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Springboks fans are saying the same thing after Scott Robertson exit
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Are Jamie Joseph's All Blacks credentials truly up to scratch?
By Adam Julian
Scott Robertson, the most successful coach in Super Rugby history, with a staggering seven consecutive titles with the Crusaders, has been acrimoniously dumped just two years into his tenure as All Blacks coach. He might be replaced by a bloke who won just three games with the Highlanders in 2025, Jamie Joseph.
If that’s the case, it means that since 2023, four of the five original Super Rugby franchise head coaches have been and gone, coaching the All Blacks. Carnage! That turnover rivals the chaos associated with the English Premier League.
Does Super Rugby even remain an adequate breeding ground for a competitive All Blacks? Since South African teams departed in 2021, the Springboks have won 7 of their 11 Tests against the All Blacks, including the All Blacks’ heaviest ever Test defeat in Wellington in 2025.
The future of Super Rugby is not an intermediate priority; the next All Blacks coach is.
Jamie Joseph, architect of the Highlanders’ improbable 2015 Super Rugby triumph and Japan’s only Rugby World Cup quarter-final appearance in 2019, appears to have the inside running. An unbeaten All Blacks XV tour in November and December enhances his case further.
Renowned for his “old school” approach, Joseph’s clarity is respected by players, and he’s fashioned a reputation for turning the unfashionable into household names. Elliot Dixon, Keita Inagaki, and Fabian Holland are just three examples.
However, Joseph’s overall record with both the Highlanders (57 wins from 115 matches) and Japan (23 wins from 51 matches) is only modest.
When Japan made the quarter-finals in 2019, Joseph enjoyed almost imperial power, controlling every aspect of his players’ schedules in the lead-up to the tournament, keeping skipper Michael Leitch in cotton wool and using the Sunwolves reserve team as a shadow national selection for live training exercises. He won’t enjoy this luxury with the All Blacks.
Furthermore, Scott Hansen, allegedly a source of discontent within the now Razor-less All Blacks, was one of Japan’s assistant coaches. What does this say about Joseph and Hansen?
After the 2019 Rugby World Cup, Japan lost 13 consecutive Tests against teams ranked inside the World’s top ten as of January 12, 2025. That trend has continued under Eddie Jones with another ten successive defeats.
Is Joseph merely a campaign coach or one capable of sustaining long-term consistency?
Did Joseph leave Japan in a better state than when he started?
Are the credentials of Josef Schmidt, Warren Gatland, Vern Cotter, Dave Rennie, Robbie Deans and Pat Lam, among others, more compelling?
Some sundry thoughts.
Who coaches the Highlanders if Joseph is promoted or the Blues if Cotter is promoted?
What character flaws does Scott Robertson need to address to avoid a repeat of the apparent fallouts with Leon MacDonald, Jason Holland and Ardie Savea?
Is it time to appoint a foreign coach, somebody removed from the close-knit circle, echo-chambered perspectives within New Zealand rugby?
Rugby’s best of the best, ranked by experts. Check out our list of the Top 100 Men's Rugby Players 2025 and let us know what you think!
