Leon MacDonald exits All Blacks following ‘robust’ conversations with Scott Robertson

Differences in opinion between head coach Scott ‘Razor’ Robertson and assistant coach Leon MacDonald have led to a dramatic change in the All Black coaching set up.

MacDonald has left the international setup ahead of the All Blacks two tests with South Africa, with assistant coach Scott Hansen and contact skills coach Tamati Ellison set to take on the additional responsibilities for the remainder of the season.

NZR Head of Professional Rugby and Performance Chris Lendrum said:

“You’ve got two great coaches who have been having some robust but constructive discussions on the approach to drive the All Blacks over a period of time now. Ultimately, they have made a brave decision that they believe is best for the team.

“Leon is a highly regarded coach and has made a huge contribution to rugby across a number of teams in New Zealand, and we’d love to have him back in our system in the future. For now, I’d like to thank him on behalf of NZR and wish him all the very best.”

Having only arrived as assistant coach earlier this year, MacDonald found himself within the squad for just the five Rugby Championship matches before calling it quits.

During this time, he and Robertson came under some fire for some suspect performances against England, before falling short to Argentina a couple of weeks ago. Despite an impressive performance in their second fixture against the Pumas, the damage was clearly already done behind the scenes.

All Blacks Head Coach Scott Robertson said:

“Leon and I have been having some honest conversations with each other for a little while now. As coaches we have differing views and both agreed it wasn’t working. Leon and I both care deeply about the All Blacks and we believe we’ve made a decision that’s best for this team.

“There’s a huge amount of respect and appreciation for Leon in the group and the work he’s put in to get us to this point in our journey. As a team we have acknowledged that contribution and our focus now needs to be on South Africa, it’s going to be two tough Test matches over there.”