The All Blacks have taken a sharp blow on the eve of their tour to South Africa with the announcement assistant coach Leon MacDonald would be leaving the coaching set up immediately just five Tests into the new Scott Robertson era.
After a less than convincing two-match series win over England in June and a shock loss to Argentina to kick off the Rugby Championship, the All Blacks produced their most complete performance so far under new coach Robertson and his team when they hammered the Pumas 42-10 at Eden Park on Saturday night.
Scheduled to fly out to South Africa for their two-Test series against the Springboks on Friday, it's been revealed Robertson and MacDonald have had several discussions over the last few weeks over their differing working approach with New Zealand Rugby announcing on Thursday the pair had agreed to mutually part ways.
It's seen assistant coach Scott Hansen and contact skills coach Tamati Ellison take on the additional responsibilities for the remainder of the season.
"Leon and I have been having some honest conversations with each other for a little while now," Robertson said. "As coaches we have differing views and both agreed it wasn't working. Leon and I both care deeply about the All Blacks and we believe we've made a decision that's best for this team.
"There's a huge amount of respect and appreciation for Leon in the group and the work he's put in to get us to this point in our journey. As a team we have acknowledged that contribution and our focus now needs to be on South Africa, it's going to be two tough Test matches over there."
Sitting second on the Rugby Championship table, the All Blacks head to Johannesburg for the third Test before they head to Cape Town for the final match of the series to take on the world champions and current TRC leaders the Springboks in what is considered to be one of the hardest assignments in World Rugby.
After a disappointing series opener in Wellington just two weeks ago that saw many people question Robertson's ability to take on the top job, MacDonald's early departure will have only reignited discussions.
NZR Head of Professional Rugby and Performance Chris Lendrum labelled the discussions between the two as "constructive" but that the conclusion was that MacDonald would leave the set up.
"You've got two great coaches who have been having some robust but constructive discussions on the approach to drive the All Blacks over a period of time now," Lendrum said. "Ultimately, they have made a brave decision that they believe is best for the team.
"Leon is a highly regarded coach and has made a huge contribution to rugby across a number of teams in New Zealand, and we'd love to have him back in our system in the future. For now, I'd like to thank him on behalf of NZR and wish him all the very best."