A tale of two coaches who broke the mould
Two of the more interesting characters in New Zealand rugby will sit at the Super Rugby poker table in Christchurch tomorrow night.
Representing the Crusaders will be Scott Robertson. Across from him will be Chris Boyd from the Hurricanes.
Let’s start with Robertson. When he started work as Crusaders coach, he vowed not to change and in many ways has remained true to his word. Robertson is unorthodox and for that we should be thankful.
During the summer the former All Blacks back rower and surfing fanatic allowed himself to be photographed riding his skateboard, with a paddleboard under his wing, where he lives in the seaside suburb of Sumner, Christchurch. Last year, after guiding the Crusaders to the Super Rugby title, he went into breakdance mode on the turf of Ellis Park in Johannesburg.
On a more serious note, he has also opened up about how he deals with dyslexia.
No doubt this is good for his public image, but rugby has also benefited from such positive vibes. Robertson has proved successful coaches can also be colourful and quirky.
Boyd comes from a different background. A trained pharmacist, he is the only current Super Rugby head coach in New Zealand who hadn’t played in the competition. Maybe that is a good thing. It means he hasn’t been filtered through a system that, from early adulthood, doesn’t actively encourage anyone to offer a dissenting voice.
Many rugby players are decent people. But, some, when they get a microphone waggled anywhere near their faces, offer the bare minimum in terms of sound bites. It’s excruciating for all involved.
That’s a shame because it gives self-appointed snobs in the wider community reason to say rugby attracts dim-witted oafs, which is simply untrue.
Not that Boyd tumbles into the trap of being too afraid to stick up for himself.
At the end of the season he will surrender his laptop to the Hurricanes administrators, sweep out the office and transfer his intellectual property to English premiership club Northampton.
That isn’t good for New Zealand rugby. How can it be? Boyd clearly knows his beans in terms of coaching: with previous coach Mark Hammett having done much of the dirty work by forcing a dramatic culture change at the Hurricanes, Boyd got the team to the final in his first year in charge in 2015, won the title the following season and reached the semifinals last year.
Along with Robertson he’s the only bloke currently in a handson role with a Kiwi team to have won a Super Rugby title. And soon he will be out the door.
There’s another reason to lament the imminent departure of Boyd, although you get the feeling the top administrators at NZ Rugby won’t be weeping into their neck ties.
Boyd, possibly leaning towards the nothing-to-lose approach, hasn’t been afraid to question NZ Rugby’s methods in terms of telling the Super Rugby teams how to go about their business.
Yes, we are talking about the All Blacks camps and ‘‘foundation days’’ which have been inserted into the programme this year. His decision to make a stand should be applauded, although you can bet NZ Rugby were in no mood to deliver a standing ovation.
Despite protests to the contrary from the national union, the communication process was not flash. The first the Super Rugby clubs knew about this was when an email was fired-out, advising them to expect a visit from Don Tricker who was then NZ Rugby’s high performance manager. From there, the grand plan was revealed.
In essence, Boyd, knowing he has little to lose, is firing the bullets for the coaches from the other four clubs who will be aware they must play it safe if they want to continue to have a future with NZ Rugby.
Rugby in this country needs people like Boyd, former Chiefs coach Dave Rennie and Robertson. It needs characters and men who are not afraid to stand-up for the little bloke.