Article & Journal Resources

5:00AM Wednesday December 05, 2007

The New Zealand Rugby Union has appointed a legal heavyweight and a leading sports coach to lead a review into the All Blacks World Cup failure.

Mike Heron, a partner in Auckland law firm Russell McVeagh, and Don Tricker, a coach for Sport and Recreation New Zealand, will begin the review this week and report their findings in April next year.

The terms of reference says that the review is to determine and document the "material learnings, both positive and negative, for the benefit of future campaigns".

Their investigation will include a close look at the controversial conditioning programme and the selection/rotation policy - both of which were criticised during the ill-fated campaign in France.

The pair will be asked to make recommendations for an All Blacks future based on the team leadership and mental preparedness, the management of player welfare and the size of squad before the tournament.

They have also been told to study team management before and during the World Cup and the quality and effectiveness of planning. The Union said last night the review team would be given access to all employees and information necessary.