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International

'I'm flabbergasted': The Scott Robertson claim causing a stir in New Zealand

By Ned Lester

15 days ago

CARDIFF, WALES - NOVEMBER 22: Scott Robertson, Head Coach of New Zealand, and Scott Hansen, Assistant Coach of New Zealand, look on prior to the Quilter Nations Series 2025 match between Wales and New Zealand at the Principality Stadium on November 22, 2025 in Cardiff, Wales. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)

A Kiwi pundit has been left “flabbergasted” by a claimed admission from All Blacks coach Scott Robertson in Wales last week, that suggested Robertson has delegated head coaching responsibilities to his assistant, Scott Hansen.

While it was Robertson who had all the hype and winning momentum behind him in his campaign to succeed Ian Foster as All Blacks coach following the 2023 Rugby World Cup, his Crusaders running mates flew largely under the radar. However, when the long-awaited call from New Zealand Rugby came, and it was time to select his coaching staff, Robertson’s choices raised plenty of eyebrows.

Limited Test-level experience could be found amongst the group, which consisted of former Crusaders and Canterbury assistants, as Robertson stuck to trusted former colleagues when selecting his sidekicks.

VIDEO

However, the traditional understanding of who is playing Robin to Robertson’s Batman was upended last week, with RugbyPass contributor Gregor Paul penning a piece for the New Zealand Herald that discussed in depth the structures within New Zealand Rugby and the All Blacks that were put forward as potentially problematic.

“As Robertson confirmed to the Herald this week in Cardiff, it is his assistant, Scott Hansen, who effectively operates in the role most would recognise as the head coach,” Paul wrote.

That snippet of text swiftly spread across the internet, sparking a strong reaction from the All Blacks faithful.

“I’m flabbergasted by this,” long-time radio host Martin Devlin reacted on DSPN. “None of us wanted Scott Hansen to be the coach of the All Blacks. No disrespect to Scott Hansen, but you weren’t given the job. Razor is the coach; if you can’t be the coach, then we need another coach. And it’s not Scott Hansen.

“You haven’t earned the right to be the All Blacks coach, yet. You haven’t. That’s the thing. You haven’t even coached the Crusaders. There’s another guy called Scott Robertson who was meant to be doing that.

“It’s an amazing quote, and just to reveal that says an awful lot.

“Last week, remember, at the press conference, he said that the assistants were learning on the job, and this week he says that ‘that guy there is actually the coach’. Did he mean that? Because if he means that, then we’ve got serious problems.

“Because also, New Zealand Rugby didn’t hire Scott Hansen to be the coach. They hired Scott Robertson. So there’s a devolution of power and roles. I want Scott Robertson to coach the All Blacks. I don’t want anyone else to coach the All Blacks; otherwise, get another coach in.”

In Paul’s original article, it is specified that Robertson pitched himself as a “cultural coach” during the All Blacks’ appointment process, suggesting there was some level of understanding between him and New Zealand Rugby about how he would delegate coaching roles and responsibilities within his selected cohort of assistants.

Comments

91 Comments

PickOllieMathisYeowRazorYouCoward 14 days ago

“I know we kinda suck right now, but, actually that guy over there is the real coach-like-coach so…”

CR 14 days ago

So let me get this straight. He was happy to take all the credit when they were winning titles at the Crusaders, but now that the heat is on he’s not the head coach anymore 😂 . That’s poor form. I would fire him for his lack of backbone alone.

JW 14 days ago

Haha it sound like he was just asked a direct question no? Do you expect him to deny it? Would that make it look like his assistant had something that needed defending/hiding? Just as incriminating..

JW 14 days ago

Devlin is just a shock jock, he’s football made, he would have recognized that was the type of makup Razor was going for when he told us all about his epic you coaching structure before he took over.

