CONCERNS OVER ALL BLACKS WORKLOAD
There are rising concerns over the workload of the New Zealand side. Players from the Crusaders and Hurricanes would be meeting in opposite sides when both sides meet for their Super Rugby fixture. After the tied Test series outcome against the Lions, the All Blacks head coach Steve Hansen would be watching the game to know which players to rest before the quarter final match at Wespac Stadium.
Crusaders players Sam Whitelock and Kieran Read require careful management in the following weeks, considering their recent schedule. Hooker Codie Taylor played all three Tests as Dane Coles was absent. Israel Dagg, Owen Franks, Joe Moody also need to be closely monitored after efforts against the Lions. Read More
RUPA BOSS HITS OUT AT ARU
The Rugby Union Players’ Association (RUPA) boss Ross Xenos has hit out at the Australian Rugby Union (ARU) for making an enemy of almost everyone with the move to determine which team it can remove legally in disenfranchising plans.
Xenos condemned the plans of overly cutting cost, saying it does not bode well for the game. Read More
New Zealand should not fear anyone
New Zealand coach Anthony Hudson has stated that his team should learn to become competitive and not to fear anyone.
He said that his team can now beat any team in the world and that they should believe this when they come on the pitch.
Anthony Hudson said for so long New Zealand has been considered as an outsider, but he believes that things should change now. He said that New Zealand players should ditch the mentality of being an inferior footballing nation and believe that they can compete with the best teams in the world.
New Zealand will be facing Fiji in their next game which will count for the World Cup qualifiers in Russia. However, Hudson said that he is focusing more on the Confederations Cup where New Zealand will be playing against the likes of Russia, Portugal, and Mexico. Hudson said that his team will be going there to win the competition and that they do not fear anyone. Read More
DEPARTING FOOTBALL DIRECTOR SAYS ALL IS WELL
Rob Sherman, the New Zealand technical director who just stepped down from his post has expressed his optimism for the performance of the all whites in the New Year.
After a particularly challenging period, Sherman believes the team will encounter what he termed as ‘reasonably calm waters’ ahead. Earlier this month, the national body of the team had announced that Sherman would be stepping down from his post as director for personal reasons; he had taken up the position last year in October.
Sherman, who was the head of coach education at Football Federation Australia and a former technical director of the welsh football association, had become the teams technical director after the previous director Fred de Jong had quit in light of the Olympic eligibility issue.
“The organization is performing really well, so much has gone out with the whole of the game. There is a whole raft of things which perhaps don’t attract attention when there are one or two items that do but we need to focus on the positives,” Sherman said.
The saga had caused the Country’s under 23 men’s team to be kicked out of the qualifying tournament in Oceania for the Rio Olympics; this was because the team had fielded an ineligible player. Aside that, there were a host of other problems which the team had encountered in early 2016,the team coach had complained about a lack of matches for his team and was bitter about the soft nature of some of the younger players in the team.
In February 2016, team striker Alex Jones was sent home after they had missed FIFA’s deadline for completion of loan application. However, Sherman believed that while the team had faced some unfortunate occurrences, they were some good work that had been done in a few areas.
“I see reasonably calm waters. There is a clear strategy and direction and they’ll be committed to bring that to life,” the ex-director added.