OPINION: NZ Rugby chief executive Mark Robinson did not need to speak on Sunday night.
To understand why he did, you need to cast your mind back four weeks.
After a series loss to Ireland, the CEO had questions to answer. In fact, media had earlier in the week been given notice they could expect Robinson to front on Sunday in the event of a defeat to Ireland in the third test at Wellington.
Instead, a well-documented omnishambles unfolded. Ian Foster's scheduled Sunday morning media conference was cancelled at late notice, prompting wild speculation over his future.
Later that afternoon, Robinson offered a statement that only made it clear the All Blacks performance across the series was "not acceptable".
NZ Rugby was roundly criticised. Robinson should have fronted questions on that occasion.
The public quite rightly demanded answers after a fourth loss in five matches and, as CEO, Robinson was the man to provide them.
On Sunday, NZ Rugby tried to demonstrate it had learned from that experience. Despite its best intentions, its efforts backfired.
Spectacularly.
On Sunday, the situation for the chief executive of NZ Rugby was entirely different.
Against a backdrop of three straight defeats and swirling rumours over the future of coach Ian Foster, the All Blacks delivered a performance that stunned everyone - except themselves.
After a tough month and a particularly torrid week, Ian Foster deserved his moment in the spotlight. He deserved to be front and centre, and rightfully accepting the praise that followed victory in the toughest environment world rugby has to offer.
The result challenged the narrative around his coaching future that had built over recent weeks.
Enter Mark Robinson.
On Sunday morning, a media conference was scheduled for 5:30pm NZT with Robinson. The timing, so close to major television news broadcasts, inevitably prompted rumours over what was to come.
Privately, media were advised there would be no major announcements forthcoming, but in the spirit of transparency and desperate to prove he wasn't hiding, Robinson was made available to media.
Now, media are not going to say no to this. News organisations have an insatiable hunger for content and this was an opportunity to ask Robinson to endorse Foster after a morale-boosting win that had provided a compelling counter-argument to claims he is not the man to continue as All Blacks coach.
It soon became clear Robinson would not be forthcoming with this support.
Now, instead of the focus being fixed on a remarkable win at Ellis Park, NZ Rugby had seized the opportunity to cast further doubt on Foster's future with a media conference in which Robinson made himself available to say precisely nothing of substance.
For the first time in a long time, fans were not calling for the All Blacks coach to be sacked, because his team had just beaten the Springboks in South Africa. Yet here we were, Robinson at the ready, subjecting himself to questions he not only didn't need to answer, but couldn't answer.
He wasn't prepared to back Foster and after a series of probing questions met with underwhelming answers that saw Robinson shift awkwardly in his chair on several occasions as he found new ways to say "no comment", the only obvious question on the minds of all those in the zoom room was: "Why are we here?"
A negative headline had been created on a day when the organisation and the team genuinely - finally - had something positive to celebrate.
It was a perfect illustration of the contrasting PR issues facing the game.
On one hand, the All Blacks and their coach have adopted a siege mentality that has led to unprecedented hostility between the team and touring media in South Africa this week.
On the other hand, NZ Rugby leadership is desperate to improve relations with mainstream media, and prove they are available and transparent.
On this occasion, that willingness to be available - and perhaps the fear of the perception that might be created by being unavailable - came at a cost. It turned a good news story into a murky one, and further highlighted the clear disconnect between the All Blacks and NZR administration.
Robinson will certainly have more to say on the All Blacks coaching situation in coming days. Until then, the questions could have and should have waited to allow Foster a chance to celebrate a truly memorable win.
Andrew Gourdie is a Newshub sport presenter
