, and players from every point of the compass within New Zealand. Have people forgotten - the slaying of the Lions and the triumphant win of the Grand Slam?Jonathon Hagger
Appalling decision, he stuffed domestic rugby and destroyed combinations in the all blacks and said trust me we will be judged by the world cup result. he has not been judged and more of his arrogance is just not tenable.David Blair
Thanks NZRU!Johno, Brisbane
Whilst the beloved cup was kept out of reach as the ABs planned their premature victory, Henry pulled out all the stops to ensure the team played as well as they had for the last four years. A second chance he deserved, a chance a few All Blacks should be worried they may not be offered the same honor.Ty Weeks, Wanganui
Guttered! Cant believe he is like the Pheonix rising from the ashes, this is a sad day in Nz rugby as well as Nz sportGrant Hamilton

Sad to see the decision made today. We have seen players played out of position, weve seen players rested and rotated. We need to get back to basics. We need to build once more the mana associated with the jersey. I dont believe Graham Henry will adjust much or learn from his mistakes. I dont believe he is the coach to lead the ABs for the next two years. The ABs under his tutelage may well do well, and I believe most New Zealand Top Level coaches would have good records with the ABs, its about excelling and exceeding expectations. we have at times over the last few years looked like we panic and are bereft of ideas when the pinch comes on. What has been done over the last few years to address this? Who will address this? Thats the guy to choose!Andy
I will be one of many people who will be voicing their disappointment over the selection of Graham Henry as the All Blacks Coach. I went to Europe to watch the All Blacks at the World Cup and the word disappointment does not sum up how I felt with the their poor performance. It is now 3 months after the Rugby World Cup and to date no one has taken even the slightest responsibility for their early exit from the World Cup. It appears to myself and many of the Rugby Public that whilst we had our worst performance at the Rugby World Cup we rewarded the Coach by allowing him to retain his role in addition the Captain also retains his role. No one has been held accountable. I have lost faith in the NZRFU. All I can hope for now is that Robbie Deans takes up the position of Coach of the Australian Team and if the All Blacks Lose to Australia then I can only hope that the NZRFU will say we got the appointment of the All Blacks Coach wrong and take the responsibility for that decision.Michael Sortain-Smith
What a relief. I think the NZRU has made the right decision, Bad luck Robbie Deans but the Better man won the Position. Im glad their some common sense still left in the old crows board room. Why fix what wasnt broken? Why start again when we have accomplished so much in the 4 years of All black rugby with graham Henry as coach. Have we all forgotten the a accomplishments we have gain/won? Bledisloe Cup, Tri-Nations trophy, rare Grand Slam, Depth to name a few. Due to Graham Henrys methods when have the Best rugby players in the world, every position was filled with talent three fold. Do we forget the all black where unstoppable and striked fear into all that played them no matter where they played? I have been Watching the build up to the reappoint meant of Graham Henry and I believe he has gotten a raw deal from the media for the World Cup lost, has any one heard the term %26lsquo;Guilty By Media. The facts stand, Henry has more and has done more for NZ Rugby more than any other coach, why sack him for One poor performance? Bad luck for Robbie but really he looks amateur compared to Henry and his All BlacksLuke
Congratulations Graham - all the best to you and the All Blacks!The Team from THS %26amp; Associates Ltd
Good luck with the Aussies Robbie, Going to be interesting as apparently the NZRFU now think the world cares who wins when it doesnt really matter - they should realise by now that the World Rugby people only remember the World Cup winners - not the Tri Nations or Six Nations. But - couldnt admit we were wrong could we - like Mallard cant say sorry.Phil Wild
I think its great that Graham Henry is back in the job. He lost one game at the world cup big deal. 87.5 per cent success rate is a great return from 48 tests. He has won the Bledisloe, Tri-nations, a grand slam and a 3-0 series win over the Lions. He is the best rugby coach in the world. NZ should get behind him and his team and support them to the hilt.Scott Rait
Graham Henry should have got the boot! What about John Mitchell? He did alot better at the World Cup in 2003 and he got the boot! What a jokeB Falconer
Bad to see that NZRU are joining with Telecom etc and rewarding failure and mediocrity. No wonder NZ no longer wins when we accept thislow standard. Henry has no shame and should have fallen on his sword when the Cardiff disaster occured.Graham D
