Anxious times as playoffs approach
IF Scott ‘Razor’ Robertson is being brutally honest, he hasn’t greatly enjoyed this phenomenal series between the All Blacks and British and Irish Lions.
It’s not that he doesn’t appreciate test rugby at its best – quite the opposite – but just that, as Crusaders head coach, the former All Black loose forward has what you might call a vested interest in things like collateral damage and the physical toll that a series like this exacts.
Robertson is in the trickiest position of all five Kiwi Super Rugby coaches who will get their stars back tomorrow off All Black duty and have some big decisions to make, with just days to transition those fit, willing and able back into Super Rugby mode.
Robertson has 12 members of his undefeated Crusaders on deck with the All Blacks, including a half-dozen who started last night’s final test (the front row, lock Sam Whitelock, now 100-test No 8 Kieran Read and wing Israel Dagg) and another two (Wyatt Crockett and Scott Barrett) in the bench brigade. Already he’s seen key midfielder Ryan Crotty go down with a hamstring injury, and he wasn’t exaggerating when he suggested he would probably be watching the series finale between knotted fingers.
‘‘I haven’t stopped thinking about it,’’ he said of the Super Rugby resumption for the 14-0 Crusaders against the Hurricanes next Saturday. ‘‘The reintegration of the All Blacks is critical for us.
‘‘You watch the test matches with a different perspective as a coach for another team. You see a Codie Taylor or Sam Whitelock stay down for an extra second, you pause the MySky and rewind. Then you exhale.
‘‘The All Blacks jersey takes priority and you do what it takes for them to be successful, and then you get your players back. It’s my job to get them excited and connected again to perform and continue the great season we’ve had so far.’’
You can forgive the first-year Crusaders coach his anxiety. The red and blacks have won seven Super Rugby titles, but none since 2008. Over that span they’ve been in the finals for seven of the next eight years, and every one of their defeats has come on the road.
Now, with one round remaining they lead South Africa’s Lions by just two points for top overall spot, and finals home advantage PHOTOSPORT all the way. It could well be the difference between ending that nine-year drought, or not.
‘‘We’re really aware you can only get in the ring so much,’’ said Robertson of his personnel decisions this week.
He says most of his calls are made, but he will delay one or two till tomorrow when he can ‘‘look at their eyes and see where they’re at’’.
‘‘They’re All Blacks, they’ll come back and perform. But there are some who have played large minutes in all three tests, and they’re the ones you need to manage,’’ he added.
‘‘We’re in the toughest conference, against tough opponents who are playing for what we are – their place on the log to determine their destiny.
‘‘Management of players is paramount and there is a potential three games after to consider. In the end, it’s case by case and what’s best for each player.’’