All Blacks coach has Rugby WC ambitions – with or without NZ

WELLINGTON: New Zealand super coach Scot Robertson has revealed that he wants to win the Rugby World Cup -- with or without the All Blacks.

“I want to win the World Cup, but I want to win it with two different countries. I haven’t said it publicly before, but it would transcend,” Robertson told The Big Jim Show, a podcast hosted by former Scotland lock Jim Hamilton.

“It would be great to win a World Cup with your own country, which I want to do.

“That is the foremost thing, but I would love to do it with another country... to have a different expectation, different culture. You have to adapt.”

Robertson is an ambitious coach and has an unorthodox style. He celebrates winning titles by breakdancing, most recently in June when he led the Crusaders to a sixth straight Super Rugby title by beating the Blues in the final at Auckland’s Eden Park. Robertson is tipped as an obvious choice to replace Ian Foster as All Blacks coach if New Zealand fail to improve during the forthcoming Rugby Championship ater losing four of their last five internationals.

Robertson recently met up with England coach Eddie Jones during their tour of Australia, but insisted it was just a “chat” and not “anything to do with the job”.

The 47-year-old missed out to Foster when the pair applied to coach the All Blacks ater the 2019 Rugby World Cup.

Robertson and Foster are set to go headto-head in November as rival coaches of the Barbarians and All Blacks on New Zealand’s tour of Wales, Scotland and England.

“What I learned from last time, especially around the All Blacks stuff, is you have to keep your options open,” added Robertson, a former All Blacks loose forward.

“It’s one job (coaching the All Blacks) but when someone doesn’t give it to you, you have to think differently.”