Opinion: The Barnes conundrum

OPINION: Ian Snook

Ian Snook is a former Central Districts and Taranaki cricket captain and has coached rugby in New Zealand and overseas. 

Step forward Neil Barnes. Hail the ultimate coach.

Taranaki’s Neil Barnes has been appointed to the All Black coaching panel to work alongside Dave Rennie, Jason Ryan, Tana Umaga and Scotland’s Mike Blair.

There is plenty about Barnes’ appointment to provide Taranakians with a sense of pride and a feeling that this is the man for the job.

He is the true Taranaki rugby person. Knowledgeable. Purposeful. Candid. Supportive.

He has earned his stripes and earned them well. Championships at club, representative and Super Rugby level; successes at international level with Canada, Italy and Fiji; and mixing it at three World Cup campaigns and a Six Nations tournament, Barnes can stride onto the biggest stage of all and feel confident that he can make a difference.

And that is what the NZ rugby public are after – something different. Something that has a plan and a purpose. Something that looks like the players know what is expected of them and that they are enjoying themselves. Something that has discipline, belief and desire.

Yep. That’s Barnsey.

But, as the Ferdy fans smile and pump their chests, there is a deep thought process going on – who will be the next Taranaki coach, and can he achieve anywhere near the now expected standards of an eager and demanding supporter base?

Who are the options?

Sitting in the province right now is a man who has won a national provincial championship with Wellington only a few seasons back – Leo Crowley.

He is an obvious target.

From a family, with ‘Rugby’ surely the middle name, Crowley has a sense of determination and direction about him, very similar to Barnes. It must come from the Taranaki farming background.

As well as Wellington, he has been assistant coach for Taranaki and the Makos in the NPC, and Super Rugby side the Melbourne Rebels.

He oozes rugby.

Whether he can be convinced or not to tie his belt to Taranaki rugby following a couple of kicks in the stomach over the previous fifteen years remains to be seen, but these are new times and there is a new group at the top.

It would be great to see his name in the mix.

Next up may well be ex-All Black and 91 game Taranaki player Jarrad Hoeata.

Still only 42, a youngster in coaching years, Hoeata has already achieved a huge amount in the game.

As well as Taranaki and the All Blacks, there has been games for Canterbury, North Harbour, the Chiefs, the Highlanders, the Cardiff Blues, Montpellier, NZ Maoris, and NZ Sevens; 234 in all, in three countries. These varied experiences are invaluable when it comes to coaching.

Since moving into the role as assistant coach with Taranaki in 2020, in what has been a very successful era, there has also been upskilling as part of the NZ Under 20 team since 2023 and he is now part of the Chiefs coaching group.

The Chiefs website stated: ‘He is a very technically proficient, confident coach, a great technician around the lineout and really passionate about his craft. The expertise and passion for what he does will create great learning conditions for our players.’

It sounds pretty good. The question that needs to be answered is whether he is ready to lead the group. The head coach has plenty on his plate.

Soon to be reaching his peak coaching year of 50, is another ex-Taranaki forward Paul Tito, now aged 47; and no individual loves coaching more than ‘Fish’.

Following an extensive playing career with Taranaki (100 games), Cardiff Blues (124 games), many as a successful captain, the Chiefs and the Hurricanes (84 games), as well as national representation with NZ U19 & 21’s and three seasons with the NZ Maori, Tito has immersed himself in coaching as many forward packs as possible.

These include assisting with Taranaki, Pau (France), the Western Force, Wellington, Georgia, the Auckland Blues and as head coach of the NZ Schools side.

He may now be ready to return home and put his name in the hat. Only an extensive review of Tito’s successes and failures will determine whether he is the right man. He certainly has Taranaki in his blood, and this is something that I’m certain he will have been working towards.

A name that could be thrown into the pot is James Marshall.

Currently as assistant at the Crusaders, where he has been since 2023, he has coaching experience with Tasman and has played in the UK, Japan, Italy, and importantly with Taranaki and the Hurricanes in NZ.

A clever player in his time, one gets the feeling that he has a lot to offer as a coach with his insightful approach to the game.

With a technically sound forward coach such as Hoeata at his side, this would be an exciting pairing.

My choice would be to leave things as they are with Crowley stepping into the vacancy left by Barnes. This would provide the necessary confidence and belief from players and the public.

There is one thing I have learned from my time working at Taranaki rugby, the coach needs to have a Taranaki flavour to him.

It’s time to step up Leo Crowley.