Is Razor’s mind on England job?
For the first time in living memory, Scott Robertson is facing a pressure test in his coaching career. Wildly successful with every team he has put his hands on, all of a sudden there are chinks in the armour of his Crusaders, whose march to a fifth successive Super Rugby title, and second successive Aotearoa crown, has hit a speed bump.
At the halfway point of this competition, it looked as good as done, the red and blacks having registered wins against each other side, by margins of 13, 17, 22 and 16 points.
Since their round-five bye, though, therewas the stunning 33-12 capitulation to the Highlanders in Christchurch – Robertson’s biggest defeat in now 76 games in charge – before a getout-of-jail golden-point win over the Hurricanes inwellington, then Saturday night’s 26-25 loss to the Chiefs in Hamilton.
What’s changed? Complacency wasn’t the case, Robertson assured Crusaders fans post-match ATFMG Stadium Waikato. But mark down March 31 as a key date – two days before that loss to the Highlanders.
Coincidence or not, that was when ‘Razor’ publicly spoke about being linked to the England job, as a potential replacement for the under-fire Eddie Jones, and looking for fresh opportunities in his coaching career.
Rather than bat the England talk away, the former All Blacks loose forward labelled it ‘‘pretty flattering’’ and said ‘‘to be held in that regard is pretty special’’.
Having missed out on the All Blacks job to Ian Foster, Robertson re-signed with New Zealand Rugby and the Crusaders for two years, but is yet to recommit beyond 2021.
‘‘I’ve been coming down to Rugby Park since 2008 in some role as a coach, it’s great, a great lifestyle and stuff, but I’m also an ambitious career coach, so for me to have an opportunity, whether it’s here or elsewhere, you look at those,’’ he said.
Robertson also acknowledged he has tried to get a timeline for potentially taking the All Blacks gig – a question surely with no clear answer to come his way.
‘‘There’s a lot of things going on,’’ he admitted.
And you wonder just how much that could have impacted his current team – both in terms of his own focus, but potentially also his players, having heard so publicly their coach’s attention is being drawn elsewhere.
You keep hearing about ‘‘fine margins’’ in this competition. Maybe that’s one of them.
Heart checks in Hamilton?
Perhaps Waikatohospital could do its public a favour and offer Chiefs fans a complimentary check-up on their tickers.
Following their 0-2 start to the season and record-equalling losing run, the team has gone from pretender to contender with four straight wins.
But, gee, they’ve all been heartstoppers.
Their latest – the one-point victory over the defending champion Crusaders – was iced yet again by Damian Mckenzie,
(Kazuki Himeno, Josh Ioane, Ngantungane Punivai, Jona Nareki, Michael Collins tries; Josh Ioane 2 con, pen, Mitch Hunt pen) (Jonathan Ruru, Rieko Ioane, Nepo Laulala, Hoskins Sotutu tries; Otere Black 3 con, pen). 22-17.
(Lachlan Boshier, Jonah Lowe tries; Damian Mckenzie 2 con, 4 pen)
(Leicester Fainga’anuku, Will Jordan, Codie Taylor tries; Richie Mo’unga 2 con, 2 pen). 9-17.
Round eight scores Highlanders 35
Blues 29
HT: Chiefs 26
Crusaders 25
HT:
and now has the Chiefswellplaced to book a spot in the final.
How about that for a try!
There’s intercept tries, and then there’s Jonathan Ruru’s effort.
While the Highlanders eventually had the final say in their 35-29win in Dunedin on Friday night, the Blues halfback did score a big early win over his opposite, Aaron Smith, with the opening try of the night.
With a lineout five metres from their own line, the Highlanders won ball off the top for Smith to set for the exit play, only for Ruru to brilliantly anticipate the bullet pass and somehow cling on to the spoils and fall over the line.
We’d heard hewas fast in the bronco, but that was next level.
I see red
Eight rounds in, and the first red card has been shown, with Blues prop Alex Hodgman the guilty party.
The 27-year-old, who played four tests for the All Blacks last year, was rightly given his marching orders for an ugly 72nd minute shoulder to the face of Highlanders flanker James Lentjes.
He’s not the first Blues frontrower to face the judiciary this season, with Friday’s fixture ironically being the last game of Kurt Eklund’s three-match ban for his tip-tackle on the Crusaders’ Sevu Reece.