Bolters & Babies aside, the biggest gasp was saved for the announcement for the All Blacks coaching revamp which has Coach Graham Henry, and assistants Steve Hansen & Wayne Smith swapping responsibilities ahead of their EOYT to Japan & Europe.

Henry says the switch has been under discussion for some time now & not a knee jerk response to a poor 2009 season, pointing out that he forecast a few losses before the season even began. This change was made after consultation with the senior player group who stepped up before the test in Wellington asking to be permitted more input in training & game plans. Henry says that everyone is excited by the change which will bring a fresh approach to the squad & the way it trains – good for everyone concerned.

New Roles :
Forwards Coach – Henry
Defensive Coach – Smith
Attacking Coach – Hansen

Henry, now the lineout coach, admits to some trepidation in this regard as it is many years since he was in charge of a forward pack. “Being a bit nervous brings the best out of you,” he said. “It’s good for me to have that challenge. I’ve got energy, I’m excited about that opportunity & I’ll be using a lot of the knowledge of the forward pack to help, which I think will be good for them.”

Steve Tew of NZRU when asked for his thoughts said with a smile “I’m going to watch with some interest how Graham goes with the lineout,”.

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