Report: Crusaders boss Scott Robertson to decide coaching future after claiming fourth consecutive title
Crusaders head coach Scott Robertson is likely to ink a new deal with the franchise and New Zealand Rugby after claiming a fourth straight Super Rugby title with the Christchurch club.
That is according to a report from the New Zealand Herald, which claims Robertson “is expected to announce his decision soon”.
The 45-year-old – who led the Crusaders to the inaugural Super Rugby Aotearoa crown with a 32-22 victory over the Highlanders at Orangetheory Stadium on Sunday – is off contract at the end of next season.
The Herald states that Robertson is looking to extend his deal with the Crusaders through to the end of the 2023 season.
That will coincide with the 2023 World Cup in France, after which the make-up of the All Blacks‘ coaching staff could undergo significant transformation.
Robertson last year missed out to Ian Foster in the race to become Steve Hansen’s successor as head coach of the All Blacks, with Foster signing a two-year deal with NZR to take the helm of the national side.
Provided the All Blacks don’t implode in whatever international matches they play in over the next year-and-a-half, it is difficult to see Foster not being retained through until France 2023.
It is too early to call whether he will remain there beyond that tournament, but should Robertson continue his extraordinary run of success with the Crusaders through until the end of 2023, he would have to be at extremely short odds to succeed Foster.
Since entering the professional coaching ranks as an assistant for Canterbury in 2008, Robertson has enjoyed a remarkable run of success throughout his career.
Working under the tutelage of current Waratahs boss Rob Penney and Chiefs assistant coach Tabai Matson, Robertson was part of the coaching staff that oversaw five straight provincial championships between 2008 and 2012.
He was then promoted to Canterbury head coach in 2013, winning a sixth straight crown in his first season in charge before winning a further two championships over the next three years.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CDrwJ-ZAHaF/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
During that period, he also spent two seasons with the New Zealand U20 side as head coach, guiding them to the 2015 World U20 Championship in Italy in his debut campaign.
Robertson’s break into Super Rugby came in 2017 when he was appointed head coach of the Crusaders in place of the departing Todd Blackadder.
The rest, they say, is history, as the ex-All Blacks loose forward has won a Super Rugby title in each of the four years he’s been in charge of the Crusaders, adding to the four he won with the franchise as a player between 1996 and 2003.
With eight provincial titles, a World U20 Championship and now four Super Rugby crowns under his belt, it’s easy to understand why many wanted Robertson to be named as All Blacks boss ahead of Foster at the end of last year.
As many as 46 percent of players quizzed in an anonymous poll by Country Sport Breakfast producer Sam Casey earlier this year also believed NZR got that decision wrong.
Being denied the top job in New Zealand must have got the tongues of potential offshore suitors wagging, as was the case when French club Biarritz tried to lure Robertson to Europe during his spell at Canterbury.
However, the Herald reports that the “relative safety and security” of working and living in Christchurch amid the COVID-19 pandemic, which possesses the potential to radically alter the global rugby landscape, could play a key role in Robertson’s decision to stay.
If that is how things pan out, as reported, and he extends his exceptional winning streak with the Crusaders for another two years, Robertson will surely stand as the frontrunner to replace Foster in the national set-up.
For now, though, Crusaders fans can rejoice as the imminent announcement of Robertson’s re-signing with the club looms.
Comments on RugbyPass
late hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
1 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 Crusades , you can keep going.
1 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
4 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
24 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
24 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.
24 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.
24 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
9 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
9 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
28 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
24 Go to comments