Northern Edition

Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
New Zealand New Zealand
France France

Ardie Savea labels Scott Robertson's All Blacks influence 'refreshing'

Ardie Savea at All Blacks training. Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images

Scott Robertson appears to have made a significant impact throughout his first 10 days in All Blacks camp, with his energy and excitement proving contagious according to team personnel.

ADVERTISEMENT

The new coach has had plenty of time to prepare for what is a very short turnaround between the Super Rugby Pacific season and the opening international clash of the year for the team, and his coaching staff’s planning seems to have paid off as an energised All Blacks squad has made themselves at home in Dunedin.

Reigning World Rugby Player of the Year Ardie Savea has been on hand after his sabbatical season in Japan wrapped up in early May. The 30-year-old has been named to start in his familiar No. 8 jersey this weekend and is embracing a healthy challenge under the new leadership.

Video Spacer
Video Spacer

“It’s been refreshing and exciting. I’ve never been coached under Razor and it’s so refreshing having him and the rest of the coaches coach and we’re really looking forward to putting something out there,” Savea told media in Dunedin.

“For us who have been here a few years, who have been blessed to be here, you’re still on your toes because you just don’t know what’s happening, you don’t know how things are going to operate. I think that’s good, it keeps everyone on edge and brings the best out of everyone.

“It’s been nice to come together as a team and get stuck into some mahi (work) and get stuck into the week.”

Fixture
Internationals
New Zealand
16 - 15
Full-time
England
All Stats and Data

Much has been made of this match kicking off the new era of All Blacks rugby, one led by the new coaching staff and also a new captain in Scott Barrett, who is joined by brother Jordie and Savea as vice-captains.

ADVERTISEMENT

While the powerful No. 8 is excited to get out on the field and bring some new ideas to life, he says it’s still rugby at the end of the day and the key to getting a favourable result will be winning the usual up-front battles.

“Rugby’s a simple game. We all know if you nail the basics you win games, and that’s set piece, how you tackle and how you carry. If we nail that consistently throughout the game I’m sure things will go well.”

Related

Savea is feeling especially refreshed after his season abroad thanks to some time in a different culture, around different people and under different coaching minds.

He spoke about his time in Japan and how it has affected him.

“It’s actually opened my perspective on life, on rugby. When you’re in New Zealand you can get so absorbed here and just being able to step away, play against and with guys that are from the islands, Aussies, South Africans, it adds a lot of perspective.

ADVERTISEMENT

“You have to adapt your game over there, but also the coaching I had over there, I had Dave Rennie and it’s just being able to be open to what they see in my game and what I need to improve. Coming here, just simplifying all that and coming under Razor, just trying to do my best.

“I think it’s just put a wider perspective on things and in life.”

He admits coming back into the All Blacks environment has been a challenge and there are some nerves hanging around ahead of Saturday’s Test.

“I’m nervous. But, nerves bring the best out of us and it’s a great challenge for myself to step forward and try and own it on the field. It’s going to be hard, it’s going to be tough. But I have full confidence to go out there and back myself.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Boks Office | Episode 39 | The Investec Champions Cup is back

Argentina v France | HSBC SVNS Hong Kong 2025 | Men's Match Highlights

New Zealand v Australia | HSBC SVNS Hong Kong 2025 | Women's Match Highlights

Tokyo Sungoliath vs Shizuoka BlueRevs | Japan Rugby League One 2024/25 | Full Match Replay

Reds vs Force | Super Rugby W 2025 | Full Match Replay

The Rise of Kenya | The Report

New Zealand in Hong Kong | Brady Rush | Sevens Wonders | Episode 4

The Fixture: How This Rugby Rivalry Has Lasted 59 Years

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

3 Comments
M
Michael 273 days ago

Ardie voted for Fozzie to stay after the win over the Boks in Ellis park - that was a missed opportunity

D
David 274 days ago

Well he would wouldn’t he? Wasn’t he one of the leaders that voted to stay with Fozzie over Razor in SA when NZR had planned a coup?