Loosehead 15 days ago

Wonder why Leon macdonald resigned early.🤔🤣now holland.🤣wat a complete shambles since the foster take over.NZR needs a overhaul like the ab's coaches.everything is second rate in this whole all black organization,pretty much on par with how the ab's backline has bn operating the last 2yrs.🤣

Flatcoat 14 days ago

Yes.. the AB'S are just an extension of NZR..an amateur dysfunctional organisation..hopefully Kirk has been appointed to modernise it starting with sorting out the AB'S

JW 14 days ago

Leon wanted to report to Razor, not Hansen. Holland just didn’t want to report to Hansen, probably because hes a big grump and over demanding (because it’s the All Blacks and they only deserve the best).

NZR probably should have just ignored the players in 2022, and things would have turned out much better.

GL 15 days ago

Let’s see if David Kirk and the NZ Board has any cojones to do something about it

Flatcoat 14 days ago

Yep

Henrik 15 days ago

seems like the first and foremost job requirement for an AB coach is resilience to nonsensical brickbat …. man, the AB’s are currently No2 in the WR-ranking (for what that’s worth) and Robertson has a 74% win rate in his tenure so far ….. if the RWC would start today, the AB’s would be in the top group of contenders (together with the Boks, France and England) - the Boks were not in any better position in 2019 …… so it’s a bit beyond me, why the AB supporters are complaining with such fervor …..

JW 14 days ago

You’re exactly right, it’s the one thing that every incoming coach puts forward as their main selling/talking point when it comes interview time.

unknown 15 days ago

Listening to any Scott Robertson interview is like listening to somebody who is perhaps struggling cognitively. The guy always looks and sounds like he’s in a daze. He is not fit to be an international coach…..Super Rugby is quite a few steps down from what he has signed up for!

It’s no different to successful provincial players who struggle to make the step up to test footy!

JW 14 days ago

I really disagree unknown, I think Razor is causing these problems himself, he is a step down, not SR. There are different affects obviously but I have not ever seen a coach overawed in this manner before, something has got to him. There is a side issue with regards to medical disorder, I don’t understand it too well, I didn’t think it’s effects appear how you describe, I’m pretty sure they have to be this other external factor though.

Remember, he was a good test footy player unknown.

Hammer Head 15 days ago

Some of you seem hellbent on p*ssing in the bath water before throwing it out with the baby.

The most successful SR coaching group were appointed AB coaches.

They work similarly to how they worked then.

Not rocket science.

Flatcoat 14 days ago

It’s not working..that’s not Rocket Science..

JW 14 days ago

They didn’t even know how they worked in SR.

Carlos 15 days ago

With the minor detail that AB rugby is not improving. Back play has clearly deteriorated and only some forward play has improved.

So maybe it’s not working.

SC 15 days ago

I truly do not get the fuss.

The Crusaders won 7 consecutive Super Rugby Championships with Scott Robertson as head coach, Jason Ryan as forwards coach (for the first 6 titles) and Scott Hansen as attack/ backs coach (for 7 titles).

This triumvirate of coaches were all hired together by the All Blacks, in the identical roles they held at the Crusaders, based on the extraordinary success of the Crusaders.

This is almost identical set up that Graham Henry had with Steve Hansen (forwards) and Wayne Smith (attack/ backs) with Henry as head coach who also did the role of defence coach. Razor added a defence coach to his set up- Tamati Ellison- who was, surprise, defence coach on Crusaders last 3 SR championships.

All Razor stated was bloody obvious- that both himself and Scott Hansen perform the same role with All Blacks that they had with Crusaders.

Razor’s only mistake was trying to be inclusive and find assistant roles for coaches from the Blues (Leon McDonald) and Hurricanes (Jason Holland). Predictably, the assistant coaches tripped over each other and clashed and Razor, as diplomatically as possible, pushed McDonald and Holland out.

