His record as All Black coach is truly impressive. With an 86% success rate his only failing was not winning the Webb Ellis Cup. One of the most highly-pressured jobs in world sport, coaching the All Blacks is not for the faint-hearted nor those who accept mediocrity. But when the number one team in the world consistently fails to prove it on the biggest stage – The Rugby World Cup – then that ‘Don’t come Monday’ fax is just one loss away.
By Michael Marnewick
When the All Blacks won the inaugural Rugby World Cup in 1987, who wouldn’t assume they would enjoy ongoing success? But it took them 24 years and a further six tournaments before they won it again in 2011.
In John Mitchell’s case, the All Blacks scored maximum points in the pool stages of the 2003 World Cup and then defeated South Africa 29-9 in the quarter-finals. Losing to Australia in the semis was deemed not good enough and his two year tenure came to a premature end.
He followed up the All Black job with stints at the Western Force and then the Lions (successfully winning the Currie Cup with them in 2011, 12 years after their last success; the first time in 61 years at home) before a brief spell at Sale Sharks. He has consulted widely and in September last year was appointed in his latest role at UKZN.
So, what is the attraction that keeps the New Zealander in South Africa? Like his good friend, fellow coach from a small Kiwi town (Hawera: population 11 000) – John Plumtree – ‘Mitch’ married a South African girl. Smitten with her, the country and the mountain-biking (he’s a regular participant in three-day events), he’s not going anywhere for the time being.
“I love rugby and I have a love of teaching, inspiring and leading people to become winners in life and sport,” he explains of his role as Head Coach of the UKZN Impi side, currently participating in the Varsity Shield competition.
A noble cause indeed. He gave up his job with Sale after deciding that he couldn’t just keeping chasing his career.
“After 20 years in the game, I want to mentor youngsters, coaches and give something back to the game.”
This perhaps illuminates the value of the old boys club – former players who come back to the game as coaches, managers or financial backers.
Thrown in at the deep-end as All Black coach, it could have all ended shortly before it began. “I had 10 days to prepare for my first test as coach ahead of the English tour and went through the emotions of a last minute win against Argentina in Buenos Aires in the context of the All Black contract which is quite simple: You have to achieve 80% or above, and never lose to sides you’ve never lost to before.
“But it was an honour and privilege. I had less than two years to prepare to win a World Cup. In saying that, we brought through a really nice group of players that went on to eventually win a World Cup and some have gone on to become centurions. Two Tri-Nations titles and returning the Bledisloe Cup to New Zealand were special moments in my tenure, as were beating the Wallabies and Boks away from home.”
While it is clear there are no regrets, there are some simple realities that made it a lot easier for Graham Henry to win the World Cup that weren’t afforded Mitchell.
“With the understanding of professional rugby, there is a lot more thoughtfulness in terms of retaining staff and continuity of plans and process,” he points out. “There were three NZRU CEOs and one board change during my two years so it was a bit unsettled upstairs, but they really seem to have got it together, player welfare is taken into account and there is accountability as well – to reach the next level of rugby, a player needs to perform at his current level first as he looks to move up. And that performance needs to be sustained in order to become an All Black. It’s pretty cut-throat really.”
His philosophy on success is based on a commonality of plan and execution, together with good and the right people. “You need alignment and unity between top [management] and the team plans,” he explains. “In saying that, you need to make sure you deal with conflict in the same way as good outcomes to make sure you successfully learn from what plans did not work and are seen as a coaching mentor rather than a perceived disciplinarian You need to set up good structures and know when the time is right post direction to let go and allow players and team to take ownership. Then you cannot ignore what and how you motivate and bring energy to the group emotionally connecting to the vision.
“And finally, to be successful, you need to identify what is not working – in a positive way. A lot of organisations focus on what they don’t have and what’s wrong, as opposed to focussing on the positives and the strengths that they actually do have.
“The set-up by your predecessors is also an important component. In Super Rugby for example, there are a lot of sides that are constantly developing; they don’t come from a history of success and that will always be an obstacle to sustained success. You constantly see that sides with historical success are always there or thereabouts – if they’re not in fact winning.”
Man management is easier if you know the strengths of each player and they know yours as a coach which often determines your approach. This, he explains, is vital. And his experience as a coach means he understands what it takes to get the best out of his players and optimise team performance.
“As head of rugby it’s not what I say. It’s not what I do that will be remembered but how I made them feel in becoming responsible for becoming better than when they started.”
