Coach to try for his little slice of history

In all the understandable hype over Johan Ackermann’s departure from the Lions and the desire for him to have a fitting send-off, one angle that has remained relatively unexplored in the build-up to today’s Super Rugby final is that Crusaders coach Scott Robertson (right) is looking to make history himself.

If the Crusaders gatecrash the party and win the final at Ellis Park, Robertson will become the first person to win Super Rugby as both a player and coach. As a nifty loose forward, Robertson was a member of the Canterbury Crusaders outfits that won the southern hemisphere tournament from 1998 to 2001.

“It was pretty emotional to do it as a player and I understand how the players now feel because of how much it meant back then. It would be amazing to do it as both a player and coach, but there’s something special here with this current team. I’ve had so many messages of support from the old crew and they know it too,” Robertson said.

It is amazing to think that such legends of All Blacks rugby as Israel Dagg and Sam Whitelock, who will lead the Crusaders out at Ellis Park, have never won Super Rugby, and the current Crusaders crop are desperate to end the nine-year Super Rugby drought and regain the aura of their predecessors who won the title a record seven times.

“I’ve never won it so it would mean everything, it would mean the world to me to win,” Dagg said. “Then when I’m an old man sitting on the couch, I can sit back and watch the Crusaders and say I’ve done everything for that team. But if I worry about the outcome, then it’s not going to happen, I have to just stick to the processes.”

“There’s a lot of history with the Crusaders but I’ve never been part of a winning side, so to be one of the guys to win the title, that would be amazing,” captain Whitelock said yesterday. “This final is going to be right up there in terms of my career and I’ve been fortunate enough to play some big games on this ground (Ellis Park). I’m going to really enjoy the occasion, although it will be a hard game.”