Huge shock: New Zealand coach steps down after national team meltdown

NEWS: All is not well in New Zealand.

The country’s Under-20 head coach Milton Haig has made the huge decision to step down from his role due to a lack of alignment with his coaching group.

The news comes just a day after his playing squad was announced for the World Rugby U20 Championship in Italy next month.

It’s a huge shock as Haig recently led the team to the U20 Rugby Championship title in South Africa.

“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 I 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.”

Haig said he would now take time to spend more time with family and focus fully on his role as a World Rugby high-performance consultant.

Matt Sexton, NZR High Performance Player Development Manager, added: “Milton’s a quality coach and person 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, the U20s high-performance campaign manager, said the existing coaching team of Jarrad Hoeata, Alex Robertson and Craig Dunlea would take the team forward with one other coach to be added to the group ahead of the World Championship.