What I dont understand is how do you re-employ a guy who lost the Lions Series (pick of the best guys from 4 top nations and still lose) and give the All Blacks its worst ever Rugby World Cup result with all his requests (rotation policy). If this was any other job, would his contract be extended based on his performance? Anyway, he had better win the Tri Nations and Bledsloe next year, especially if Robbie Deans is coaching Australia or it definitely proves the Board picked the wrong guy again. Maybe they should make his coaching contract conditional to the Tri Nations series on who ever performs the best between Deans and Henry gets the last two years as All Black coach leading into the World Cup. Angus
I am a proud Kiwi living and working in Africa, since the world cup I have been constantly ribbed for our poor performance and the fact that we now hold the title of undisputed world champion chokers. There is no excuse, the world cup is what the ABs have been judged on and the quarter final exit is an emphatic fail. Henry and team stated judge us on the world cup… well case dismissed, they cocked up monumentally. To now back track and say the world cup isnt everything stinks to high heaven. What credentials do the clowns appointing the AB coach really have? They are covering their own butts for their backing of the ill founded R %26amp; R program. To sack Henry is to admit their own failure and sadly they dont have the back bone to admit it. History speaks for itself, Henrys sides all climb to great heights then crash and burn, are we now to watch as we lose the Bledisloe cup, Tri-Nations and any other silverware the hierarchy are clinging to in their desperate attempt to justify Henrys re-appointment? I am so disillusioned I am beginning to question my own loyalty to the ABs, because they are no longer a New Zealand representitave cultural icon but are now just a cog in a business machine with no empathy for the most passionate supporters in the world. Shame on you NZRFU, shame on you.Karl Stanger, Nigeria
Yes the NZRU got it right. Robbie Deans is Canterburys hero - if he was appointed the as the All Blacks Coach and we still didnt win the World Cup, would we as Cantabrians want him villified in the Press and ridiculed by the rest of the nation as has happened to all the previous coaches in the past sixteen years. Obviously the NZRU has finally realised that the policy of sacking the coach immediately after losing the World Cup hasnt increased our chances of winning it the next time round, so better the devil we know! Henrys record over the past 3 years has been outstanding and I think we need to re-evaluate the dismissal of coaches over one poor performace by the team on the day. Imagine if all employers had that policy - one mistake and youre out! At the end of the day, the coach isnt the one on the field and he can only control what happens so much from the stands. Good Luck to him and better luck in 2011.Vicky
Graham Henry was set one goal four years ago, and he failed. Enough said.Simon
Given the coach refused to give the team consistency and stability, why should he be allowed to enjoy such luxury? Cmon the Phoenix.DC
Only a fool doesnt learn from his mistakes. Henry is no fool. The only condition I hope the NZRFU made was %26quot;always play your best 22 in the Black Jersey.%26quot;Pete B
Words fail me. Go Robbie Deans and the Wallabies. I am english and have supported the All Blacks for ever i am certainly not a Wallaby supporter by any stretch of the imagination. I hope to see a New Zealand and Australia World Cuo Final at the next world cup and the Wallabies thrash the All Blacks. John Mitchell deserves to be Robbie Deans Assistant, he didnt get a fair go, and he had better results than Henry! I cant wait to wipe that smirk off Henrys face. Go the WallabiesSandie Lee
Its goodbye and good luck forever. Now I know why the ABs never live up to their enormous abilities and never reach their full potential. The boys in the middle are now and always will be shackled by the backward thinking old boys on the sideline %26amp; in the backroom. You have lost this lifetime fan for a lifetime.Jordybeans
The fervor of some people to bag a %26quot;losing coach%26quot; is amazing, I seem to remember from watching the world cup games that coaches were never on the field playing, making or dropping passes etc. Maybe some of the public should realise that no matter what the coach does, its the players that win or lose games.Wayne Chapman
I am ecstatic that Henry has been given the job. Robbie Deans was the architect of destruction for the 2003 World Cup. John Mitchell took the fall but Deans was the backs coach who made the decision not to take Cullen. It was the backs who let us down (together with poor captaincy) and that all lays at Deans feet. If you read Tanas book he points this out. Obviously the NZRU read it and now Deans can go off and destroy the wallabies chance of world cup victory in 2011. Henry may have made a bad call with rotation but you cannot deny his record or the fact the players love him. Ultimately I feel it was the best decision to go with Henry both for the team and the country. If Deans had got the job the whole team would have been filled with Canatbs (and not just the good ones!)Kirsty Hulena
