Driving back from the glory of Otamure campsite on Thursday and my phone started squawking and honking and whistling and buzzing like a fridge. Being on holiday still, kind of, I ignored it. I eventually acquiesced to its frantic whirring and beeping and pulled over to check out what the electronic cacophony was signalling.   

Bloody hell! Scott Razor Robertson had been given the Spanish archer. The El-bow.   

Stunned? Taken aback? Incredulous?  

D) All of the above.   

I’d rather this story broke on Tuesday before my first talkback shift of 2026, but I think this story has more legs than The Grand Old Duke of York’s men, that’s the old army, not the modern version, so we have plenty to talk about in the coming days, weeks, or months even on Sportstalk.  

My number one thought was this: is David Kirk the new Steve Tew?   

This sudden ejection of the All Blacks coach was decisive, without warning, and is a sign of where the power really lies at NZR, and it’s not with the coaching staff or players. The buck stops at the top. It’s their game, it's been poorly handled and that will not be tolerated. BOOM. DCM.   

Whether you agree with the guillotine drop or not, there’s no coming back. The head is in the basket; no amount of glue or duct tape is reattaching it.   

That’s leadership right there. That’s Steve Tew. Love him or hate him, he was definitely the boss, and that’s the path David Kirk has taken as the Chair of the board.   

No fannying about. No swathes of grey. No yeah nah maybe, which had become a hallmark of NZR in recent times. 

Firm, decisive. 

It starts at the top, and it’s wonderful to see iron fist leadership returning to our national game.