Robertson remains on waiting list

Scott Robertson’s dream of coaching the All Blacks remains at the end of a rainbow.

While New Zealand Rugby was explaining its decision to extend All Blacks coach Ian Foster’s contract through to the 2023 World Cup in France, Robertson’s supporters had to, again, take a deep breath and accept defeat. Robertson, left, missed out to Foster when the pair interviewed for the top job in late 2019, following Steve Hansen’s departure after the World Cup in Japan.

Foster was offered a two-year contract. Robertson returned to the Crusaders, and this year re-signed a fresh deal that runs through to 2024 with the option of a release a year earlier.

If Robertson, who has won five Super Rugby titles with the Crusaders since 2017, hoped NZ Rugby would make the All Blacks’ job contestable midway through the World Cup cycle, he was to be disappointed.

Robertson couldn’t be reached for comment yesterday.

Crusaders chief executive Colin Mansbridge said his organisation had a Plan B in case Robertson got the All Blacks job but that file remains untouched.

‘‘I won’t speak for Razor but I suspect he is probably going to give Fozzie all the support he deserves,’’ Mansbridge said.

‘‘But he loves this place and we love him. It is good for us.’’

Mansbridge backed Robertson not to allow the setback to derail his aims to win another title with the Crusaders.

‘‘He has got this eternally optimistic mindset, so he just stops and then looks for the positives and gets stuck into it,’’ said Mansbridge.