Stuff Digital Edition

Don’t mention the VAR: Germany fume

The difficult task of hiring the next Black Ferns coach

Joseph Pearson Sam Dean

Applications for Wayne Smith’s replacement are closed. The deadline was 5pm yesterday and New Zealand Rugby is hoping to finalise who will be the Black Ferns’ next ‘‘director of rugby’’ before Christmas, but the process could be dragged into next year.

Whatever the title, the role is essentially to be head coach through to the next Rugby World Cup in England in 2025 and finding anyone with a record as good as Smith’s is difficult.

The appointment will be hugely significant as NZ Rugby hopes to accelerate the development of women’s rugby after a momentous World Cup triumph on home soil.

While Wes Clarke and Allan Bunting seem like favourites for the job, the replacement for Smith isn’t yet certain and, at this stage, suitable candidates outside this year’s coaching group appear scarce.

Hiring a non-Kiwi coach also seems highly unlikely.

Smith’s work is done. The iconic 65-year-old coach reluctantly took the job in April after an ugly fallout from the team’s culture review which led to former coach Glenn Moore’s resignation.

He galvanised a team that was in disarray after losing heavily on tour to England and France last year and led them to a memorable World Cup win, beating the northern heavyweights in remarkable victories in the semifinal and final at Eden Park.

Replacing ‘‘the Professor’’ is not straightforward. He has returned to retirement and a coaching comeback of any kind, in any role, is unlikely.

The Black Ferns this season were the most professional outfit they could be and

Germany were at the centre of a huge VAR row after they were knocked out of the World Cup by a highly controversial Japanese goal yesterday.

Japan’s 2-1 win over Spain condemned the Germans to an early exit from Group E, an outcome branded an ‘‘absolute catastrophe’’ by veteran striker Thomas Muller.

The failure to rule out the Japanese winner, when television replays appeared to show the ball going out of play before Kaoru Mitoma crossed for Ao Tanaka to score, is likely to raise fresh questions about the review system.

A lengthy VAR review ruled the goal should stand even though multiple angles suggested the ball was out and a goal kick should have been given to Spain.

Fifa claimed the ‘‘curvature of the ball’’ had kept it in and Spain manager Luis Enrique admitted he struggled to believe the pictures appearing to show the ball cross the line. had a prestigious coaching team led by Smith, who was crowned World Rugby’s coach of the year after they beat England 34-31 in the breathtaking World Cup final.

Clarke and Whitney Hansen were assistants, Sir Graham Henry was in a support role, scrum guru Mike Cron was on board, and Bunting was hired as a manager of culture and leadership.

‘‘I thought the images must be wrong or fabricated. I saw an image and said, ‘That picture can’t be true’,’’ the Spain manager said. ‘‘I have nothing else to say. I have full respect [for the officials]. I knew something was going on because VAR was taking so long. But we went into collapse mood.’’

‘‘I felt it should never have been a

Like Smith, Henry is retiring after the two former All Blacks coaches won the ultimate prize in the women’s game with the Black Ferns, following their men’s World Cup wins in 2011 and 2015.

Cron’s future isn’t certain, but Hansen is likely to remain as an assistant coach, a role she also holds in Super Rugby Aupiki with Matatū . goal, based on the images that VAR were likely to have seen,’’ former referee Keith Hackett told the Telegraph.

‘‘VAR has yet again taken centre stage in a match when it should be the skill set of the players.’’

In the ITV studio, Graeme Souness said: ‘‘There’s 80 million Germans going mad, waiting for a

Hansen, the forwards coach, has ruled herself out of taking the top job.

That leaves Clarke and Bunting, who are both highly respected figures.

Clarke has been an assistant with the Black Ferns since 2015 and might be ready for a promotion.

He was the defence coach this year and has seen the team’s environment transform with the game’s tentative shifts towards greater professionalism.

Bunting, one of the masterminds behind the phenomenal success of the Black Ferns sevens through to gold at last year’s Tokyo Olympics, was in the background in a cultural management role.

He led the Chiefs Manawa to the inaugural Aupiki title in March but has much less experience of coaching 15s. picture that shows that ball didn’t go out of play.’’

His fellow pundit Gary Neville later tweeted: ‘‘Got no doubt that VAR have seen the conclusive angle/evidence that we haven’t but why would Fifa not allow the host broadcaster to show VAR footage? In the PL [Premier League] we see it as it happens and have access to the pictures. Makes no sense and doesn’t help with transparency.’’

Germany have now failed to progress from the group stages in successive World Cups, having not previously fallen at the first hurdle since 1938. They leave this tournament despite winning 4-2 against Costa Rica.

Muller said their exit was ‘‘unbelievably bitter’’, while head coach Hansi Flick called for an overhaul of their lauded academy system.

‘‘We need to do things differently,’’ said Flick.

‘‘We have always been able to defend well [in the past] and these are the things we need [now]. We need the basics.’’ –

MORE WORLD CUP STORIES

The Black Ferns job would be the biggest role in either of their careers because of its greater profile after the World Cup.

Crowd records – domestically and in women’s rugby – were shattered throughout the tournament in an unprecedented wave of support for the game. The coaching team will have to be decided, too, and there might be an opportunity for the Aupiki coaches to join the staff once that season ends in March.

The Black Ferns won’t play their next tests until at least next May or June. Crystal Kaua (Chiefs), Victoria Grant (Hurricanes Poua), Willie Walker (Blues) and Blair Baxter (Matatū ) are the head coaches in Aupiki’s second edition. Selecting the right coaching team is critical because NZ Rugby can’t afford to dawdle while the likes of England and France, with great resources, throw everything they can at winning the next World Cup. The Black Ferns have oodles of talented players but will not succeed without the best available coaches.

The appointment will be hugely significant as NZ Rugby hopes to accelerate the development of women’s rugby.

Sport

en-nz

2022-12-03T08:00:00.0000000Z

2022-12-03T08:00:00.0000000Z

https://fairfaxmedia.pressreader.com/article/282351158800221

Stuff Limited