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International

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

By Henry Lee

98 days ago

All Blacks boss Scott Robertson in London this week (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

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.

VIDEO

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.”

Comments

28 Comments

OutRun22 97 days ago

Yes and why would Rassie want to give away the best new thing in international rugby Tony Brown was the 100th to get away nzru but the NZ rugby public suffer through inept decisions from the nzru. Nz fail time after time to keep ‘IP’ in NZ we used to be ahead of the game but now we are lagging behind no thanks to nzru rubbish decisions from crappy CEo’s to bad inexperienced coaches such as robertson. to letting all of our best ‘IP’ go overseas, to letting guys like the next nonu Laumapi go at the peak of his powers to wondering where is our next midfield coming from? just total ineptitude. Shame on nzru shame on Kirk shame on the rest of the fake leaders.

GM 97 days ago

I’m sure Jamie J or Dave Rennie or whoever will build on what is there (like the genuine big boys we’ve found in the pack). Bryn Evans built a great line out, but I wonder if Jason Ryan needs more help (if indeed he’s retained) with the scrum? Bryn Evans was a suggestion of Mike Cron’s. Cron is a superb, under-rated coach, Ryan’s mentor, love to see him back in the mix (even though Joe Schmidt is not a possibility). ROG looks increasingly as if the ABs might be good timing for him - he’d be great on D. We’ve lost Tony Brown, but there’s another ex-Highlander who is coaching attack for the best counter-attacking test team in the world - Kendrick Lynn for Argentina. Wonder if he has any history with Jamie J?

Easy_Duzz-it 98 days ago

Who ever takes over . I hope they build the team around mounga …

Dmac and Barrett don't have it …

JR 98 days ago

Ironically, that is what Razor did at the Crusaders, and would have done the same at the ABs if he were available…

Hammer Head 98 days ago

If I was Mo’unga, I’d go to Tonga.

Hammer Head 98 days ago

If the greatest coach in Super Rugby History couldn’t do it who can?

Razor came in as a veritable deity - I mean surely only the best coach in the world is good enough for the best team in the world, ever.

A little less ego and a little more humility would be a good start going forward. For starters, expecting whoever comes in next to take the ABs back to 2015 levels by July ain’t going to happen.

I think one can look at Manchester United for some insight into what the future could hold for the ABs and their fans. A good case study.

GRB13 97 days ago

19 coaches in 3 years. A slippery slope.

TT 98 days ago

Surely there is no one in a commentary role anywhere who says less.

Jeff Wilson , Master of vacuous, nothing statements.

Is it a blonde thing??

Wilson, the master of hindsight & saying zero in foresight. Genius of actually saying nothing.

Eg,

his quote ‘

came as a surprise to many, former All Black Jeff Wilson believes the writing was on the wall ‘ ,

BUT he never deared mention that in foresight.

Eg,

his quote ‘ Scott Robertson deserves a lot of credit for, in regards to the fact there were a lot of challenges along the way‘…

But Wilson advises of none.

his quote ‘

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

Brilliant. No Stu'y, they used a dart board.

& another of his vacuous classics, quote, ‘ 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.’

No Stu'y, a detailed review outlined very clear SPECIFIC problems. It wasn’t some vibe (dude) with a group of people. & ‘look forward’? Someone's got a big book of vacuous clichés.

Season after season its unwatchable hearing Stu Wilson state sweet, vague, unaccountable nothing.

Again, Is it a blonde thing??

Looking for a career in politics??

PMcD 98 days ago

That’s why he’s a pundit and not a coach. 🤣🤣

Everyone knew Razor was under pressure, everyone knew there were problems that needed to be fixed but I think the big shock moment is that even people who didn’t rate Razor didn’t think NZR would actually do what they did . . . . . and then Razor was gone.

These are fairly unprecedented times for NZR and having taken such a big unexpected move, I think people are starting to wonder what comes next and they have no idea.

For once NZR is far from predictable.

MM 98 days ago

Took you a while to trot all that out mate……

Theo H 98 days ago

Robertson was the architect of his own demise. Firstly he was super conservative and held on to much of Fosters team. Secondly, he decided to become a culture coach and let Scott Hansen be the head coach which is not what was sold to the NZRFU. Thirdly there was no effective game plan other than what the crusaders did. He was solidly it coached on several occasions. Sadly it seems to the jump to International level was too high and he should've done some overseas coaching to prepare him. In terms of senior players reporting negatively on the environment then that is what they were asked to do by their employer, their feedback was certainlynonly one part of the decision. Simply Robertson and his coaching team weren't good enough.

cw 98 days ago

Agree Robertson failed badly. But you don’t give him enough credit for the reformation he was undertaking. Perhaps it was a Crusader plan - but why is that a negative - he won 7 Super Championships with it - it would be surprising if he did not look to build a team around a plan that had that level of success. But it was in any event directed to meeting a hard fact - ABs had fallen well behind the power and intensity of SA and France, and latterly England. In an earlier draft of this note I laid out the detail but bored myself with it! In short he had moved to a highly structured power game that produced a remarkable statistic - 87% of AB tries from set piece in the red zone. The downside of that as NB notes in one of his articles is that there was no counter attack. But perhaps that was going to be addressed in the next phase. In any event, I think he deserves some credit for trying to reshape the ABs into a team that could match up to the gargantuan Boks and French etc.

PS I am not a Crusader fan and looking forward to Joseph taking over.

TT 98 days ago

Good summary of the obvious of his past 2 years.

An absolute ZERO innovator.

Given most of a team that ‘won’ the RWC23 had TMO not taken it from them, & with 14 men… then Robertson (or Hansen-lite) & Hansen coached them backwards.

A wasteland of new NZ rugby talent never used.

The only strength I saw was in Kirk & co. making the decision.

cw 98 days ago

Yep but what about the cabal of senior players with several hundred tests between them - when will they be held openly accountable for the poor level of intensity and execution at key times. How did they fail so poorly to inspire?

TT 98 days ago

When there's a coach who applies accountability. Missing in ABs since 2018.

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