The deathknell of Rugby in New Zealand, the government should withdraw all funding from the RWC and let the corrupt NZRU bear the entire cost. Simon Coffey
Over the last four years the rugby public has been deceived, mislead, and lied to by this coaching panel and NZRU board. We were told there would be no rotation in the world cup year, a lie, we were told the best team would be picked come world cup time, a misleading statement if ever I hear one, we were told to judge Henry and cohorts on the world cup, well todays announcement shows the deceptive nature of that statement. One thing the rugby public of New Zealand values is the All Black jersey, its history, its exclusiveness, the fact that those that wear it have earned the right to. These things have been systematically dismantled over the last four years, and now it appears the devaluation of the All Black jersey will continue. Henry is a good coach, I am happy to admit that, but he had his chance, he got everything he desired, and when the time came, he was found wanting. The reappointment of Henry is a bad decision, after all, a leopard cant change its spots! Heath George
Bad choice reinstating Henry, I for one wont be going to the All Black games and I know heaps of people who will be doing the same thing as well. Cynthia
Henry then probably Hansen in two years time - blah! Im not quite there with my headline but very close to hoping opposition teams run over the ABs next year, especially if Deans is Wallabies coach - would serve the Board right! Rotation and reconditioning had some merit as an experiment - its not as black and white as many on both sides suppose - but they overdid it and produced yet another brainless team. Next years team will also be very different with all the defections offshore, so Robbie was in my view now the ideal man to build together a new team. Note: Im a confirmed Crusaders hater and not a real Deans fan but I really felt it was his time, especially given %26quot;judge us on the World Cup, failure to admit mistakes, insistence that nothing (major) would change%26quot;. I wonder how long it will be before Robbies fielding calls for John ONeill. I hope - for Robbies sake - that he goes.Mike Purves
Ive finished reading some of the news about the appointment of Graham Henry, it was claimed that it was for a two-year period? I just hope that Robbie Deans has a place in the coaching staff, especially once things start to go sour. I truly cant see that Steve Hansen has much more to offer than he has already put forward. Maybe the NZRU might come to their senses and appoint Deans / Cooper as assistant coaches (cant see that though). It is funny though that the NZRU are using past performances as an indicator for reappointing Henry, imagine how successful the All Blacks would have been had they retained the likes of Laurie Mains or John Mitchell. Unless there is some massive back room deal (something the NZRU are good at) put together to retain Deans, then I bet the Aussies are polishing their TROPHY CABINET ready for the spoils bought forth by Robbie Deans! John ONeil must really enjoy just how pathetic the NZRU are - Whats the bet he finds a way to get 2011 World Cup games bought to Aussie. Ps: the way the NZRU operate chances are the Aussies will get the ENTIRE WORLD CUP.Brendon Whyte
Unfortunately I cannot locate the full boa
rd of directors and their provincial origins for the NZRFU. Is there any direction to take to access this information and get an answer particularly. Who were on the selection committee and how many members (provincial origins again) were involved in this decision? Tony Mcgrail
Totally wrong decision to go with Henry… I have lost all faith in theNZRU and may find a different sport to followTim Sutherland
It was the correct decision; he has a good record with the ABs. Go Graham!Bennett Jordan
The NZRU have just made the biggest mistake of their lives - Henry changed the face of All Black and NZ rugby in the last 2 years and stated very clear that he would be judged by his results at the World Cup - we all know this washuge failure.Is the man now not responsible for his performance. This decision reflects extremely poorly of the attitude of the NZRU and the management of that organisation who were/are as complicit in the World Cup failure as Graham Henry. How could anyone accept the people who rolled over to every of Henrys requests would make any other decision. This is a sad day for the sport in this country - it would seem arrogance and incompetence now rule!Hugh
To all the naysayers I say grow up. The French (although dubiously) were the better team on the day. Look at Graham Henrys win loss record. There is no international coach out there now who has such a good record as Graham Henry. To all those who bleat on about warriors vs All blacks or league vs rugby. Rugby is a much more exciting game, faster paced and the All blacks are still the Number 1 team in the world. Peter McCormack
