New Zealand Rugby’s ‘expensive mistake’ confirmed as Leon MacDonald payout revealed – report
Former All Blacks coach Leon MacDonald, who left five matches into his job.
Former All Blacks coach Leon MacDonald looks set to receive a very decent severance package despite being involved for just five Tests.
The 46-year-old departed the New Zealand set-up with immediate effect last week after not seeing eye-to-eye with head coach Scott Robertson.
Robertson and MacDonald clashed over the direction of the team, with the former admitting that their rugby philosophies did not align.
Long-term association
It was a huge shock, particularly given that the two both played and coached together at the Crusaders. However, they last worked alongside each other in 2017 with MacDonald going on to become head coach at the Blues.
He led the Auckland outfit between 2019 and 2023 before the former All Blacks star reunited with Robertson after accepting an offer to become the national team’s attack coach.
However, it lasted just five matches in total as MacDonald left following New Zealand’s 42-10 triumph over Argentina at Eden Park.
Many pundits were caught by surprise, including great wing Jeff Wilson, who predicted that it would prove to be a costly error by New Zealand Rugby.
“The fact that they haven’t been able to work through it, this is a really expensive mistake for NZ Rugby,” he said on The Breakdown.
“If you think about how much – I think he was on a four-year deal – they would have had to at least compensate Leon MacDonald for the commitment that he made.
“Also the jobs that he turned down to take this opportunity on board.”
Wilson appears to be right as, according to the New Zealand Herald, MacDonald is set to receive a six-figure payoff from the governing body.
The 46-year-old signed a long-term deal until the conclusion of the 2027 Rugby World Cup and the Herald are reporting that he must now be paid “close to two years of his previously agreed contract term.”
The exact details of MacDonald’s severance pay remain secret, but it is due to be a significant sum for NZR.
2022 payouts
It is not the first time the governing body have been forced to pay compensation to former All Blacks assistants, with some understood to be on between NZ$500,000-$700,000 (around £235,000-£329,000) per year.
In 2022, just a few months after signing new contracts, Ian Foster’s assistants, Brad Mooar and John Plumtree, were sacked following New Zealand’s dreadful run of form.
Mooar and Plumtree left ahead of the Rugby Championship after seeing the team go down to Ireland 2-1 at home, which followed successive defeats in the 2021 November tour.
Jason Ryan, who remains part of the All Blacks’ coaching staff, and Joe Schmidt came in and helped inspire a turnaround in their fortunes as they reached the 2023 Rugby World Cup final.
