What makes Razor so sharp?
New Crusaders defence coach Mark Jones has given an insight into what makes Scott Robertson so good.
Former Welsh wing Jones has linked up with the red and blacks in Christchurch and it hasn’t taken long for head coach Robertson to make an impression on his latest northern recruit.
It seems everything Jones heard about the man who has guided the Crusaders to three consecutive Super Rugby titles and pushed his name up the queue of All Blacks coaching contenders ‘‘stacks up’’.
‘‘Scott has a unique way of doing things,’’ Jones told Walesonline as he explained his move south and the appeal of working with a world class outfit overseas.
‘‘He has an open mind about coaching and the coaching mix.
‘‘You hear people talking about others but sometimes you have that bit of scepticism until you see it for yourself. You wonder if so-and-so is as good as people say.
‘‘But with Scott it does stack up. He has created a world-class environment and the thing that hits you in the face as soon as you walk through the door is that you are allowed to be yourself.
‘‘You don’t have to say what you think people want to hear; you don’t have to act in a certain way. Scott wants you to be who you are. For a coach to think like that is a terrific attribute.
‘‘He has a formula that works, with a lot of silverware to show for it, and I’m looking forward to working with him and the other coaches at the Crusaders.’’
Jones likes the collective approach he has already discovered.
‘‘The thing is, although I’m allocated defence with the Crusaders, there’s a lot of crosspollination whereby the coaches are interactive,’’ Jones told Walesonline.
‘‘We’ll be looking across each other’s areas and that appeals to me. It’s a very open environment and you are not just responsible for one area. If you see something from a counter-attack perspective, they are keen for you to chip in.’’
Jones feels he can add to the Crusaders and that his northern roots have relevance to the southern game, something Robertson wants.
‘‘That’s what he likes. He likes a northern hemisphere slant and he likes a mixture to his coaching group. He’s a forward thinker who enjoys talking rugby and exploring different ideas,’’ Jones, who worked with Warren Gatland in the Wales Six Nations setup, said.
It’s a two-way street for Jones who knows he can only get better in his new foreign environment.
‘‘It’s a results business and people judge coaches on whether their teams are winning or losing. But what I like about the Crusaders is that there’s a big emphasis on getting better and on making people better. Results flow from there.
‘‘I felt I needed to look at things in a different way and expose myself to different ideas.
‘‘I like the idea of constantly trying to improve and sometimes that means taking up different opportunities, working with different people and taking on board fresh opinions.’’
He took encouragement from Irish great Ronan O’Gara, who was part of the Crusaders’ coaching setup for the last two years before taking his skills to the French scene.
‘‘Ronan said the Crusaders was a huge experience for him and one he found massively beneficial,’’ Jones told Walesonline.
‘‘He thought he’d seen it all, having played 100 or so times for Ireland, but the Crusaders experience opened his eyes.
‘‘It showed him there’s a different way of doing things. That’s what I’m hoping will happen with me. I’m hoping to come away thinking: ‘Wow, I’ve just gained a load of fresh information which is going to hold me in good stead for the future’.
‘‘Of course, I want to contribute as much as I can along the way. It has to be a two-way thing.’’