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Graham Henry

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Sir Graham Henry
KNZM
Henry in 2012
Born
Graham William Henry

(1946-06-08) 8 June 1946 (age 78)
Christchurch, New Zealand
EducationChristchurch Boys' High School
Alma materUniversity of Otago
Massey University
Occupation(s)Rugby union coach, Educator
SpouseRaewyn
ChildrenThree
Rugby union career
Provincial / State sides
Years Team Apps (Points)
Canterbury ()
Coaching career
Years Team
1973–81
1982–91
1992–97
1996–98
1998–2002
2001
2004–11
2012–13
2016
2018–		 Auckland Grammar School
Kelston Boys' High School
Auckland
Blues
Wales
British and Irish Lions
New Zealand
Argentina (assistant coach)
Leinster (consultant)
Auckland (assistant coach)
Cricket information
BattingRight-handed batsman
RoleWicket-keeper
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1965–66Canterbury
1968Otago
First-class debut27 December 1965  v Auckland
Last First-class9 January 1968  v Canterbury
Career statistics
Competition First-class
Matches 6
Runs scored 10
Batting average 1.66
100s/50s 0/0
Top score 3*
Balls bowled 0
Wickets -
Bowling average -
5 wickets in innings -
10 wickets in match -
Best bowling -
Catches/stumpings 11/2

Sir Graham William Henry KNZM (born 8 June 1946) is a New Zealand rugby union coach, and former head coach of the country's national team, the All Blacks.

He played rugby union for Canterbury and cricket for Canterbury and Otago in the Plunket Shield. Henry was heavily criticised following the All Blacks' quarterfinal exit at the 2007 Rugby World Cup and was controversially reappointed. He was vindicated, however, when the All Blacks won the 2011 Rugby World Cup final.[1] and is one of the most successful coaches to have ever coached the All Blacks. On 1 November 2011, Henry announced he would be stepping down as All Blacks coach of 140 matches in a career that included a series victory over the British and Irish Lions in 2005, five Tri Nations and one Rugby World Cup title.[2]

In 2012, Graham Henry joined Argentina as an advisor for the backroom coaching staff, and acted as an assistant coach to the Argentine Team.[3] In 2013, he re-committed to Argentina for the 2013 Rugby Championship.[4]

Early career

After attending Christchurch Boys' High School where he was tutored in part by John Graham, Henry studied at the University of Otago, gained a Diploma in Physical Education in 1969, and became a secondary school geography and physical education teacher. He taught at two schools known for their rugby prowess – Auckland Grammar School and Kelston Boys' High School. He coached both their first XVs. He began his career at Auckland Grammar School as a Physical Education Teacher in 1973 and remained there – while completing a Bachelor of Education at Massey University in 1979 until 1982, when he was appointed deputy headmaster of Kelston. Following the unexpected death of headmaster Jim Paton while jogging in 1987, Henry became headmaster. He held the job until resigning to become a full-time coach in 1996.

His first major role was as coach of the successful Auckland provincial rugby team from 1992 to 1997. During his tenure, the team won the National Provincial Championship (NPC) four years in a row (1993–1996). Henry also coached the Blues in the Super 12 – winning the title in 1996 and 1997, and losing the final in 1998. Remarkably, the only other occasion the Blues have won the title was when he briefly returned as technical adviser in the 2003 season.

Wales and Lions

After being overlooked for the All Blacks coaching position in 1998, Henry left New Zealand to coach Wales, at the time becoming the highest paid rugby union coach in the world for a reputed £250,000 per year. His success with Wales resulted in him being given the nickname "the Great Redeemer" in the media there after guiding his side to eleven consecutive victories in 1999. As a result, Henry gained celebrity status in Wales. He was appointed coach of the British and Irish Lions for their unsuccessful 2001 tour to Australia – this made him the first Lions' coach from outside the Home Nations. He left Wales in 2002 after a record defeat to Ireland in the Six Nations by 54–10, and returned to New Zealand where he was appointed defensive coach of the Blues during their successful 2003 Super 12 season.

