Accountability key now for lucky Henry

JOHN SELKIRK/The Dominion Post

REIGN ON: Graham Henry has been re-appointed as coach of the All Blacks.

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Graham Henry can expect a far greater examination from the New Zealand Rugby media over the next two years – and let's hope he is kept under a tighter rein by his bosses at the New Zealand Rugby Union.

It's fair to say that Henry was given a loose leash by his masters in Wellington and a reasonably free ride from the media as he went about his controversial rotation and reconditioning programmes.

Initial success meant that Henry could always defend his ways.

But after a sloppy 2007 highlighted by New Zealand's worst World Cup effort, Henry is now in no position to produce his steely glare when confronted with tricky questions over things like the continual shuffling of players.

All of this year when the rusty efforts by his side during their domestic tests and the Tri-Nations were put under the microscope, Henry sat back and swatted off any criticism by saying everything was designed for the World Cup.

That proved an abject failure.

Similar sub-par efforts in 2008 will now draw the far tougher analysis they deserve.

It promises to be a testing time for Henry and his critics. It's fair to say that since the World Cup disaster the rugby media has by and large turned against Henry, even more than the divided polls produced by the New Zealand rugby public who threw as much support behind Robbie Deans as they did for the incumbent.

But Henry is now the man once again. Everyone must live with that and get on with it. But no one will live with the sort of failed planning that totally wrecked the New Zealand 2007 season, particularly at Super 14 and World Cup levels.

Henry must realise that he is a lucky man. He is the first All Blacks coach to survive a World Cup shocker. He should take that into account as he starts his planning for his next tenure.

According to the initial press release from the NZRU in announcing Henry's reappointment, Henry has "learnt some lessons". Let us hope so.

There remains a strong feeling that the retention of Henry is linked strongly to his close ties with his masters on the NZRU board, the same people who granted him his every wish and then set about interviewing him for another chance.

The board admitted as much when they said they accepted joint responsibility for the World Cup shambles as they confirmed Henry's position. Were they therefore covering themselves?

Now the NZRU is pushing on with an independent World Cup review that will only be completed by next March or April. What happens if that review comes to conclusion that the Cup failure was largely because of failed planning? Where does that leave Henry and the NZRU?

Meanwhile Robbie Deans, a perpetual winner with the Crusaders, is left to ponder his lot – most probably a million dollar job across the Tasman with the Wallabies.

The Henry reappointment sends a dangerous message to New Zealand's next tier of coaches whose frustrations have already been signalled by the hasty departure of Warren Gatland to Wales.

It's no secret that the plan of the current All Blacks management always seemed to be to put Steve Hansen in a position to take over. So was this appointment, with a two year term, a vote for Henry or Hansen with regard to New Zealand's hosting of the next World Cup in 2011?

Congratulations to Graham Henry. This is a major victory, easily his biggest of the year.

His challenge now is to prove that a sorry 2007 can somehow springboard New Zealand rugby into a better season in 2008.

Fans, sponsors, media and, hopefully the NZRU, will be watching his every move like never before.

- © Fairfax NZ News