 Henry in 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Birth name | Graham William Henry | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | (1946-06-08)8 June 1946 (age 78) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Christchurch, New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Christchurch Boys' High School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| University | University of Otago (DipPhEd) Massey University (BEd) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation(s) | Rugby union coach | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Cricket information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting | Right-handed | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Role | Wicket-keeper | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1965/66 | Canterbury | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1967/68 | Otago | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FC debut | 27 December 1965 Canterbury v Auckland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| LastFC | 9 January 1968 Otago v Canterbury | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source:CricketArchive,3 June 2022 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sir Graham William HenryKNZM (born 8 June 1946) is a New Zealandrugby union coach, and former head coach of the country's national team, theAll Blacks. Nicknamed 'Ted', he led New Zealand to win the2011 World Cup.
Henry played rugby union forCanterbury and cricket forCanterbury andOtago in thePlunket Shield. Before becoming a full-time coach, Henry worked as a school teacher and headmaster.
He coached successfulAuckland andAuckland Blues teams in the 1990s, winningNational Provincial Championship titles in 1993, 1994, 1995 and 1996 with Auckland, and the inauguralSuper 12 title with the Blues in 1996. He coached Wales from 1998 to 2002, with some success, including an 11-match winning streak. He was head coach of theBritish & Irish Lions in their2001 tour of Australia, in which they lost the test series 2–1.
He was appointed head coach of New Zealand in 2004, and had several successful seasons, including a series victory over the British & Irish Lions in 2005. Henry was heavily criticised following the All Blacks' quarter-final exit at the2007 Rugby World Cup and was reappointed amid some controversy. He subsequently led the All Blacks to win the2011 Rugby World Cup final. He stepped down as All Blacks coach in 2011 after 140 matches in a career that also included fiveTri Nations titles.
In 2012, Henry joined Argentina as an advisor, and acted as an assistant coach to theArgentina national team.[1] In 2013, he re-committed to Argentina for the2013 Rugby Championship.[2]
After attendingChristchurch Boys' High School where he was tutored in part byJohn Graham, Henry studied at theUniversity of Otago, gained a Diploma inPhysical Education in 1969, and became a secondary schoolgeography and physical education teacher. He taught at two schools known for their rugby prowess –Auckland Grammar School andKelston Boys' High School. He coached both their first XVs. He began his career atAuckland Grammar School as a Physical Education Teacher in 1973 and remained there – while completing aBachelor of Education atMassey 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 successfulAuckland provincial rugby team from 1992 to 1997. During his tenure, the team won theNational Provincial Championship (NPC) four years in a row (1993–1996). Henry also coached theBlues in theSuper 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 the2003 season.
After being overlooked for the All Blacks coaching position in 1998, Henry left New Zealand to coachWales, 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 theBritish and Irish Lions for their unsuccessful2001 tour to Australia – this made him the first Lions' coach from outside theHome 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 successful2003 Super 12 season.
Following the All Blacks' semi-final loss toAustralia in the2003 Rugby World Cup the All Blacks coaching job was advertised. Apart from incumbent coachJohn Mitchell, Henry was the only applicant and took the job in December of that year.[3] Henry appointed his former Wales assistantSteve Hansen as forwards coach,Wayne Smith as attack coach, and having himself responsible for defence. Henry also recruitedSir 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.[4]
His first Test match as coach was against the Rugby World Cup 2003 winnersEngland 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 the2004 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 aflat backline approach in attack – which they blamed for a low number oftries. The 2004 end of year Tests where they playedNorthern Hemisphere opponents was more successful and culminated in a 45–6 defeat ofFrance in Paris.[5]
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 to2005 Tri-Nations victory where they lost their only match of 2005 – againstSouth Africa. He then coached them to only their second everGrand Slam over the four Home Nations later that year. The All Blacks were named 2005IRB International Team of the Year by the sport's governing body, theInternational Rugby Board (IRB). The IRB named Henry as Coach of the Year andfirst five-eighthDan Carter as Player of the Year.[6]
After winning the2006 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 namedIRB 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.
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Henry's All Black coaching career was in question after New Zealand lost toFrance 20–18 in their2007 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 10 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, centreAaron Mauger, never got onto the pitch. Others criticised Henry for omitting experienced wingerDoug Howlett, the All Blacks' leading scorer of tries in this tournament, starting lockKeith Robinson (who was both injured and had had minimum game time throughout the World Cup) as well as the injured flyhalfDaniel Carter (after earlier proclaiming that his team had enough depth not to force any injured players onto the field), and playingMils Muliaina, widely considered one of the best fullbacks in rugby, out of position at outside centre.
Henry never stated that refereeWayne Barnes was culpable for the defeat, as Barnes not only allowed several French ruck infringements to go unpunished, but also sin-binnedLuke McAlister and missed a forward pass in the buildup to the decisive French try scored byYannick Jauzion. This later led to him receiving a fair sportsmans award, the second New Zealander afterTana Umaga. After some speculation that he would leave, Henry applied for the post after it became vacant, competing withRobbie Deans.[7]
On 7 December 2007, Henry's contract as All Blacks coach was extended for a further two years, beatingCrusaders's coach Robbie Deans, who subsequently accepted the head coaching position of the Australian rugby union team, theWallabies.[8] 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 thatRichie McCaw would become the captain 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 until the end of 2011. This contract saw him coaching the All Blacks through the2011 Rugby World Cup which was held in New Zealand and won by the All Blacks beating France 8–7 in the final.[9][10]
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.[11]
At the IRB Awards in 2011, Henry and his team both captured awards. The All Blacks were namedIRB International Team of the Year and Graham HenryIRB International Coach of the Year for the 5th time.[12]
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.[13][14] In February 2012, he took a two-year part-time position with the NZRU as a mentor for the country's Super Rugby andITM Cup coaches.[15] In April 2012, Henry began serving for one year in a similar role with theArgentina Rugby Union (UAR), primarily as a mentor to that country's high-level coaches and also as an assistant with thenational team. His NZRU contract prohibits him from being part of the Pumas' coaching staff for their matches against New Zealand during the2012 Rugby Championship, but the NZRU has given him its blessing to work with the UAR at other times.[16]
Henry met his wife Raewyn at university. She has also coached first class sports teams – the Auckland and Welshnetball teams. They reside inWaiheke Island, and have three children.
Henry was made aKnight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (KNZM) in the2012 New Year Honours, for services to rugby.[17]
In 2020, he was the coach for theMatch 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 have 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 the 2007 World Cup.[18] In 2021/22, he reprised the role in season 2. He, the lateVa'aiga Tuigamala andBrad Mika were the only Auckland-based members in season 2.
| 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 |
| Forwards | |
|---|---|
| Backs | |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