Of course theyve made the right decision. The NZ public want Henry back as coach and as far as Ive heard, so do the majority of the ABs team. So that must say something!Deana Adam
I forgave the NZRFU on 2003 for the loss of hosting the world cup. I forgave them in last years Super 14 when the best players were rested and we had no kiwi team in the final. I begrudgingly forgave them after the quarter final loss (our worst ever performance) seemingly in the knowledge that they would do the right thing, admit their mistakes, and change things. But I simply cannot forgive them now for re-appointing Mr Henry again. This reeks of hypocrisy, and whats with appointing him for just two years? Do they really think Robbie Deans will still be available then? Deans will guide the Wallabies to Bledisloe and World Cup glory, and we will have egg on our face. Again. You can rest assured John ONeill wont muck around with signing Deans for four years. I cant believe we have stuffed this up again.Nathan Rickard
Yes he deserves to be reappointed, good luck Graham well deserved.The Interislander Terminal Staff, Wellington
Ted had his chance. He did ok on paper, but take away Mike Crons influence from the forwards and a few backs with the X factor and youre left with an AB team that is not constructive when real presure is applied. Almost all of the tries in the last few years were from broken play against rebuilding teams, theyre playing more and more like an Island team every year and you dont win Ol Bill like that! 4 more years? Robbies been robbed!Larry
No the NZRU has not made the right decision.Ken Eagle
The NZRFU have made a face saving decision, a fence sitting decision, and at the end of the day it will be a come-back-to-bite-us-on-the-bum decision. What is it with NZ sport that we cant make the hard decisions? Perhaps thats why our teams cant make the best decisions on the field. Henry and co. had everything given to them for this last campaign and they got beaten by an average team who couldnt progress past the next round. He said, %26quot;Judge me on the world cup%26quot;, obviously that was tongue in cheek.G.McLennan
RIP All Blacks. What an awful move retaining Henry. Good Luck with the Wallabies, Robbie!Mike, Christchurch
Graham Henrys appointment stinks of back-room deals. Clearly that support motivated him to re-apply for the position despite the World Cup failure - %26quot;judge me on the World Cup%26quot;. The decision was inevitable given that those conducting the interviews were the same people that appointed him to the job originally. If they had said he failed then they were also condeming themselves. NZ was already lost Warren Gatland, now we face the prospect of losing Deans. What is left in the cupboard? Henry has had a good record but then almost without exception the northern hemisphere teams that have visited NZ have only been B and C teams. Henry advises he has learnt from his mistakes - what mistakes is he admitting to - if its about rotation, reconditioning then surely that was fundamental to Henrys strategy over the past 3-4 years. Doesnt say much for his strategy.Ray M
What is a two-year contract going to prove? We know his record in between world cups is second to none, so what are we gaining? Nothing. He will be the coach for the next world cup. Bad move on NZRFUS behalf and bad news for supporters. Personally, if we lost the Tri-nations or Bledisloe for the next 3 years I couldnt care less. At least if you have the world cup it lasts for 4 years. I remember Henry saying but I cant quote, my performance will be based solely on our achievement at the world cup. Yeah right. Good luck to Robbie with his contract over the ditch.Darrin
Old men select old men. The ABs will become just another team. Another four years of waste then perhaps the NZRU can have a clean out. They are ignorant, bias and narrow minded. God help NZ ABs. Bev
All I can say is the NZRU had better come up with one hell of an offer to keep Robbie Deans! Life is hard enough when the Bloody aussies get a win against the ABs, if Robbie takes up the post of Aussie coach what a laughing stock we New Zealanders will be. Its a pity that we cant vote NZRU Board out of office like we can the pollies.Brendon Whyte
What a sad day for New Zealand Rugby. Watching the dismal performance at the world cup the All Blacks play gave you no confidence that they were either well coached all well prepared. This whole saga smacks of those at the top protecting those at the top. What we need is complete clean out.Roger Horton
I agree with David Moffat. Henrys reappointment smells of the Rugby Union covering up their own decisions on rotation and the undermining of the Super14 and domestic competitions. Four years is long enough for any coach. Time to bring in some fresh faces.Justin Perriam
The coaching selection process was a sham. They now it, we know it. %26quot;Judge me on the world cup%26quot; he said. I guess the NZRU was satisfied then, we were not! The board needs to resign en mass.Tony
