All Blacks legend ‘never thought’ Scott Robertson would be a good coach
Crusdaers coach Scott Robertson during the Super Rugby Pacific Round 12 match between the Canterbury Crusaders and the Auckland Blues at Orangetheory Stadium in Christchurch, New Zealand, Saturday, May 13, 2023. (AAP Image/John Davidson/via Photosport) NO
Justin Marshall questioned whether Scott Robertson would ever have the qualities to succeed in coaching, but that his skills have perfectly complemented the modern game.
The duo were team-mates at both club and international level, playing at a time when the Crusaders were utterly dominant in Super Rugby.
Robertson retired from playing in 2007 and immediately went into coaching, becoming an assistant at Canterbury before leading New Zealand’s age-grade outfit to the World Rugby U20 Championship in 2015.
Remarkable Crusaders success
He then returned to the Crusaders in 2017, this time as their head coach, and oversaw an incredible run of success, winning seven titles in as many seasons.
The sport has certainly changed a huge amount over that time and Marshall believes that the 49-year-old has “evolved” along with it, which has enabled him to become the All Blacks‘ boss.
“You can’t have the prescriptive model that we had 30 or 40 years ago, which worked then. It was basically a coach telling the team what to do, and you might have one or two leaders on the field calling the shots,” he told The Platform.
“Now it’s around decision-making processes and stuff like that, and putting the environment in place so that guys and girls can train to their optimum during the week.
“Razor’s massively into that. He was one of the guys I played with; you would have never thought in the old coaching model that he would have been a good rugby coach, but it’s evolved and he’s evolved with it, and he’s fantastic.
“He’s always thirsty to learn, he’s very good at delegating, he doesn’t get intimidated by having an expert in their field alongside him. He’s got no kind of ego in that regard, he just wants to provide the best environment for the players.”
As well as the high expectations of the supporters, New Zealand’s latest head coach will also have to deal with the departures of some key and experienced players.
“I don’t think he will be scared of coming in and rebuilding. He’s done that with the Crusaders, he’s proved his longevity at the Crusaders,” Marshall said.
“Yes, he’s had class players, but he’s developed a lot of those class players himself. He’s certainly not afraid of rolling his sleeves up and taking a player with raw talent, raw ability and refining that player.
“He’s unproven at Test level, yet has he earned his chance to be there? Absolutely, he couldn’t have done any more to get to the position that he is now.
“We’ll soon see whether it does come across to international rugby. I think his approach will. He’s very much about empowering the players and creating an environment to allow them to drive their own destiny, and that’s very important.”
Competing with improving nations
Robertson takes over from Ian Foster, who guided them to the Rugby World Cup final despite a rocky few years in charge.
Foster was heavily criticised during his time as All Blacks boss, with the national side having mixed results following the 2019 global tournament.
The consensus is that other countries, such as France and Ireland, have caught up with New Zealand, and Marshall believes that Robertson’s influence will be important as they try to get back to the top of the game.
“We’ve got it even tougher now in New Zealand with us competing against these countries with big resources. You look at France and how much they’ve developed over the last 10 years in their consistency and depth,” he added.
“Having a coach like Razor, he’s a natural innovator. He doesn’t rest on his laurels, he always looks to try and be better. I think that’s great for the All Blacks because we need to be that.”