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Crusaders coach Scott Robertson 'optimistic' ahead of All Blacks interview

By Online Editors
Scott Robertson. (Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images)

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The 44-year-old steered the Crusaders to their third successive Super Rugby crown on Saturday thanks to their 19-3 grand final win over the Jaguares at Orangetheory Stadium in Christchurch.

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In doing so, he became the first person in Super Rugby history to win a hat-trick of titles as both a player and a coach, as he also claimed three consecutive titles during his time as a loose forward with the franchise between 1998 and 2000.

With current All Blacks head coach Steve Hansen stepping down from the position of which he has held since 2012 – and thus ending a 16-year association with New Zealand Rugby – at the end of the year, speculation has been rife as to who will replace the two-time World Cup-winning coach.

Robertson has established himself as a favourite to take over the role through his success with the Crusaders, which comes off the back of title-winning campaigns in previous roles with both Canterbury and the New Zealand U20 side.

Others, such as All Blacks assistant coach Ian Foster, Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt and Glasgow Warriors head coach Dave Rennie, have also been shortlisted as potential candidates, but Robertson remains quietly confident of becoming Hansen’s successor when he is interviewed for the position in December.

“I’ve got to prepare as best I can to put myself forward,” he told media during the Crusaders’ victory parade in Christchurch today.

“I’ve done what I can do so then hopefully I’ll have a great interview and if they want someone, they know who they’re getting with me.

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“We’ll wait for December.”

When pressed further about how he feels about his chances, Robertson, a 22-test All Black himself, was coy with his answer.

“Ask me closer to the time,” he said.

“I’m a pretty optimistic person – if you have a crack I’d like to think you have a chance.”

Since coming into coaching at first-class level as Canterbury assistant coach in 2008, Robertson has won a plethora of accolades.

He won five straight domestic titles while working under head coaches Rob Penney and Tabai Matson, before adding a sixth consecutive crown as a head coach in 2013.

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Robertson was appointed head coach of the New Zealand U20 side in 2015, and guided them to a title at the World Rugby U20 Championship in Italy that year.

He then won back-to-back titles with Canterbury in 2015 and 2016, and was subsequently named Crusaders head coach for the 2017 campaign after Todd Blackadder’s departure to Bath.

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Sam T 2 hours ago
Jake White: Let me clear up some things

I remember towards the end of the original broadcasting deal for Super rugby with Newscorp that there was talk about the competition expanding to improve negotiations for more money - more content, more cash. Professional rugby was still in its infancy then and I held an opposing view that if Super rugby was a truly valuable competition then it should attract more broadcasters to bid for the rights, thereby increasing the value without needing to add more teams and games. Unfortunately since the game turned professional, the tension between club, talent and country has only grown further. I would argue we’re already at a point in time where the present is the future. The only international competitions that matter are 6N, RC and RWC. The inter-hemisphere tours are only developmental for those competitions. The games that increasingly matter more to fans, sponsors and broadcasters are between the clubs. Particularly for European fans, there are multiple competitions to follow your teams fortunes every week. SA is not Europe but competes in a single continental competition, so the travel component will always be an impediment. It was worse in the bloated days of Super rugby when teams traversed between four continents - Africa, America, Asia and Australia. The percentage of players who represent their country is less than 5% of the professional player base, so the sense of sacrifice isn’t as strong a motivation for the rest who are more focused on playing professional rugby and earning as much from their body as they can. Rugby like cricket created the conundrum it’s constantly fighting a losing battle with.

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Ed the Duck 9 hours ago
How Leinster neutralised 'long-in-the-tooth' La Rochelle

Hey Nick, your match analysis is decent but the top and tail not so much, a bit more random. For a start there’s a seismic difference in regenerating any club side over a test team. EJ pretty much had to urinate with the appendage he’d been given at test level whereas club success is impacted hugely by the budget. Look no further than Boudjellal’s Toulon project for a perfect example. The set ups at La Rochelle and Leinster are like chalk and cheese and you are correct that Leinster are ahead. Leinster are not just slightly ahead though, they are light years ahead on their plans, with the next gen champions cup team already blooded, seasoned and developing at speed from their time manning the fort in the URC while the cream play CC and tests. They have engineered a strong talent conveyor belt into their system, supported by private money funnelled into a couple of Leinster private schools. The really smart move from Leinster and the IRFU however is maximising the Irish Revenue tax breaks (tax relief on the best 10 years earnings refunded at retirement) to help keep all of their stars in Ireland and happy, while simultaneously funding marquee players consistently. And of course Barrett is the latest example. But in no way is he a “replacement for Henshaw”, he’s only there for one season!!! As for Rob Baxter, the best advice you can give him is to start lobbying Parliament and HMRC for a similar state subsidy, but don’t hold your breath… One thing Cullen has been very smart with is his coaching team. Very quickly he realised his need to supplement his skills, there was talk of him exiting after his first couple of years but he was extremely shrewd bringing in Lancaster and now Nienaber. That has worked superbly and added a layer that really has made a tangible difference. Apart from that you were bang on the money… 😉😂

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FEATURE How Leinster neutralised 'long-in-the-tooth' La Rochelle How Leinster neutralised 'long-in-the-tooth' La Rochelle
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