Former captain Tim Horan has urged the Wallabies to take advantage of the All Blacks coaching fallout by recruiting Leon MacDonald.
The All Blacks on Thursday made the shock announcement that MacDonald had agreed to leave his role as the team’s attack coach, citing irreconcilable differences with head coach Scott Robertson.
MacDonald, who made 58 appearances for the All Blacks, joined Robertson’s coaching staff after five successful years as Blues head coach, guiding the Super Rugby team to their first title in 18 years in 2021.
However, after just five Tests – one of which was the stunning loss to Argentina in Wellington – Robertson and MacDonald decided that they cannot work together on the eve of the mini-series against the Springboks in South Africa.
Speaking to Sydney Morning Herald, World Cup-winner Horan said that the Wallabies should take advantage of the situation by pouncing for MacDonald.
Schmidt joined MacDonald’s coaching staff at the Blues in 2021 as a senior “support coach”, having just returned to New Zealand from his successful stint as Ireland head coach.
The Wallabies currently do not have a fulltime backine coach, with Schmidt currently handling the responsibilities of coaching the attack.
“It’s worth a phone call. If you are Joe Schmidt and you have been coaching colleagues in the past, it has got to be worth a phone call,” Horan said.
“Even if it is not a full-time coaching opportunity, it could be a “come over, have a look, tell us what you see and what you think”. Leon may not be looking for another job but he knows Joe well.
“The big challenge would be, given how much IP he has about the All Blacks, how much would he be prepared to give to the Wallabies.”
Photo: Hannah Peters/Getty Images
