All Blacks coaches rethink reshuffle

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Graham Henry and Steve Hansen have expressed reservations about the coaching reshuffle that saw them change roles for the end of year tour.

Though both say they will carry on if its deemed to be best for the team, Hansen freely admits he'd rather have the forwards than the backs.

And Henry says his new role with the forwards has hindered his ability to oversee the squad as a head coach.

"Personally I'd prefer to be a forwards coach, but I've enjoyed it and it's been great," Hansen said. "As Wayne [Smith] said it's stimulated our leading players to take more responsibility from the playing side of things to the training field.

"I think that's improved us as a team because of that. As I said I'd prefer to be a forwards coach to a backs coach, but I'll do whatever's right for the team and get on with it."

Henry believed the reshuffle had been a success, but admitted there were pros and cons that had to be weighed next year.

"For me, in my job I need to have contact with the 22 players and being a forward coach I find that I don't get contact with the 22, so that's a wee bit of a frustration, but I would be the same as Steve.

"Whatever's the best role for this team to be successful I'm prepared to do it."

Henry said whether the status changes remained in place or not, they had brought benefits to the coaches and the players.

"I've become more of a facilitator which is probably a better way to coach anyway. I'm more old school, so I tend to be more direct than these guys are.

"Because I haven't jumped in many lineouts, didn't get that opportunity, I've had to use the knowledge of the people I've been coaching. They've taken over that responsibility and I think they've gained confidence through that.

"It's really been more of what Steven's done in the past and the skills he's developed and the processes he was doing, but giving them [the players] more responsibility."

Defence coach Wayne Smith said the switch had reinvigorated the training pitch and increased the accountability of the coaches.

"It's been great. The objective was for us to get better. We put a lot of heat on the players to improve and that improvement is pretty public in big arenas.

"For us there are small and intangible things that become apparent when you are trying to work things out. It made the players have more of an input into coaching.

"You learn best by teaching and in general I think it's been a positive."

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