Load More Comments

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

Comments on RugbyPass

f
fl 1 hour ago
Why Les Kiss and Stuart Lancaster can lead Australia to glory

“He won a ECL and a domestic treble at the beginning of his career.”

He won 2 ECLs at the beginning of his career (2009, 2011). Since then he’s won 1 in 15 years.


“He then won 3 leagues on the bounce later in his career”

He won 3 leagues on the bounce at the start of his career too - (2009, 2010, 2011).


If we’re judging him by champions league wins, he peaked in his late 30s, early 40s. If we’re judging him by domestic titles he’s stayed pretty consistent over his career. If we’re judging him by overall win rate he peaked at Bayern, and was better at Barcelona than at City. So no, he hasn’t gotten better by every measure.


“You mentioned coaches were older around the mid-2010’s compared to the mid-2000’s. Robson was well above the average age you’ve given for those periods even in the 90’s when in his pomp.”

Robson was 63-64 when he was at Barcelona, so he wasn’t very old. But yeah, he was slightly above the average age of 60 I gave for the top 4 premier league coaches in 2015, and quite a bit above the averages for 2005 and 2025.


“Also, comparing coaches - and their experiences, achievements - at different ages is unstable. It’s not a valid way to compare and tends to torpedo your own logic when you do compare them on equal terms. I can see why you don’t like doing it.”

Well my logic certainly hasn’t been torpedoed. Currently the most successful premier league coaches right now are younger than they were ten years ago. You can throw all the nuance at it that you want, but that fact won’t change. It’s not even clear what comparing managers “on equal terms” would even mean, or why it would be relevant to anything I’ve said.


“You still haven’t answered why Kiss could be a risker appointment?”

Because I’ve been talking to you about football managers. If you want to change the subject then great - I care a lot more about rugby than I do football.

But wrt Kiss, I don’t agree that 25 years experience is actually that useful, given what a different sport rugby was 25 years ago. Obviously in theory more experience can never be a bad thing, but I think 10 years of coaching experience is actually more than enough these days. Erasmus had been a coach for 13 years when he got the SA top job. Andy Farrell had been a coach for 9 when he got the Ireland job. I don’t think anyone would say that either of them were lacking in experience.


Now - what about coaches who do have 25+ years experience? The clearest example of that would be Eddie Jones, who started coaching 31 years ago. He did pretty well everywhere he worked until around 2021 (when he was 61), when results with England hit a sharp decline. He similarly oversaw a terrible run with Australia, and currently isn’t doing a great job with Japan.

Another example is Warren Gatland, who also started coaching full-time 31 years ago, after 5 years as a player-coach. Gatland did pretty well everywhere he went until 2020 (when he was 56), when he did a relatively poor job with the Chiefs, before doing a pretty poor job with the Lions, and then overseeing a genuine disaster with Wales. There are very few other examples, as most coaches retire or step back into lesser roles when they enter their 60s. Mick Byrne actually has 34 years experience in coaching (but only 23 years coaching in rugby) and at 66 he’s the oldest coach of a top 10 side, and he’s actually doing really well. He goes to show that you can continue to be a good coach well into your 60s, but he seems like an outlier.


So the point is - right now, Les Kiss looks like a pretty reliable option, but 5 years ago so did Eddie Jones and Warren Gatland before they went on to prove that coaches often decline as they get older. If Australia want Kiss as a short term appointment to take over after Schmidt leaves in the summer, I don’t think that would be a terrible idea - but NB wanted Kiss as a long term appointment starting in 2027! That’s a massive risk, given the chance that his aptitude will begin to decline.


Its kind of analagous to how players decline. We know (for example) that a fly-half can still be world class at 38, but we also know that most fly-halves peak in their mid-to-late 20s, so it is generally considered a risk to build your game plan around someone much older than that.

168 Go to comments
A
AlanCriner 1 hour ago
Ian Foster address injury rumours to key All Black before World Cup final

My name is Alan Criner, and I'm a resident of Toronto, CA. I'm a 45-year-old financial analyst who has always been cautious with my investments. However, in my quest to diversify my portfolio, I fell prey to a devastating fake crypto investment scam, losing 125,000 Canadian dollars' worth of Bitcoin. This traumatic experience sent my life into a downward spiral, leaving me depressed and feeling hopeless.

