Milton Haig has delivered a bombshell only weeks before the World Rugby Under-20 championship by resigning as New Zealand’s head coach.
Haig, who helped coach the “Baby Blacks” to their repeat Under-20 Rugby Championship victory in South Africa recently, cited differences of opinion in the coaching group and said he believed his decision was best for the team.
“I’m grateful to New Zealand Rugby for the opportunity to return home and work with a talented group of players and management,” Haig said in a statement.
“Winning in South Africa was a highlight for the team and myself. Helping the players succeed was my primary motivation for taking the role and I believe they have the skills and drive to be successful at the World Championships in Italy.
However, I do not feel I’m fully aligned with the coaching group around things like playing style, so have made the difficult decision to step aside to give the team its best chance of reaching its full potential. I sincerely wish the players, coaches and management all the best for the remainder of the campaign and will be supporting them from afar.”
Jarrad Hoeata, Alex Robertson and Craig Dunlea are the team’s other coaches.
Haig, a former head coach of the Georgia national team who coached at Suntory in Japan recently, said he would spend more time with family and focus fully on his role as a World Rugby high-performance consultant.
For New Zealand Rugby, Haig’s decision may bring back memories of All Blacks assistant coach Leon MacDonald’s sudden resignation last year.
MacDonald, who has never spoken publicly about his decision, claimed differences of opinion with head coach Scott Robertson. The big difference in the case of Haig, however, is that he was the head coach.
NZ Rugby high performance development manager Matt Sexton said: “Milton’s a quality coach and
person and has done a great job laying the foundations for the team over the past two months.
“His record over time is evidence of his coaching ability and it was great to see the team perform so well in South Africa. We respect his decision to step away and admire his courage in putting the team before himself.”
Sexton said one coach would be added to the group ahead of the World Championship which starts for New Zealand with a match against hosts Italy on June 29.
