Jeff Wilson: 'They didn't play with a great deal of confidence'

While Thursday’s announcement by New Zealand Rugby that Scott Robertson would leave his role as head coach of the All Blacks came as a surprise to many, former All Black Jeff Wilson believes the writing was on the wall after an underwhelming season in 2025.

20 wins from 27 games for Robertson sparked some initial concerns, before the end-of-year review by Don Tricker, Keven Mealamu, and David Kirk revealed a number of issues within the environment.

Kirk was on hand to speak to media in Auckland on Thursday, where he discussed Robertson’s departure and what comes next for the All Blacks in 2026, regarding a new head coach.

Wilson, who played 60 Tests for the All Blacks, said on Newstalk ZB’s Weekend Sport with Jason Pine on Saturday that there needed to be a change.

“Look clearly, a lot of work had been done behind the scenes by New Zealand Rugby in terms of gathering information,” Wilson said.

“I think I actually wasn’t that surprised that David Kirk and the board ended up coming to this decision.

“It was a simple situation of whether or not they felt they could turn it around in a short period of time before an important tour to South Africa and an upcoming Rugby World Cup. To me, they needed a change, and they’ve got it.”

The former All Black turned commentator and pundit said that one of the biggest issues for Robertson was the fact that they struggled to play with any sort of momentum or conviction, which ultimately falls on the head coach.

“I think there’s some things that Scott Robertson deserves a lot of credit for, in regards to the fact there were a lot of challenges along the way. There always are, as All Black coaches, but this last couple of years, this team really never gained any momentum.

“There was always performances which gave you doubt about the direction the team were heading. And there was certainly uncertainty in the group, they looked unsettled and they didn’t play with a great deal of confidence on a consistent basis.

“So unfortunately, a lot of that responsibility falls on the head coach, he’s not a bad rugby coach. It just hasn’t worked out with this group of people and this team of players, and it was time to look forward with somebody else.”