Despite my repeated attempts to contact the account manager who initially approached me on Telegram, I was met with silence. They refused to provide any explanation or information, and I was locked out of my account on their website. The authorities were unable to assist me, as the scammers were untraceable.

Just when I thought all was lost, my nephew, a Canadian government lawyer, introduced me to Morphohack Cyber Service, a reputable private investigator and crypto recovery company. I visited their website (www . morphohackcyber . com) and, after mustering the courage, contacted them. They listened attentively as I recounted my ordeal and educated me on the scam, revealing that numerous others had fallen victim to the same scheme.

Although skeptical at first, I decided to take a chance. Morphohack guided me through the process, instructing me to set up a new wallet. To my astonishment, they successfully recovered my stolen Bitcoin and transferred it to my new wallet. I was stunned, struggling to comprehend how this was possible.

I initially wanted to keep this experience private, but I realized that there may be others out there who have suffered similar losses. If you're a victim of crypto theft, I urge you to reach out to Morphohack Cyber Service. They can be contacted through their website or email. (Morphohack@cyberservices . com, Info@morphohackcyber . com) Don't give up hope, there is a way to recover your stolen crypto assets.

29 Go to comments
A
AlanCriner 1 hour ago
Exeter look to Charlie Chapman to boost scrum-half options

My name is Alan Criner, and I'm a resident of Toronto, CA. I'm a 45-year-old financial analyst who has always been cautious with my investments. However, in my quest to diversify my portfolio, I fell prey to a devastating fake crypto investment scam, losing 125,000 Canadian dollars' worth of Bitcoin. This traumatic experience sent my life into a downward spiral, leaving me depressed and feeling hopeless.

Despite my repeated attempts to contact the account manager who initially approached me on Telegram, I was met with silence. They refused to provide any explanation or information, and I was locked out of my account on their website. The authorities were unable to assist me, as the scammers were untraceable.

Just when I thought all was lost, my nephew, a Canadian government lawyer, introduced me to Morphohack Cyber Service, a reputable private investigator and crypto recovery company. I visited their website (www . morphohackcyber . com) and, after mustering the courage, contacted them. They listened attentively as I recounted my ordeal and educated me on the scam, revealing that numerous others had fallen victim to the same scheme.

Although skeptical at first, I decided to take a chance. Morphohack guided me through the process, instructing me to set up a new wallet. To my astonishment, they successfully recovered my stolen Bitcoin and transferred it to my new wallet. I was stunned, struggling to comprehend how this was possible.

I initially wanted to keep this experience private, but I realized that there may be others out there who have suffered similar losses. If you're a victim of crypto theft, I urge you to reach out to Morphohack Cyber Service. They can be contacted through their website or email. (Morphohack@cyberservices . com, Info@morphohackcyber . com) Don't give up hope, there is a way to recover your stolen crypto assets.

0 Go to comments
T
Theresa Wright 2 hours ago
Six Nations: 5 things we've learned from half-way point weekend

Have always had trust issues with my boyfriend but to clear my doubt I had to hire verifiedprohackers@gmail.com to help monitor all activities done on my boyfriend phone just to be sure his not cheating because am tired of always stalking him when ever he doesn’t pick my calls or has a call and refuses to pick his calls I tend to feel his seeing  another woman so in other to make things easy for me verifiedprohackers@gmail.com gave me the best phone hack with no trace and now I feel satisfied. Thank you so much verifiedprohackers@gmail.com

5 Go to comments
N
NB 3 hours ago
Why Les Kiss and Stuart Lancaster can lead Australia to glory

https://www.london.edu/think/how-claudio-ranieri-transformed-leicester-city


He jts knew how to use that deep well of knowledge accumulate over many years of management. A true Moneyball story!

168 Go to comments
TRENDING
TRENDING The Olympian taking to Super Rugby like a duck to water The Olympian pushing the Chiefs to new heights
Search