New Zealand's best coaches all have one unheralded skill in common
Although there have been a few hiccups in recent weeks, the Crusaders are still well ahead of the chasing pack.
A championship win would be Scott Robertson’s third in as many years. Only once before has a Super Rugby team done the three-peat: the Crusaders that played from 1998 to 2000. Wayne Smith was in charge for the first two years of that triple and Robbie Deans took over in the final year. Robertson will become the first man to win three titles in a row as coach if his charges can secure the championship in the coming months.
What makes the feat even more impressive is the fact that Robertson only took over as head coach in 2017. If Robertson does step away from the Crusaders at the end of the season to take up a role with the national team then he could have a perfect record as a Super Rugby coach – three championships from three attempts. It’s very unlikely we’d ever see such an accomplishment again.
It goes without saying that Robertson is a very astute coach from a technical point of view. There are many aspects to good coaching, but an exceptionally impressive understanding of the sport itself is obviously the primary skill required.
There are probably a very good number of coaches working in New Zealand that also have an in-depth understanding of the game – at Super Rugby, provincial, club and school levels.
What helps separate Robertson from his peers, however, is not his unquestionable tactical and strategic knowledge.
Robertson, like many other good coaches before him, is an expert people manager – especially when it comes to young men.
During his formative years as a coach, Robertson helped set up a number of youth initiatives at Sumner Rugby club in Christchurch. When Chris Boyd vacated his post as coach of the New Zealand Under 20 team at the end of 2013, Robertson stepped into the role. Robertson had already logged a number of years as both assistant and head coach at Canterbury by then and had been a part of six successive championships for the red and blacks.
In previous decades, players would make their provincial and national squads after spending a number of years cutting their teeth at club level. Before rugby went pro, players almost always had jobs outside of playing rugby, which meant that they had the chance to develop certain life skills that can only be learnt with time.
Now, we’re seeing younger and younger men progress to professional rugby and these players are as much in need of a mentor as they are in need of a coach.
20-year-old rugby players now have considerably more money than their peers, get to travel all around the world and, in many ways, are treated like celebrities. Who, in this situation, wouldn’t need a bit of advice now and again?
Back in 2013, ex-school teacher Dave Rennie took the Chiefs to their second Super Rugby title. Rennie never shied away from revealing how beneficial his former career had been to his successes as a coach.
“Teaching, coaching, it’s the same thing,” Rennie said, “The kids are just a bit bigger.”
Rennie, also one of New Zealand’s most successful recent coaches, coached the New Zealand Under 20s to three championships in a row. Prior to that, Rennie spent a number of years working at IRANZ, a New Zealand development centre for young rugby players.
Like Robertson, Rennie is an astute rugby man – but he also shares Robertson’s ability to build rapport with young players who may, at times, be in need of a guiding hand.
The other similarity that both coaches share is that neither was a top player in their earlier days. Robertson managed 23 appearances for the All Blacks – not a sizeable figure compared to some of his compatriots – whilst Rennie’s only international appearance was for a Cook Islands XV back in 1990.
In fact, most of New Zealand’s top coaches never set the world alight as players.
Chris Boyd coached the Hurricanes to their only Super Rugby title back in 2016. Boyd’s first professional assignment was as an assistant coach at Wellington in 2003. That job was secured not on Boyd’s almost non-existent performance as an elite player, but as recognition for the work he had done coaching club rugby for nine years as well as his time spent as the Wellington B coach. Boyd coached the NZ U20 side in 2013.
Graham Henry, who coached the All Blacks to a World Cup title in 2011, is probably the best example of a school teacher-cum-coach. Henry was never a prodigious player and after his playing career with Canterbury came to an end, Henry took up a role at Auckland Grammar School.
Henry coached Grammar’s First XV before moving to rivals Kelston Boys’s High School as a Deputy Headmaster. Again, Henry coached the school’s top team.
When Henry coached the Blues to a Super Rugby title way back in 1996, he had already notched up almost 20 years of school teaching and almost 25 years as a coach.
Current All Blacks coach Steve Hansen played 21 matches in the midfield for Canterbury but was never selected for national duty. The former horse handler took to coaching after his playing career came to an end and although Hansen didn’t have much experience as a head coach when he took over from Henry in 2012, Hansen now has a reputation as one of the best coaches in world rugby.
Hansen, unlike some of the other coaches, does not have a background in teaching, but he was a police officer prior to taking up coaching. No doubt the Otago-born coach spent a lot of time dealing with youth in that role and picked up skills which have made him the coach he is today.
The common denominator in many of New Zealand’s top coaches seems to be their ability to not just develop exceptional talents, but to nurture young minds – and those skills have typically been developed as either a teacher or an age-grade coach. Performance during playing days seems to have little impact on performance as a coach, which is why it’s so surprising to see so many experienced, fairly recent All Blacks taking the reins at Super Rugby franchises.
Aaron Mauger, Leon MacDonald and Tana Umaga were all still playing top flight rugby as recently as 10 years ago. Umaga, the oldest of the three, became head coach of the Blues at the age of 43.
While it’s not unheard of to have success as a coach at such a young age, it is certainly not the norm. Crusaders coaches Robertson, Smith and Robbie Deans are the obvious exceptions, winning titles at 42, 41 and 40 respectively. In contrast, Rennie was 49, Boyd was 58, Joseph was 45, Henry was 49 and Peter Sloane, who guided the Blues to their most recent title in 2003, was 54.
Players are taking the step up to professional leagues at a considerably younger age now than in the past, but is that any reason to expect that younger coaches should also become the norm? There’s a clear precedent that more experienced coaches with a background in mentoring young men will perform better as coaches. Only time will tell if the new crop of coaches can achieve similar results to their predecessors without that same background.
Comments on RugbyPass
Wasnt late. Ref 2 assistants andTMO all saw it so who are you to say it was?
3 Go to commentsAre the Brumbies playing the Blues twice in a row?
3 Go to commentsBig difference from the Saders. Forwards really muscled up and laid a solid platform. Scooter brought some steel and I liked the loosie combination. Newell has been rather disappointing this season but stepped up big time - happy also to see Franks dot down. He should do that more often! Reihana had a good game and there seems to be more flair and invention with him in the saddle. McNicoll plays well from the back and is reliable plus inventive when he joins the line. Keep it up chaps!
3 Go to comments🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
30 Go to commentsJe suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
3 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusaders , you can keep going.
3 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
30 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
30 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen 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.
30 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.
9 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.
30 Go to comments