New Zealand Under 20 Head Coach Milton Haig steps down

New Zealand Under 20 Head Coach Milton Haig has made the decision to step down from his role with the team ahead of their 2025 World Rugby U20 Championship campaign.

Haig, who recently led the team to the Under 20 Rugby Championship title in South Africa, said his decision was based on what he believed was best for the team.

“I’m grateful to New Zealand Rugby for the opportunity to return home and work with a talented group of players and management. Winning in South Africa was a highlight for the team and myself. Helping the players succeed was my primary motivation for taking the role and I believe they have the skills and drive to be successful at the World Championships in Italy.  

“However, I do not feel I’m fully aligned with the coaching group around things like playing style, so have made the difficult decision to step aside to give the team its best chance of reaching its full potential. I sincerely wish the players, coaches and management all the best for the remainder of the campaign and will be supporting them from afar.”

Haig said he would now take time to spend more time with family and focus fully on his role as a World Rugby high-performance consultant.

Matt Sexton, NZR High Performance Player Development Manager said:

“Milton’s a quality coach and person has done a great job laying the foundations for the team over the past two months. His record over time is evidence of his coaching ability and it was great to see the team perform so well in South Africa. We respect his decision to step away and admire his courage in putting the team before himself.”

Sexton, the Under 20s high performance campaign manager, said the existing coaching team of Jarrad Hoeata, Alex Robertson and Craig Dunlea would take the team forward with one other coach to be added to the group ahead of the World Championship.