Blacks bosses backing beleaguered coaches

THE New Zealand Rugby Union is backing under-fire coaches Graham Henry, Steve Hansen and Wayne Smith and has shrugged off criticism it should have waited until the end of the year before deciding whether or not to re-appoint them.

The trio’s reappointment until the end of 2011 was announced shortly before the start of the Tri-Nations competition after three stuttering performances against France and Italy.

But following two losses against the Springboks in South Africa – which were littered with basic errors, lack of composure and a suspect game-plan – many are questioning if the three men are the right ones to lead the team into the World Cup in two years’ time.

But Neil Sorensen, NZRU general manager of professional rugby, has backed the decision not to wait until their current deals expired at the end of this year before re-signing them.

“The coaching team have got a fantastic track record. They are world class and the key thing was to get a decision out early and get some certainty in the environment.”

Sorensen admitted continued poor performances by the country’s leading team would be unlikely to lead to the coaches’ dismissal either.

“Like any job there’s reviews at the end of the year. But can you imagine these guys going from a world-class coaching team to not a world-class coaching team overnight?” he said.