ODT Landers Chat: Two big weeks coming
On ODT Landers Chat today, brought to you by Temuka Transport and Impact Roofing and Plumbing, coach Jamie Joseph breaks down the year so far and acknowledges the coming two weeks are big in the Highlanders' season.
Joseph talks about the "disappointment" of the Chiefs game last weekend, and what the Highlanders need to better against the Crusaders on Saturday night.
As we are doing the interview All Blacks coach Scott Robertson wanders past, so we ask Joseph what the All Blacks coach is doing in town.
We touch on the tough single-point losses and what they need to do to reverse those. We look at the injury roster and when stars like Caleb Tangitau are back.
Stay with us, it's a must watch.
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All Blacks winger Caleb Clarke re-signs to right wrongs on and off field
Caleb Clarke. Photo: Photosport All Blacks and Blues winger Caleb Clarke says the decision to stay in New Zealand gives him the chance to "right a few wrongs". The 26-year-old has re-signed with New Zealand Rugby for two more years taking him through to the 2027 World Cup. In February Clarke pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and failing to stop for police while riding his motorbike in Auckland late last year. At the time he said "I made an error of judgement while riding my motorbike in Auckland. I've taken full responsibility for my actions and have entered a guilty plea...I'm extremely apologetic and embarrassed." In re-signing Clarke said he was "very grateful to New Zealand Rugby and the Blues". Clarke has played 74 Super Rugby games for the franchise and said "Auckland's my home.. and (I) want to get close that hundred figure.. it was a no brainer." "Especially this year things haven't gone right," and he appreciated the "the opportunity to right some wrongs." Clarke said he felt he could be better on the field too. "Even on the field I don't feel like I have been delivering the best performances for myself and the team so the opportunity to stick around and right those wrongs I am excited about. "I compare my game to last year and last year I was touching the ball 15 or 16 times (a game) and this year its five or six so just trying to get around the ball more and be more of an option." Clarke had limited game time at the 2023 World Cup where the All Blacks fell at the last hurdle losing the final to South Africa. Clarke didn't play in that match but still remembers the words of then captain Sam Whitelock post the game, "'It's one thing to be part of an All Black team but to be part of a World Cup winning side is special'...so that's the dream and that's the goal." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
14 hours ago
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Explainer: What will happen in the last six months of Mark Robinson's tenure as NZ Rugby boss
As per usual with sports retirements, we're left with a long time between the announcement and the actual end of a career. With players and coaches it more or less comes down to trophies and milestones in terms of things to be achieved before they hang up the boots or whistle. For outgoing NZ Rugby (NZR) CEO Mark Robinson though, the to-do list may well be a bit more far reaching. To say Robinson's time in charge of the game's governing body has been tumultuous is a real understatement. He was only weeks into the job when Covid hit, fundamentally transforming the way rugby operated. Then there was the Silver Lake deal , the governance saga and an All Black coaching situation that played out with all the drama of a test match. But we're not really going to be able to reflect on any of that accurately till Robinson is finished, and probably really not till a long time in the future with regards to Silver Lake. What's important now is what his plans are for the rest of 2025 and what may well happen now that the shackles are figuratively off. New Zealand Rugby CEO Mark Robinson and chair Dame Patsy Reddy Photo: PHOTOSPORT "There's always something going on," said Robinson at NZR's Auckland office, highlighting the two key priorities: a new financial model and a more aligned global calendar. "We've got a whole range of different agreements coming together, like the broadcast agreement, the provincial union funding models, our competition models. All allow us the opportunity to come together and figure out what a better model might be for the game." Given what happened last year, with the governance stoush that ended with NZR chair Dame Patsy Reddy stepping down, that may seem a long way away. However, the reticence of Robinson to hit the nuke button in regards to an internal relationship suggests that progress may still be made by the end of the year - at least from NZR's point of view. "I think the provincial unions (PUs), the Player's Association (RPA), ourselves, and Super Clubs are all aligned about finding a better model. And we haven't got the answer predetermined … (but) we've done a lot of work on strategy, a lot of work on the long term revenue plan for the game." It's understandable that Robinson is guarded around just what it will look like, given the potential ramifications for the PUs. The governance stoush pulled the curtain back on a fraught situation between NZR and its constituents, many of whom are fearful of losing funding and influence. Julian Savea of Wellington celebrates a try during the NPC Final - Wellington v Bay of Plenty at Sky Stadium, Wellington, New Zealand on Saturday 26 October 2024. Copyright photo: Masanori Udagawa / Photo: Masanori Udagawa "We deal with over 30 stakeholders. So you never going to get complete alignment on every issue all the time," was Robinson's diplomatic response in regard to the relationship. 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Photo: ©INPHO/Billy Stickland Despite it being common knowledge that the All Blacks will tour South Africa next year, to the point where a schedule has already been leaked, it hasn't been officially announced yet due to commercial details needing to be ironed out. Another, far more ambitious idea is the Club World Cup - again something that people have been talking about for a while but one that will be far more logistically challenging both from a financial and practical perspective. Robinson is hopeful of having it signed off by the time he leaves. "2028 is a date that's been slated for at the moment. I think there's good progress being made, there's certainly a really strong appetite from clubs in New Zealand to be involved in it. At various times in the Northern Hemisphere there seems to have been different appetite shown, but it seems at the moment [there] is a good push." It'll be interesting to see whether the financial model and significant calendar changes will come to pass, which is why this deserves a sequel sometime in December. By then the All Blacks would have completed another long season that will culminate in a Grand Slam tour, while the Black Ferns will have attempted to defend a World Cup. "I think everyone acknowledges we're on the cusp of unlocking what could be a really incredible model for the game here," said Robinson, before admitting that it's virtually impossible to please everyone. "There is definitely enough revenue in the game to be able to go around. It doesn't mean everyone will be happy with all the budgets and resource they have, but we can definitely make it work."