Honours

All Blacks

Following the All Blacks' semi-final loss to Australia in the 2003 Rugby World Cup the All Blacks coaching job was advertised. Apart from incumbent coach John Mitchell, Henry was the only applicant and took the job in December of that year.[6] Henry appointed his former Wales assistant Steve Hansen as forwards coach, Wayne Smith as attack coach, and having himself responsible for defence. Henry also recruited Sir Brian Lochore as a selector. The coaching team was often referred to by rugby commentators as the Three Wise Men due to their collective experience and success.[7]

His first Test match as coach was against the Rugby World Cup 2003 winners England team in New Zealand in 2004. England, coached by Sir Clive Woodward were decisively defeated in both Tests. The success did not carry on into the 2004 Tri-Nations where the All Blacks won two, and lost two Tests – they eventually finished last in the tournament. Henry and his assistants were criticised in the New Zealand media for their insistence on using a flat backline approach in attack – which they blamed for a low number of tries. The 2004 end of year Tests where they played Northern Hemisphere opponents was more successful and culminated in a 45–6 defeat of France in Paris.[8]

In 2005 he coached the All Blacks in their 3–0 series defeat of the British and Irish Lions. He then coached the All Blacks to 2005 Tri-Nations victory where they lost their only match of 2005 – against South Africa. He then coached them to only their second ever Grand Slam over the four Home Nations later that year. The All Blacks were named 2005 IRB International Team of the Year by the sport's governing body, the International Rugby Board (IRB). The IRB named Henry as Coach of the Year and first five-eighth Dan Carter as Player of the Year.

After winning the 2006 Tri-Nations and winning all end-of-year Tests in the tour of England, France and Wales, Henry won the IRB Coach of the Year again in 2006. The All Blacks were also named IRB International Team of the Year and captain Richie McCaw Player of the Year.

Despite such successes, Henry attracted controversy for his rotation policy. This policy means that players in the squad are rotated into and out of the starting team resulting in consecutive matches in the All Blacks 2005 Grand Slam fielding entirely different starting fifteens. An extreme competitiveness developed for all positions.

Henry in 2011

Henry's All Black coaching career was in question after New Zealand lost to France 20–18 in their 2007 World Cup quarter-final. This was New Zealand's worst-ever performance in a Rugby World Cup; they had made the last four of every previous tournament. In particular, Henry was blamed for instructing his men to press for a try in the final ten minutes of the game instead of attempting a drop goal, with the All Blacks losing by only two points; the All Blacks' best option for a drop goal, centre Aaron Mauger, never got onto the pitch. Others criticised Henry for omitting experienced winger Doug Howlett, the All Blacks' leading scorer of tries in this tournament, starting lock Keith Robinson (who was both injured and had had minimum game time throughout the World Cup) as well as the injured flyhalf Daniel Carter (after earlier proclaiming that his team had enough depth not to force any injured players onto the field), and playing Mils Muliaina, widely considered one of the best fullbacks in rugby, out of position at outside centre.

Henry never stated that referee Wayne Barnes was culpable for the defeat, as Barnes not only allowed several French ruck infringements to go unpunished, but also sin-binned Luke McAlister and missed a forward pass in the buildup to the decisive French try scored by Yannick Jauzion. This later led to him receiving a fair sportsmans award, the second New Zealander after Tana Umaga. After some speculation that he would leave, Henry applied for the post after it became vacant, competing with Robbie Deans.[9]

On 7 December 2007, Henry's contract as All Blacks coach was extended for a further two years, beating Crusaders's coach Robbie Deans, who subsequently accepted the head coaching position of the Australian rugby union team, the Wallabies.[10] The reappointment produced a mixed reception with the public, media and past players; some applauded the decision while others considered it a mistake. The move to reappoint Henry was also significant as it was the first time that an All Black coach was reappointed after defeat in the World Cup. This has been very divisive in New Zealand with many commentators declaring that it was a case of politics at work.

