IN ONE sense, New Zealand could not lose yesterday. Both the All Blacks and the Welsh team have head coaches born and bred in New Zealand, so the victory would have been down to Kiwi influence and Kiwi philosophy in either case. Both Graham Henry of New Zealand and Warren Gatland of Wales have also coached other national teams - Henry had his spell as coach of Wales and Gatland is a former coach of Ireland.

They are part of a remarkable trend, that reveals the technical grip held by New Zealanders on rugby, and also just how popular the nation’s coaches have been. There is hardly a senior rugby nation in the world which has not, at some point in the past 10 years, had a New Zealander at or near the top of its coaching regime and it is a tribute to the clarity, dedication and, frankly, the accessible simplicity of the rugby philosophies in New Zealand.

Naturally, there is also the concept of faddism. At one time, every cricket country or county wanted to sign a tall, black fast bowler. In another era, American rugby was adversely affected because English coaches were coveted. For a time in cricket, every tall, black bowler was deemed to be outstanding and for a time, there was no merit assessment in America of English rugby coaches. Just to be English in American rugby was enough. And just to be a Kiwi, it seems, has been enough for a galaxy of rugby nations and a galaxy of professional teams all over the world.

The vast majority of New Zealand coaches who have been appointed to overseas roles have been effective. Henry had an excellent period in charge of Wales, he was blamed unfairly for the demise of the 2001 Lions Tour in Australia and left Wales eventually under something of a cloud, but his results speak for themselves. Steve Hansen, who succeeded Henry and now works alongside him in the All Black camp, is also still revered by some of the players of that era, even though his results absolutely do not stack up.

Some of the New Zealand influence is blindingly obvious. Robbie Deans, one of the most successful professional coaches in history, is clearly driving Australia forward after a period in the doldrums and Kieran Crowley, the former New Zealand fullback, has presided over a revival of Canadian rugby. Mike Brewer, the former All Black flanker, is now a senior figure in the Scotland coaching set-up while John Kirwan, the great wing, has the task of overcoming Japan’s chronic shortage of size and power out East.

You find New Zealand coaches in all parts of the world and at all standards. Ellis Meachen and Steve McDowell are cracking the whip in Romania, where the national team suffered from the break-up of the old Communist Bloc and is trying to revive, and there is even a Kiwi influence in the fledgling Colombian Union with the effervescent Bill Paul in charge.

The New Zealand influence is also consistent. At least 10 nations have New Zealanders in charge but many others now employ locals on the back of revivals plotted by Kiwis. The Pacific Islands have always engaged New Zealanders, with John Boe still deemed a hero in Samoa for the dignity and excellence of his contribution, despite a chronic lack of resources and despite the fact that his squad kept disappearing to other nations.

It all suggests that rugby coaching is not rocket science. There is an innate grasp of the tactical niceties in New Zealand, and there is also a level of basic skills with which the rest of the world, and especially the United Kingdom, is struggling to compete. But this simplicity of thought and action appears to cut through the overcomplication and, frankly, the overfed nature of so much of our rugby in the northern hemisphere. Many of the figures on our list here have a straight-talking urgency and clarity which too many European coaches have failed to emulate.

The trend will continue. The latest raft of New Zealand coaches have already departed for Europe. Both Hansen and Wayne Smith, the third member of the current New Zealand coaching triumvirate, have been linked with the coaching post at the Ospreys – with Smith favourite. All information is that the Ospreys have made him a lucrative offer.

The England team appear to be holding out against the trend, although Henry was once approached by the Rugby Football Union for initial discussions. Martin Johnson, meanwhile, was born and bred in the Midlands, although in his own estimation, the lasting influence of New Zealand’s rugby, which began when he played in the King Country Cup in his early 20s, is still colouring his rugby philosophy. They are everywhere, these Kiwis, and few of them are not worth the money.

SOME OTHERS WITH MAJOR POSTS IN THE PAST DECADE
Graham Henry (Wales) Steve Hansen (Wales) Peter Thorburn (USA) Michael Jones (Samoa) Sean Lineen (Scotland) Murray Kidd (Ireland) Alex Wyllie (Argentina) Jim Love (Tonga) John Mitchell (England)

NEW ZEALANDERS WITH NATIONAL TEAMS
Robbie Deans (Australia) Rejected by the All Blacks and now across the Tasman
Warren Gatland (Wales) After a stint with Ireland, now adopting the Dragons
John Kirwan (Japan) The outstanding wing had a crack with Italy, now reviving Japan
Mike Brewer (Scotland) Chief lieutenant of Frank Hadden, north of the border
Ellis Meachen (Romania) Highly rated at home and reviving Romanian rugby
Lofty Stevenson (Germany) In charge of a rising group of German youngsters
Bill Paul (Colombia) Fighting the fight against lack of resources in a small rugby nation
Kieran Crowley (Canada) Inspired his men in a narrow defeat against Wales in Cardiff