Comment: As the world gulped in surprise at the dramatic and sudden exit of Leon MacDonald, on the other side of the ditch, another coach disappeared without a trace.
Indeed, on the same day MacDonald’s departure from the All Blacks caught headlines across the globe, Kevin Foote’s return to South Africa barely made a ripple.
It was almost a case of ‘Kevin who?’
Yet, this same person is the one who held one of the coveted five Australian Super Rugby head coaching positions and had been working on these shores for the past decade.
Leon MacDonald’s departure from the All Blacks has invoked discussion that Joe Schmidt should get on the phone to his former assistant. (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)
The same person who led the Rebels to their maiden finals berth.
The same person who kept the ship afloat as the Rebels spent all but the final days of the competition in limbo wondering whether they would return to Melbourne a year later.
Within seconds of his years of intellectual property being swept away, calls sounded for Rugby Australia and Wallabies coach to swoop on the services of Schmidt’s former Blues colleague MacDonald.
With Schmidt running the Wallabies’ attack, the two-time World Cup winner Tim Horan told The Sydney Morning Herald the ex-All Blacks assistant coach was “worth a phone call” to add to the coaching team.
With two New Zealand coaches at the top of the Wallabies coaching system, why not add a third?
“Surely we’ve got coaches in this country,” former Wallabies coach John Connolly told The Roar. “Crickey!”
“People used to run to us blokes, and we’d say develop your own coaches. What’s wrong with [Tim] Sampson?
“You’ve got to develop your own coaches. We can’t just run overseas every five minutes. These guys will come in for three years and then they’ll be gone.”
Former Rebels boss Kevin Foote (R) will return to South Africa as the Junior Springboks head coach. (Photo by Kelly Defina/Getty Images)
Foote was originally sounded out if he was interested in applying for the vacant Waratahs role months ago.
Given the messy circumstances surrounding the Rebels’ exit from Super Rugby, Foote didn’t entertain it.
He might not have even been the right choice.
But after originally saying he wasn’t interested, the book closed. The phone went dead.
Whatever happened to keeping lines of communication open?
Foote’s empathy and experience would have made him a strong candidate for the vacant Junior Wallabies coaching role, with Nathan Grey expected to head to Suntory in Japan.
Now the years of investment have been disappeared and swallowed up by South Africa, whose general manager, former Rebels and Force coach Dave Wessels, has appointed Foote as the Junior Springboks head coaching role.
As for whether Schmidt brings on another person to add to his coaching team, the former Ireland coach and All Blacks assistant has Australian options to pick from if he asks someone to step in and run his attack ahead of next year’s British and Irish Lions series.
Although Sampson has signed on as the Drua’s attack coach, Chris Whitaker, the former Wallaby who is well-regarded despite the Waratahs’ struggles in recent years, is available and would do a fine job.
Whitaker turned down a role in France and was on Scott Wisemantel’s ticket until NSW Rugby and Rugby Australia did a U-turn and told the highly regarded coach that Dan McKellar would be the next Waratahs head coach.
Former Waratahs assistant coach Chris Whitaker is on the hunt for his next role. (Photo by Jeremy Ng/Getty Images)
Shaun Berne, who was thrust into Michael Cheika’s coaching team for the 2019 World Cup after Stephen Larkham’s ugly exit at the end of 2018, worked in the Leinster system when Schmidt was coaching Ireland.
The former Waratahs and Leinster playmaker was the elite player development manager at the European heavyweights before spending time with the Force and Rebels.
He was even asked to jump on board McKellar’s Brumbies coaching team but decided to be faithful to Wessels. It didn’t work out and he’s another coach who has since fallen out of the coaching system but is quietly keen on returning to rugby.
Brock James’ attack has been on fire in the National Provincial Championship with North Harbour.
Perhaps the pick of the bunch is Daniel Halangahu, who also worked at the Blues alongside Schmidt.
Whatever way Schmidt turn, it’s time Rugby Australia invests in its own coaches before looking for the easy option abroad.