Flatcoat 14 days ago

Henry Coached Wales pre his AB apt

.so did Steve Hansen..Wayne Smith had been an AB Head Coach..there is no comparison between this grp and Robertsons amateur coaching cohort..completely out of their depth…

JW 14 days ago

Yes I certainly think the type of reaction from Devlin (if not just to get clicks) are from stuck in the wool types not really following the modern game. A rumor I have seen circling is that the make up itself isn’t the reason for “outrage”.

I’m not really sure what you don’t get though? Y know Hansen was only there towards the end right? Not sure why you’ve got “7” titles representing?

Other things I could think you’re not getting are that the club teams setup isn’t good enough for test level (and so people would be shocked he thought he could bring it to test level) and that Hansen wasn’t hired as the head coach (he was advertised as the defence coach from memory).

It doesn’t really change anything of course, there is still the decision of who needs to go, whether it is Razor or the coachs?

Hammer Head 15 days ago

110%

RugCs 15 days ago

You cannot compare SR to Test rugby. SR is a second rate basketball rugby competition which does not resemble Test rugby. Things like scrums, mauls and kicking is deeply frowned upon, and coaches who “win” that competition now know the realities of Test rugby.

Blackeyed 15 days ago

Scott Robertson is not the coach the All Blacks need.

1. No previous All Black coach has picked a coaching group with such a dearth of international experience

2. Scot Hansen has no idea- since when did All Black sides regularly ship 30 points against them- Never

3. Rotation rotation rotation, No combinations built don’t know their best team after 2 years.

4. Coaches don’t accept responsibility - they pick players and if they make mistakes they drop them- where is the confidence to know your best side and develop it?

5. Players are scared to play because if they make mistakes they get dropped and that is the reason behind the post half time blues no confidence and shut up shop.

6. Robertson is rigid, not open and full of it we need an open inclusive developmental coach.

7. None of the good players have got better - a thing that always happened the past.

8. THEY ARE IN DEEP TROUBLE ROBERTSON IS OUT OF HIS DEPTH AND WITHOUT CONFIDENCE IN HIS PLAYERS

BleedRed&Black 15 days ago

Sorry, you're saying that Robertson is playing the role of manager, not coach? I mean, that's never happened before, except for

Clive Woodward, when he won RWC 2003, and had a whole battalion of coaches and did no coaching himself.

and Jake White, when he won RWC 2007, and had another battalion of coaches and did little to no coaching himself. As of course does Erasmus.

and Graham Henry, when he won RWC 2011, and had Hansen and Smith do almost all the coaching.

and Steve Hansen, when he won RWC 2015, and had Smith and Foster do almost all the coaching.

and Rassie Erasmus, when he won RWC 2023, when he was SA director of Rugby, and Jacques Nienaber was formally the "head coach".

Good to see NZ media and "supporters" are sustaining their usual level of ignorance.

Bazzallina 14 days ago

Chur to that, Razor would still get final say and obviously a huge hand in how he wants them to play but how they coach that is done by the “coaches”

GL 15 days ago

This is a simplistic version - all of the above did actual coaching as a team

Jordon 15 days ago

The difference is that those assistants could coach, whereas hansen and Ryan appear incompetent at test level.

BleedRed&Black 15 days ago

I’m in the unfortunate position of having to correct myself. I thought “Everywhere Eddie” had been MacQueen’s assistant. Entirely wrong. Wasn’t in a million miles of the Wallabies in 1999. Which is probably why they won.

GrahamVF 15 days ago

I really don’t see how you can compare the Erasmus Nienaber axis to the current NZ setup. Rassie bounced between head coach and DOR with JN as his lieutenant since their days in Ireland. Their roles were interchangeable and JN was promoted as a reward for the work he had done in 2019. Rassie is the most hands on type of coach and was never a “manager”. Of course coaches work with teams but that’s a world away from saying I am a “culture coach”. By the time Nienaber took over as head coach he had a WC as assistant coach under his belt.

TokoRFC 15 days ago

The point is that most of those you mention had vastly more experience at club and international level, often in head coaching roles too.