Upon his reappointment Henry stated that Richie McCaw would retain the captaincy of the All Blacks, and declared that he would be looking for new tight forwards for the All Blacks.

In July 2009, Henry was reappointed as the coach of the All Blacks through till the end of 2011. This contract saw him coaching the All Blacks through the 2011 Rugby World Cup which was held in New Zealand and won by the All Blacks beating France 8-7 in the final.[11][12]

During a series against France 2009 for contest of the Dave Gallagher Trophy he did not tell the All Blacks that they needed to win by a specified margin to secure the trophy. He said this was done because the All Blacks were "relatively young" and didn't need the extra pressure. This was not accepted as sound reasoning by all players.[13]

Henry in 2011

At the IRB Awards in 2011, Henry and his team both captured awards. The All Blacks were named IRB International Team of the Year and Graham Henry IRB International Coach of the Year for the 5th time.[14]

On 1 November 2011, Henry announced he would step down as coach, finishing his All Blacks career as one of the most successful rugby coaches of all time: he coached the All Blacks to 88 wins in 103 tests for a winning percentage of 85.4 percent.[15][16] In February 2012, he took a two-year part-time position with the NZRU as a mentor for the country's Super Rugby and ITM Cup coaches.[17] In April 2012, Henry began serving for one year in a similar role with the Argentine Rugby Union (UAR), primarily as a mentor to that country's high-level coaches and also as an assistant with the national team. His NZRU contract prohibits him from being part of the Pumas' coaching staff for their matches against New Zealand during the 2012 Rugby Championship, but the NZRU has given him its blessing to work with the UAR at other times.[18]

Coaching Statistics

Wales

International matches as head coach

Record by country

Opponent Played Won Drew Lost Win ratio (%) For Against
 Argentina 5 4 0 1 080 141 120
 Australia 2 0 0 2 000 22 45
 Canada 1 1 0 0 100 33 19
 England 3 1 0 2 033 63 122
 France 4 3 0 1 075 114 127
 Ireland 4 1 0 3 025 62 138
 Italy 3 3 0 0 100 140 60
 Japan 1 1 0 0 100 64 15
 Romania 1 1 0 0 100 81 9
 Samoa 2 1 0 1 050 81 44
 Scotland 3 1 1 1 033 74 77
 South Africa 3 1 0 2 033 62 70
 Tonga 1 1 0 0 100 51 7
 United States 1 1 0 0 100 42 11
TOTAL 34 20 1 13 059 1026 865

New Zealand

International matches as head coach

Note: World Rankings Column shows the World Ranking New Zealand was placed at on the following Monday after each of their matches

Record by country

Opponent Played Won Drew Lost Win ratio (%) For Against
 Argentina 3 3 0 0 100.00 99 36
 Australia 24 19 0 5 079.17 618 419
British & Irish Lions 3 3 0 0 100.00 107 40
 Canada 2 2 0 0 100.00 143 28
 England 9 9 0 0 100.00 294 114
 Fiji 2 2 0 0 100.00 151 14
 France 11 9 0 2 081.82 356 134
 Ireland 7 7 0 0 100.00 290 110
 Italy 4 4 0 0 100.00 182 36
 Japan 1 1 0 0 100.00 83 7
Pacific Islanders 1 1 0 0 100.00 41 26
 Portugal 1 1 0 0 100.00 108 13
 Romania 1 1 0 0 100.00 85 8
 Samoa 1 1 0 0 100.00 101 14
 Scotland 4 4 0 0 100.00 150 19
 South Africa 20 12 0 8 060.00 525 406
 Tonga 1 1 0 0 100.00 41 10
 Wales 8 8 0 0 100.00 268 103
TOTAL 103 88 0 15 085.44 3642 1537

Personal life

Henry with Jerry Mateparae in 2012

Henry met his wife Raewyn at university. She has also coached first class sports teams – the Auckland and Welsh netball teams. They have three children.

