Why NZ Rugby must sign Robertson — and quickly
New Zealand Rugby boss Mark Robinson’s assurances that it is ‘‘having all the conversations we need to have at this time’’ around the All Blacks coaching job post-2023 can surely only mean one thing.
If Crusaders super coach Scott ‘Razor’ Robertson is not locked in soon – or maybe even already has been – as the successor to Ian Foster following next year’s World Cup in France, then there are going to be a lot of angry New Zealanders who will be entitled to ask some very pointed questions.
Robinson offered fairly direct assurances that the succession plan for the All Blacks coaching job was firmly in hand when he spoke to media at an appearance alongside new board chair Dame Patsy Reddy in Auckland on Thursday. He would not mention any names and was deliberately vague around detail, but his words and tone very much provided a ‘‘relax, we’ve got this’’ vibe.
Thank goodness.
It has not been the best of years for New Zealand Rugby, and its at times embattled chief executive, as it negotiated a difficult pathway through the Silver Lake investment, turbulence in the trans-Tasman relationship, a fallout with the players’ association, unrest and uneasiness in the Black Ferns environment, problems around the All Blacks and a scheduling snafu that should so easily have been avoided.
But the Black Ferns’ World Cup success and the manner in which the team not only dramatically turned around bleak form from the 2021 northern tour, but captured the imagination of the Kiwi public through their run to a sixth global triumph, but first on home soil, has been a big tick, and a welcome piece of positivity late in the year.
There were things that needed to be addressed, and fixed, in the national women’s team, many of which were firmly pointed out in a telling review conducted earlier in the year. To NZ Rugby’s credit, it moved swiftly and decisively to make some key changes in the environment, and the result was the biggest shot in the arm for women’s rugby in this country in a long, long time.
Now for the All Blacks. There is not a heck of a lot that can be done externally now about France ‘23. That ship has sailed and the ball is firmly in the court of Foster, his revamped coaching team and the players they select to go and do the job. They are not without hope either.
Like it or not, Foster has survived the now infamous midyear reassessment, and NZ Rugby has green-lighted him through to the World Cup, despite four defeats and a draw in 2022, and a series of unconvincing performances
throughout a rollercoaster season. The players backed their guy, and the boardroom types were swayed enough to rubberstamp the incumbent.
But in international sport nothing stands still. Already England and Wales have acted where New Zealand prevaricated, and sacked their head coaches immediately. Wales have turned to a familiar, and reassuring, face in Warren Gatland to replace Wayne Pivac. One Kiwi out, one in.
England are expected to bring in Steve Borthwick to succeed the dumped Eddie Jones.
Both these appointments are likely to be for the short term, but it’s a juncture where both unions will also be looking at the plan for beyond 2023 as well.
Other major unions are also examining their own options for post-France because, well, future-proofing is just smart work in the modern environment.
Traditionally, New Zealand Rugby has not looked at kickstarting the process for the next All Blacks coach until the World Cup has played out. And you can understand that thinking as what unfolds at the global event can have a direct bearing on who the preferred candidate should be.
But this is a fluid situation, and the luxury of sitting back and waiting to see how the All Blacks perform at the World Cup is probably one NZ Rugby do not have in the current environment. Sure, Foster could bring back the trophy, and want to stay on.
However is that a roll of the dice you want to make, and risk missing out on the man who has the potential to do for the All Blacks what Wayne Smith managed in such a short time with the Black Ferns?
It has one quality, cast-iron candidate who it has nurtured in the New Zealand system for a
significant period. That is Robertson. He has never failed to deliver a trophy since he took charge of the Crusaders and transformed them from nearly men to a dominant force.
He has been innovative, informative, invigorating and one heck of a coach. Sure, you may not like some of the antics, such as the celebratory breakdancing, but you can’t argue with the results. And frankly, the dancing is a breath of fresh air in what can be a stodgy environment.
The problem is the rest of the world has seen the same thing Kiwi rugby fans have. They recognise that Robertson is a heck of a coach, and they want him too. The man has options. So NZ Rugby has to understand the sandpit it is playing in and firm up his retention. To lose their Razor’s edge to, say, England or Wales or Australia before he has even coached the All Blacks would be an unforgivable sin. Robinson appears to get that. As well as telling us he is having these ‘‘conversations’’ he needs to have he conceded there had been acknowledgement that previous timelines around appointment processes possibly were no longer applicable. ‘‘We’re keeping a close eye on what’s happening internationally, and we have to be aware of what that means for our talent,’’ added Robinson. ‘‘We acknowledge the environment is changing and moving quickly, and we’re having lots of constructive conversations as result of that.’’
The most important conversation has to be something along these lines: ‘‘Scott, the All Blacks job is yours for the next cycle. Well done, you have earned it’’.