Rob Walter linked to NZ role after quitting as SA coach
Cricket
Gary Stead is the current New Zealand head coach, but his contract ends in June this year.
WELLINGTON (Web Desk) - Rob Walter stepped down as South Africa's white-ball coach to further his career in his adopted home in New Zealand, and could even be in line for a national job. Walter has been linked to a role with the New Zealand men's team when Gary Stead's contract ends in June this year.
The exact nature of Walter's involvement will largely depend on whether Stead wants to continue in the role, as he remains New Zealand's first choice for head coach and whether he wants to continue coaching the national side in all formats. Stead was first appointed in 2018 and has had his deal renewed twice, most recently in July 2023.
New Zealand Cricket (NZC) had discussed a split coaching role "in-depth," but at the time, they had a consistent group of players across all formats and believed they would benefit from one coach. But the landscape has changed significantly with players such as Devon Conway, Kane Williamson and Lockie Ferguson rejecting central contracts to pursue franchise opportunities. The captaincy roles are also now split between Tom Latham (Test) and Mitchell Santner (white-ball). It is increasingly likely the coaching role may also be split.
That would be familiar to Walter, who has worked as South Africa's ODI and T20I coach since 2023, with Shukri Conrad in charge of the Test side. Though Walter enjoyed unprecedented success when he became the first South African coach to oversee the side's progression to a World Cup final (last year's T20 World Cup), his bilateral record was poor.
He faced increasing criticism over transformation (South Africa's T20 World Cup squad had only one black African player) and the travel to and from New Zealand was taking its toll. The last of those is a major reason for Walter opting to step down, two years into a four-year deal.
Sources confirmed that Walter had initially agreed to relocate to South Africa when he was appointed in 2023. However, when Cricket South Africa (CSA) pushed him on it, Walter is understood to have backtracked and said he had only agreed to consider moving back and had decided against it. His family, including two young sons, are based in New Zealand where he has lived since 2016. It is understood that CSA was surprised by Walter's resignation but understood he had an opportunity elsewhere.
Walter had previously been the head coach of the South African domestic side, the Titans, based in Centurion, which was his first coaching job after working as South Africa's strength and conditioning and fielding coach between 2009 and 2013. He spent five years with Otago, and reached two finals, before moving to Central Stags for two years and was then appointed to South Africa's white-ball sides.
Walter was contracted until the 2027 ODI World Cup, which will be co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia. CSA will appoint a successor to take the team to that tournament and Test coach Conrad is the favourite which could see South Africa move back to an all-format coaching system. The board will meet next week to decide on the process for appointing Walter's successor.