With all due respect to Scott Hansen. If this is true, I think most will agree that coaching as a Super Rugby assistant isn’t the best experience for effectively being a head coach of a test side.

cw 15 days ago

It was disappointing getting an assistant coach (Foster) take over the ABs. Now we find out that the assistant coach (Hansen) is actually the Head Coach!

In truth I can handle that as long as Robertson takes ownership of the team and removes Hansen as Head Coach if on review,

the team’s clear ongoing

systemic shortcomings were within Hansen’s remit. The team has to genuinely turn that corner.

Icefarrow 15 days ago

People are really putting too much stock into comments removed of any substance or explanation. Robertson didn’t have Hansen back when he won titles for Canterbury, or the U20 Championship. “Cultural coach” could literally mean anything, and every coach delegates responsibilities amongst their assistants.

How about these so-called journalists do their actual job, and get an answer out of him instead of speculating and doomsaying?

Over the sideline 15 days ago

So Scott Hansen won 7 titles at the Crusaders?

This is comedy gold. Couldn’t make it up. 😁

JW 14 days ago

Huh, where was that mistake? Hansen got credited for their victory in 2022, not sure he was there the following year, weirdly that was stated as his last year if I recall (came back from Japan/covid for a few years).

Eric Elwood 15 days ago

I wouldn’t put too much stock in media knives been out at this point in time. Any potential weakness gets a stabbing.

That said depending on the context, Robertson could be complaining about the structure where he is perhaps doing too much “management” and not enough “coaching”. Robertson is a coach. For how important both roles are in 2023 Erasmus was director of rugby and Nienaber was head coach.

NZ are also missing a Felix Jones type character which falls on Robertson also presumably. Having an assistant like Joe Schmidt would put order and clarity on this.

NZ are not far off and maybe they will work it out in the review. The mid term review in Fosters term was a very successful interjection and should have gained a World Cup after they beat Ireland.

JW 14 days ago

I get the idea Hansen is a ‘pie in the sky’ type ideas man. The backline this year looked atrocious, but what do I know, perhaps they will click after another year. I wouldn’t give him a though, move him back to defence and bring someone else in, doesn’t need to be with international experience, any experience running a good backline will do.

d 14 days ago

“should have gained a World Cup” is drawing a long bow; They were thumped by both France and the Boks, and Ireland were the clearly the better side all year, beating the ABs in NZ, and only Jordie’s arm prevented another defeat. Fosters side was like this one, relying on individual skills in place of set piece attacking creativity.

B 15 days ago

AB’sXV Head Coach Jamie Joseph has more international experience than Robertson and his entire coaching staff put together and a 3 from 3 winning November Tour to top it off…

I'm looking forward to see if he can get the Highlanders to show their potential with a few probable and current AB's under his guidance…

cw 15 days ago

If NZRU are smart he will be the assistant “head coach” of the dirt trackers next year in SA. That is going to be an awesome tour in itself and great to see what the “third” team can do.

Flatcoat 15 days ago

Sack them…Robinson is responsible for this debacle..Kirk needs to clean house at NZR. If Robertson is not the Head Coach then he needs to go along with Hansen and all the other pretenders.

Until this culture of idiocy is expunged from NZR no decent top line Coach will want to work for them….

SB 15 days ago

Looks like a deflection tactic to me. He will know exactly what the reaction will be and it sounds like his words are throwing Scott Hansen under the bus so that he can keep his job.

JW 14 days ago

Yep, the buck stops with Razor alright, no change their.

The question though is he able to do the right thing and fire him (certainly seems likes the main factor in a few things)?

If it was football, it wouldn’t matter whether he did fire him or not though (in terms of whether he had done well enough himself before that). I’m not sure which way it should go here, certainly if he tells Kirk all is on track I think he’ll be let go.

Flatcoat 15 days ago

Yes..think the same but we don’t need a Culture whatever he is calling himself..we need a well Credentialled International Head Coach..they won't come near the job until this is sorted.

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