New Zealand Rugby have announced that Ian Foster’s successor will be revealed in the next four to six weeks.
While it was initially hoped the call could come by the end of February, NZR have announced they’ll go through a process to find the right person to take the job.
While Crusaders coach Scott Roberton and Japan’s Jamie Joseph are considered frontrunners, SENZ’s Tony Kemp was bewildered that the process was still ongoing.
Believing the All Blacks should already have their coach from 2024 onwards already set in stone, Kemp described the latest announcement as amateurish.
“I’ve got to say, it’s amateur hour, seriously,” Kemp said on SENZ Breakfast.
“I don’t know how many times you look at it and try to make it sound professional.
“It just doesn’t look professional, the more you look at Ian Foster’s interview last week, the worse it looks for New Zealand Rugby.
“The mention of review of 2019, I guess they’re talking about the loss to England in the World Cup, it says a lot.
“To go all the way back to 2019, it’s 2023 and to advertise for an All Blacks coach? Come on.
“That job should be cemented and everyone should know who the next coach is going to be.”
As the dominant force in world rugby, Kemp believes the All Blacks should have already found the right person for the job as NZR looks to escape scrutiny as they go through their processes.
“The All Blacks who are the benchmark should know who the next All Blacks coach is, seriously,” Kemp said.
“They’re going to market, four to six weeks, talking about an independent appointment panel and to not name the independent panel and saying, ‘We don’t want to be under scrutiny’.
“For me it’s amateur hour, you’ve got a professional sport run by amateurs.”
Foster has previously expressed his frustration that the process will take place before this year’s World Cup in France this September and October.