Well done NZRU. We need continuity in coaching. Rotating players doesnt work, so why rotate the coaches?To take a lesson from our most annoying opponents, Clive Woodward was England coach for a long time before he achieved success.Mike M
Re-electing Graham Henry is a wise decision. It breaks the mould of sacking non-World Cup winning All Black coaches that has not worked in the past. It will put confidence back into the players and future coaches alike. Graham Henry will now be able be able to prove that an All Black team can rise above atrocious refereeing decisions, and even an Australian team possibly coached by Robbie DeansFred Terry
Why not try something we never have before and KEEP the coach. Belinda
Obviously the World Cup didnt mean a thing to the Rugby Union. His selections were off and he single handedly wrecked the Super 14. No wonder we are drawn more to League. JT
Im seriously wondering if the media had an agenda to push on the Henry vs Deans issue. Why was it constantly said in the lead up to the decision that everyone was tipping Deans to be coach when the majority in most polls said that they wanted Henry to remain in charge? Then in todays Dom Post splashed right across the back page was %26quot;Deans has the passion%26quot; with a full page article on Deans? What do you take the public for? Henry has been given a raw deal by the media and I think there are a lot of peoplewith egg on their faces now - good on him.Chris Matteus
Yes, but the rotation and conditioning policies have to go, obviously these have not worked.PNG
I dont normally write my comments/feedback, but felt that in this instance I would. I am an avid supporter of the All Blacks and while I will continue to support the All Blacks I feel the NZRU have made the wrong decision in keeping Graham Henry as the All Blacks coach. I did not support the rotation or re-conditioning policies that Graham Henry brought in and it was obvious with the outcome of the world cup results that it did not work. Graham Henry has commented that he would not change his strategy, which was clearly wrong. He should be ashamed of the results and should have be man enough about it not to reapply for the position and the Board should have had the balls not to reappoint him. Although, considering most of the board appointed him in the first place, I guess we should not be surprised at their decision. I only hope that we have not lost Robbie Deans to the Australians.Diane Bull
In reply to Em - I think youll find the decision makers at the NZRFU are the traitors (again).Jon Henderson
I hope Deans takes the Aussie job and thrases us every game for the next four years. Rawiri Keenan
Unbelievable… Robbie,keep your pride intact and go Aussie, this bunch dont deserve you. I thought politicians were the lowest life form we had in NZ, particularly for backside covering. The NZRU has just set a new low.John Kay
Is this a prank? Its not April 1. %26quot;Judge me on my world cup performance%26quot;, he shouldnt have gotten the job 4 years ago and should definitely not retain it. Now Im split between supporting the Warriors and Wallabies!Jon Henderson
I am actually stoked about this! Good choice! Anthony
This is the worst thing that can happen to New Zealand rugby. It shows Henry has not been held accountable for his mis-management of the All Blacks that lead to their world cup defeat. It is plainly obvious that his strategy to develop the All Black players and their game plans did not work when it came down to the most important game of his reign as coach. I only hope that Henry learns from his mistakes and implements a new strategy that will take the All Blacks back to being the best in the world.Andrew Knewstubb

I think it is great that Graham Henry has kept his job as All Blacks coach. When the All Blacks lost the world cup, I had thought here we go again, a loss and a new coach. I have a strong opinion that if you sack every coach that loses you will never win as you have nothing to correct and the coach has no fire in the belly to make right what went wrong. I believe that some people are not suitable for their jobs and fail and some are very good at their jobs and fail. I believe Graham Henry is the best candidate for All Black Coach and I think with this big loss it should fire him up to win next time, just like Clive Woodward did!Ila Montgomery
Im stoked, so happy that he has been reinstated, the All Blacks need some consistency and stability. Although the World Cup was disappointing, retention of a coach can do wonders - case and point - Clive Woodward.Aimme Keenan
I believe they have made the right decision. Aside from losing to the French in the World Cup, the record of this coaching unit is impeccable. They have the respect of the players and have to my mind rebuilt the respect and fear that the All Blacks have held in World rugby and were just %26quot;unlucky%26quot; on the day. Had the rub of the green and the eye of the ref been a bit keener in that game, there couldve easily been 30 points plus in it.Tyrone
