Israel Dagg says certain All Blacks players will have to “front up” following the sacking of head coach Scott Robertson.
Speaking to Sport Nation, the former fullback/wing said he was shocked by recent developments.
“First and foremost, you take the rugby out of it, I feel for Razor and I feel for his family. He’s just lost his job.
“I got dropped and I found there’s a lot of embarrassment. You keep telling yourself these certain things that are probably not even true.”
Dagg, who made 66 Test appearances for the All Blacks, believes the fallout has left the national team, and New Zealand rugby more broadly, at a crossroads.
“Now it’s kind of like, where do we go next? What are we doing? We’re in a bit of a dark place at the moment with everything that’s going on, not only with the All Blacks but rugby in general. The next couple of years are pretty pivotal to get things sorted.”
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He added that if reports of player dissatisfaction are accurate, those involved will face added scrutiny next season.
“There’s a lot of speculation about the whole review and maybe some player unrest, but it’s really important when there’s an opportunity to go out there and put that jersey on, they put some mana back into it.
“There’s a lot of pressure on a couple of players in that playing group, they’re going to have to front. If the speculation is right about the review, they’ve got to go out there and front.”
Dagg also suggested financial realities will influence who replaces Robertson, noting the significant cost of appointing a new coach and support staff.
“I guess it depends on who the new coach is. It is it Dave Rennie? There’s been a lot of conversations about Dave Rennie.
“But if he comes in, he potentially brings in an entire new coaching group. What does that financially cost for NZ Rugby? I would say that’s pretty expensive.”
Photo: Hannah Peters/Getty Images
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