Calls grow for Scott Robertson to join Lions after loss to Springboks
The British and Irish Lions have been called on to sign Scott Robertson for their 2025 tour of Australia in the wake of their series defeat to the Springboks over the weekend.
The Lions lost their first series in 12 years on Saturday when the Springboks beat the tourists 19-16 in the third and decisive test in Cape Town.
It is the first time Lions boss Warren Gatland has suffered a series defeat as head coach of the touring side after having guided them to a series victory over the Wallabies in 2013 and a series draw against the All Blacks in 2017.
Shortly after the completion of the most recent series, speculation brewed over whether Gatland will return for a fourth consecutive tour at the helm of the Lions when they travel Down Under in four years’ time.
The ex-Wales and Ireland boss, who will return to New Zealand to resume his post as Chiefs head coach in Super Rugby, revealed after the loss to the Springboks that he hasn’t given any thought to taking charge of another Lions tour, although he didn’t rule out second trip to Australia.
However, former England and Lions playmaker Stuart Barnes says the Lions should call time on their long-term association with Gatland to make way for another well-regarded Kiwi in the form of Robertson.
Writing for The Times, Barnes said he felt the “joyousness” of Robertson’s coaching philosophy that has proved so successful at the Crusaders in Super Rugby would be a welcomed addition to the Lions, who have played conservatively under Gatland.
The former 10-test England international, who toured with the Lions to New Zealand in 1993, added that while Scotland boss Gregor Townsend would be a frontrunner to replace Gatland, he “achieved nothing” in his role as attack coach in South Africa.
Instead, Barnes wrote that he would like to see Robertson’s ex-assistant coach and current La Rochelle head coach Ronan O’Gara rejoin his former Crusaders boss, who he worked under between 2018 and 2019, to take the helm of the Lions in Australia.
“The only coach with that joyousness is the Crusaders’ Scott Robertson. Ask him (and maybe steal him from under the All Blacks’ noses) and take Ronan O’ Gara as No 2,” Barnes wrote in his latest column for The Times.
“That’s a combination that would have beaten a Springbok team there for the taking.
“Let’s have someone who will breakdance when his team win, as Robertson does. Let’s have a coach who will install ambition rather than fear of failure. I’d sign Robertson tomorrow; the rest can wait two years.”
Question: Finn Russell starts in all three Lions Test matches – what’s the outcome of the series? ?
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Robertson, who has won five titles with the Crusaders since being appointed by the franchise in 2017, approached Gatland about joining the Lions as an assistant coach on the tour to South Africa last year after missing out as All Blacks head coach following the 2019 World Cup.
Eager to accrue more international coaching experience before applying for the All Blacks job when it becomes next available, Robertson said it was “highly likely” he would join the Lions for this year’s tour.
Such a move never transpired, though, and Robertson has since gone on to sign a three-year contract extension with the Crusaders and New Zealand Rugby.
Robertson’s current deal features an exit clause in 2024 should he again fail to land the All Blacks job, which he described in July as his “clear goal”, between now and after the 2023 World Cup.
Barnes, meanwhile, went on to thank Gatland for his contribution to the Lions, but said the former All Blacks hooker has plenty of work to do to with the Chiefs prove himself worthy of reappointment for the 2025 tour.
“Enough madness. Enough of all this ‘nearly the first Lions head coach to go unbeaten in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa’. His supporters say the results speak for themselves. Do they?” wrote Barnes in The Times.
Get well soon PSDT. #CastleLionsSerieshttps://t.co/cxyQRzhnqU
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) August 8, 2021
“To say he has unfinished business there is an understatement.
“In his first year back in Waikato he was overwhelmed by the ambition of the other New Zealand franchises. The Lion king lost all eight of his games in charge. In a country where skill and speed of thought counts for more than the suffocation that passes for test rugby in most other parts of the planet, Gatland was a loser.
“This season, in his absence, the Chiefs made the final of Super Rugby Aotearoa. Do the Lions want to appoint someone most comfortable with a negative type of rugby?
“The crushing conservatism failed, as did the selection policy. To try three different combinations in the centre in three tests is an indictment. Where was the steady selection hand on the tiller?
“Gatland is a proud Lion and a good man. But that doesn’t give him the right to manage the Lions in perpetuity. His record does not speak for itself.
“Four years is a ridiculously long time in sport. Four tours, on the evidence of the previous three, does not add up. If ‘the door is open’ it should be politely closed. It is time to thank him and move onwards.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Ben Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
19 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
7 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
19 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
9 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
9 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
28 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
19 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
28 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
19 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
88 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
4 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
9 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
19 Go to comments9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
14 Go to comments