Henry was made a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the 2012 New Year Honours, for services to rugby.[19]

In 2020, he was the coach for the Match Fit squad, an old-boys team of former All Blacks for a one-off game against Barbarians. On the show, he admitted that he should not had taken the role as the Lions coach while being the Welsh coach in 2001. After the tour, he developed depression. He had recovered after leaving the Welsh coaching job in 2002, but also helped him cope with the loss at 2007 World Cup.[20]

Criticism

Following the 2007 Rugby World Cup defeat, close friend Murray Deaker suggested Henry ought to step down as coach of the All Blacks. Deaker spells out his criticism in his recent book, Henry's All Blacks. Deaker wrote the final chapter of the book, entitled The Verdict, after the loss to France at Cardiff: "We choked," he has written. "There's no other word for it – choked, choked, choked."

See also

References

  1. ^ Johnstone, Duncan (24 October 2011). "'I'm thankful to have kept job': Henry". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 24 October 2011.
  2. ^ Harper, Paul (1 November 2011). "All Blacks: Henry steps down". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 1 November 2011.
  3. ^ "Argentina hire former All Blacks coach Graham Henry as Four Nations advisor". Telegraph.co.uk. 7 March 2012.
  4. ^ "Henry re-commits to Argentina". ESPN scrum.
  5. ^ New rugbiers in the Hall of Fame
  6. ^ Bull, Andy New Zealand’s Graham Henry: how I learned to win the Rugby World Cup The Guardian. 9 September 2015
  7. ^ Jones, Nicholas (20 October 2011). "Three wise men and the video guy". New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 24 October 2011.
  8. ^ "392nd All Black Test: 1112th All Black Game". All Blacks. Retrieved 26 May 2007.
  9. ^ Wildman, Rob (7 December 2007). "Graham Henry reappointed All Blacks coach". Daily Telegraph. London.
  10. ^ "Henry reappointed All Blacks coach". New Zealand Herald. 7 December 2007. Retrieved 7 December 2007.
  11. ^ "All Black coaching trio re-appointed". The New Zealand Herald. 9 July 2009. Retrieved 17 August 2011.
  12. ^ Ackford, Paul (29 October 2011). "All Blacks coach Graham Henry: My team and I nearly choked before our moment of Rugby World Cup glory". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 1 November 2011.
  13. ^ Robson, Toby. "When a win's not a win – rugby – sport". Rugby Heaven. New Zealand: Fairfax. Retrieved 17 August 2011.
  14. ^ "All Blacks, Henry win team and coach of the year". IRB. Retrieved 25 October 2011.
  15. ^ "Henry steps down as All Blacks coach". Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax. 1 November 2011. Retrieved 1 November 2011.
  16. ^ "World Cup-winner Graham Henry steps down as All Blacks head coach". The Guardian. London. 1 November 2011. Retrieved 1 November 2011.
  17. ^ "Henry handed new mentor role". ESPN Scrum. 9 February 2012. Retrieved 8 March 2012.
  18. ^ "Henry links up with Argentina". ESPN Scrum. 7 March 2012. Retrieved 8 March 2012.
  19. ^ "New Year honours list 2012". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 31 December 2011. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
  20. ^ "Match Fit Season 1 Ep 2 | DOCUMENTARY/FACTUAL | ThreeNow". www.threenow.co.nz. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
Awards
Preceded by IRB International Coach of the Year
2005,2006
2008
2010,2011 		Succeeded by
Succeeded by
Preceded by Succeeded by
Preceded by New Zealand's Coach of the Year
2006
2011 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Succeeded by
Sporting positions
Preceded by Wales coach
1998–2002 		Succeeded by
Preceded by All Blacks coach
2004–2011 		Succeeded by
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