Most kiwis in Australia will now be ignoring the All Blacks. The NZRU have proved that they cannot admit they could ever have wrong about giving Mr Henry everything that he wanted. Ian McLean
Good decision. His record is second to none. For every world cup since 1987 we have kicked out the losing coach and we keep losing it. Its time for a change of plan.David Battersby
Bugger ! The Question has to be asked will we see more player rotation again and can the NZ rugby public stand to go through that again, Or will the rugby union find themselves looking down the barrel of a huge public backlash which will be finically disastrous! I for one hope, No pray that there is a change of style of his coaching and our top players get the game time which they and we deserve. God help Graham Henry and the rugby union if there isnt victory over South Africa and Australia next year because in NZ I believe that nobody else will. Good luck to Robbie Deans we all may well be over in Aussie with you in the near future. Go the All Blacks. Joe Mcknight
As a Welshman Id like to think I was in some way neutral about NZ Rugby and personally I think the NZRFU have made the right decision. The question that had to be asked was would New Zealand stand a better chance of winning the World Cup in 2011 with or without Graham Henry. Id go for the former. Deans is an excellent coach and letting him slip to Australia may backfire but he is still an unknown to some extent at International Level. I think everyone would agree New Zealand were robbed in that quarter final. Perhaps a team playing with more confidence wouldnt have allowed the game to get so close but not a single penalty in 60mins of Rugby is simply not possible unless the referee is favouring one side. That could of course happen again in 2011 but is it something you can hold against the coach? I really dont think it is. Ive seen the effect Henry has had on a very poor at the time Welsh team. We went 12 games unbeaten with him in charge with largely the same players as the previous coach. The man flat out makes his players and his teams better. If he could do the same with referees that would be something! Ben Morgan
I am gobsmacked. Four more years of rotation and devaluing the All Black jersey.Do the voices of all those gone before mean nothing?Looks like the exodus of players and coaches will continue.Good luck with the Wallabies Robbie. Mike Darracott
Good decision.The whole kneejerk %26quot;lets sack the coach attitude%26quot; needs to go.Henry wasnt to blame for the loss.The only thing we havent tried in our quest to win the World Cup is to reappoint the coaches so that they learn from their mistakes.It worked for England. No more reconditioning, though. Scott, Wellington
I cannot believe that they have reappointed Henry as the All Black coach. This is the guy that said %26quot;judge me on the world cup%26quot; This is the guy who coached our team to our worst ever world cup result and then failed to accept that maybe, just maybe, he got it wrong, saying after the French disaster %26quot;he wouldnt change anything%26quot;. I wonder how many of our All Blacks who have gone overseas will be eager to come back and have another shot in 2011 with Henry back at the helm. Mind you, the people who reappointed him are the same people who accepted the rotation/relaxation/stand down process.D Williams, Invercargill
I am thrilled that Graham Henry has another chance.He is a brilliant coach.I do not like the fact that coaches have been dropped so quickly and easily in the past. How will they ever learn from their mistakes?Brandt Ashley
Thank god the NZRFU has not made a knee jerk reaction and have re-appointed Graham Henry. Too many people tend to forget that Robbie Deans was in charge of the back line debacle at the 2003 world cup. Does the NZ Rugby public forget that he chooses to leave Andrew Merhtans and Christen Cullen at home then wouldnt play Tana when fit… I am from the South Island and am as anti-Auckland as they come but the right decision has been made when it comes down to picking the best coach. End of storyBrad
Thank goodness that the NZRU made the right decision and reinstated the best All Black coach ever! We are celebrating around our office and cant wait till the first game when King Henrys men meet Robbie the traitor Deans Wallabies!Em
No wonder 40,000 people left NZ last year. The countryis in trouble if Henry is back as coach.Judy Moore
Obviously the old adage of %26quot;youre as good as your last game%26quot; doesnt apply to Henry and co in regards to his reappointment as ABs coach.This decision will come back to haunt the NZRFU come 2011, care of a Austrailia/New Zealand World Rugby Cup final with the former winning by a nose! A red and Black nose!… Shame on you NZRFU! PMCS
Cant believe it. I will not be re newing my three season tickets at Eden Park, while this NZRU Board is in place. Ill stick to league.Max Kofoed
This is shocking. The All Blacks can forget about winning the 2011 World Cup. They would have to wait for another 8 years to win it.Matthew Dilip
Has the NZRU made the right decision? NO they havent.Alana Penny