Otago Daily Times
16 hours ago
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Positives despite difficult season
That was probably not how Jamie Joseph imagined his first season back as Highlanders head coach would pan out. A wooden-spoon finish has given him plenty to chew on as he prepares for next season. Hayden Meikle asks Joseph for some final thoughts on the 2025 campaign. Cynics can spend as much time as they like looking for cracks in the Highlanders as they lick their wounds after finishing dead last in Super Rugby. It seems they will not easily find any. Jamie Joseph said an intensive week of meetings and player reviews following the end of their season had thrown up some common themes — the first being that the players liked each other, and liked being at the club. "The team is pretty tightly connected," Joseph told the Otago Daily Times . "They're all good mates. We had a lot of new boys in this year but also a lot of young boys who have been through the grades, whether it's in high school right up to here, then down to under-20. "There's a lot of positive connections around, so what that means is this week's been pretty positive. One-on-ones are really important for the players to take some information away from the season so they can improve." It will not be all fist pumps and best wishes for next season. Several Highlanders players will not be back, some by their own choosing and some because Joseph has deemed them surplus to requirements. "There are always difficult conversations when you're the head coach and you've got a finite number that you can select. "Especially with this group of players. They're all really young, and I'm conscientious about their rugby. When the time comes, there'll be difficult conversations, but that's kind of my role." Joseph said the other big takeaway from player reviews was that his men on the ground could see the potential in the team. They won just three of their 14 games this season, but seven of their losses were by seven points or fewer. Some key injuries — notably to No 8 Hugh Renton — contributed to the tumble down the standings, as did a sort of collective loss of confidence that manifested itself in games going haywire at key moments. "We didn't really lose our way," Joseph maintained. "We just couldn't win those tight games, and there were a lot of factors in that. So they will understand and see that, which then leads to a real positive outlook for the team. "I'm a competitive guy, like most rugby coaches, so what I find hard is where the players are. They've worked so hard and come so close to get no reward. "But the table doesn't mean too much to me. It's just where we are. "If we nailed a few of those games, even half of them, we would be in a totally different position. I think people can see that, and certainly our fans can see that." Indeed, the response from Highlanders fans has been uncommonly generous. The coach banked so much capital from his first stint with the team, which included a fairy-tale title run in 2015, that there was always going to be some latitude around public expectation this season. Joseph made no excuses when the Highlanders started losing this season but he did regularly point to the relatively young age of the squad as a factor. The club has invested heavily in youth in recent years and the hope is that will come to fruition when some of these youngsters really find their feet. He pointed out depth remained an issue for the Highlanders, who have just one current All Black though they should have at least one more in a couple of weeks, compared with the other New Zealand teams. Then there is the No 10 issue. Cameron Millar and Taine Robinson are still finding their way at Super Rugby level, and while either or both might go on to great things, the fact remains the Highlanders do not presently have a top-class operator in the most important jersey. "I think in different games, at different times, most of our players got their confidence smacked in the nose, basically," Joseph said. "But everyone gets to look at the 9s and the 10s because decision-making around controlling the game on attack and defence, particularly on attack, sort of relies back on the 9s and the 10s." Renton's absence for most of the season was also a cruel blow. He offered so much as a leader and an on-field figure of action and respect, Joseph said, and was not easily replaced. While the Highlanders' results were poor, they were often a decent watch. The coach felt their game plan was sound and their approach positive — two things that were important to show off the club as an attractive destination for potential new players. "I think, when I look at all the other teams, we've played a more forward-dominating kind of game plan in the last couple of years using pressure, and I think you can contain teams like that. "But it's a lot safer if you've got the forwards to be able to play that kind of game. We lost a few players this year, particularly in the tight five, so that's one reason I think we needed adjustments to the game. "If we're going to attract outside backs to Dunedin, we need to play a game of rugby they're excited to play and also the fans are excited to watch. "We made quite a few changes to the game. I think it's the kind of game that's going to put us in a better position going forward." Perhaps the final judgement on this Highlanders season has been made by the team's best players. And they are unanimous in wanting to stay. Timoci Tavatavanawai, Ethan de Groot, Fabian Holland, Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens and Caleb Tangitau have all extended their contracts in a major show of faith in the team's direction. "I think the modern rugby player and the professional are really conscious about their futures and really understand what they need to take themselves forward in terms of being a professional rugby player with a long career," Joseph said. "So that's really, really promising for us that there are a number of guys that are all wanting to come back. "I think Sam Gilbert is the only guy that's chosen to go overseas and he's been here six years. So it's a promising future — we've just got to make sure that we improve on the small things that we have to get right this year." Joseph has effectively been on non-stop Highlanders duty for nine months. He is looking forward to a little bit of time away from rugby to clear the head before preparing in earnest for next season. "My job really is to try and create a team and a team environment where the players can be at their best. "To some extent, I feel I've achieved that, but clearly there's a lot of work to do."
