All Blacks legend predicts ‘complacency’ since Steve Hansen will be eradicated in ‘fresh’ Scott Robertson tenure

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Former All Blacks scrum-half Justin Marshall insists that New Zealand have been ‘complacent’ for too long but that it will change under Scott Robertson.

The All Blacks enjoyed a period of complete dominance between 2010 and 2015, claiming the Rugby World Cup title twice and winning the majority of their Test matches.

That second World Cup came under the guidance of Steve Hansen, who was part of Graham Henry’s coaching staff in 2011.

Ian Foster joined the set-up in 2012, firstly as an assistant before he replaced Hansen following their semi-final elimination at the 2019 global tournament.

All Blacks’ decline

That idea of promoting from within certainly worked initially but the environment perhaps became stale, resulting in a steady decline between 2017 and 2023.

Although the All Blacks managed to recover to reach the final at the World Cup in France, Marshall believed that a change was needed.

Scott Robertson has since been hired as the head coach after creating a dynasty at the Crusaders, while the backroom team has also been switched up.

Forwards guru Jason Ryan, who Robertson worked with for several years in Christchurch, has remained, but it is generally a completely new staff.

Justin Marshall: The big All Blacks ‘negative’ Scott Robertson must ‘change’ after Ian Foster’s era

“These players very much have been to the coalface in the last few years and they will recognise and know, particularly the experienced ones, where their faults have been,” Marshall told The Platform.

“Getting clean, fresh eyes on that and overlooking it will be an entirely new coaching group.

“Let’s not forget that it’s not just the main coaches that have changed, this entire coaching group has had a cleanout – a lot of the backroom staff that have been there for a long time – so when they walk into this environment now, not only are there brand new coaches, they’re also having brand new physios and all that sort of thing.

“There’s a real revitalising element to it which I think is really important because I think there’s been too much complacency in that coaching group that came all the way from Steve Hansen, and Foster didn’t really change anybody.”

Learning from past failures

Marshall believes that Robertson’s team can rectify the issues from the Hansen and Foster era and usher in another period of dominance for the All Blacks.

“That will be something for the players as well. There will be an element of freshening up,” he said.

“I certainly feel that there’s enough new enthusiasm injected, alongside the players, that we have hopefully learnt from the World Cups, particularly the last two, but equally in general Test matches, when we’ve dropped them for no real reason.

“A lot has been learnt and we’re going to learn more about how they’re going to play better.”