Robertson to keep his men fresh for final
Christchurch: Scott Robertson knows better than to wallop the Crusaders at training ahead of their Super Rugby title defence. Crusaders coach Robertson is smarter than that, appreciating the value of keeping men fresh for the final against the Lions at AMI Stadium in Christchurch on Saturday night. Rather than request the players run themselves ragged in practices, he will do everything he can to monitor their workload after they chewed through a mountain of tackle counts in recent weeks.
“You have to get the balance of the week right, physically and emotionally,” Robertson emphasised.
“We have to make sure we build for Saturday night, and that is something we are really good at.”
Ensuring the players “enjoy their work” during the week was paramount.
None of this is foreign territory for Robertson, whose appointment as a replacement for Todd Blackadder prior to the 2017 season has proved an unqualified success. Under their new coach the Crusaders lost just one game in the regular season last year and beat the Lions 25-17 in the final in Johannesburg. After consecutive away defeats to the Hurricanes and Highlanders in the fourth and fifth rounds earlier this season, the Crusaders have won 14 straight and have never lost in Christchurch since Robertson has been in control.
Previously he guided Canterbury to three premiership provincial titles, and the New Zealand under-20 team won a world crown under his watch in 2015.