New Zealand have received a significant setback after it was announced that Leon MacDonald has departed the set-up ahead of the key Springboks Tests.
The former Blues head honcho joined the All Blacks coaching group after Scott Robertson became boss of the national team.
MacDonald was hand-picked by Robertson to be his attack coach when he succeeded Ian Foster following the Rugby World Cup.
It became quite clear that it was not working, however, and the 46-year-old has now quit before the games against the Springboks in South Africa.
Scott Hansen and Tamati Ellison will take on extra responsibility following the departure of MacDonald.
Hansen will help the All Blacks attack alongside backs coach Jason Holland while current skills guru Ellison will be cover the defence for the rest of the season.
Thinking not aligned
“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,” Robertson said in a statement.
“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.”
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