All Blacks coach thought he was history

All Black coach Graham Henry thought his international career was over after his team's shock Rugby World Cup quarterfinal loss to France.

"I stood (for re-election) because of the support, but I was never that confident because this is the first time an All Black coach has been re-appointed for longer than four years," he said in an interview in today's New Zealand Herald.

"Robbie Deans was a fine candidate, too, so there was some real competition."

Henry said that he was the last candidate to be interviewed for the job and "after it I thought 'no, it's not going to happen'."

But Henry's gut feeling was wrong, and the 62-year-old and his panel of Steve Hansen and Wayne Smith were reappointed for another two seasons.

Henry said he was now refreshed after extended holidays in Australia, the Bay of Islands, and Canada.

"The pressure of the job takes its toll. It is not easy and you need to be able to handle it quite frankly – and the only way you can deal with that is not read it, write it, look at it.

"The public have been outstanding. I have never known them to be so supportive and I have never had so much obvious support since I began coaching rugby.

"In the airports, streets, at the supermarket – all over the place – that sort of encouragement, and from all the NZRU people in Wellington, has been phenomenal."

But Henry had some harsh words for the press.

"I thought most of the media lacked balance and were quite vindictive," he said.

"It got quite personal and, as I say, I did not read it, I did not watch it, I did not listen to it – but I was told and I was disappointed about that.

"I thought they were over the top, and it was just great the New Zealand public made up their own mind.

"In the main, I don't believe the media reflected public opinion; they tried to sway public opinion. They tried to be kingmakers and kingbreakers."

- NZPA