What Robertson exit tells us about where NZ rugby is at - Andy Goode

When will the NZRFU realize there decades long money grabing arrogance and outright disrespect for its own countrymen is there true failing, its association with Sky sport has taken the game away from the very people they need now, the children who often don’t come from privileged homes,the children who can’t go to pubs etc,the children who unlike previous generations no longer get to sit up at 4 in the morning with there family’s,fathers grandfather's, uncles, family friends, mothers and sisters etc Those days are gone. You may also blame the NZ Government for allowing a government funded sporting body for taking our national sport from US,and monyterising what was originally meant for promoting the health and fitness of our children. Well along with many of our other sports now ransomed by Sky Sport I fear it’s to late to fix and our future all blacks will be playing video games instead. To blame a single coach for a decades long destruction of our potential player pool is ludicrous, if you give a farmer 200 acres of concrete and blame him for losing his live stock you would probably be the NZRFU you are 20 mins from full time and 15 points down NZ rugby it’s time to dig in, time to change your game plan and get the game back out to the All Black’s that count there only 5yos but they will watch and want to play if you let them see our magnificent game. I’m 65 years old, I remember listening to games on the radio watching them in black and white then colour I remember the family unity a test match bought to our homes I remember aching for Saturdays with my mates dreaming of being a star but most of all I remember being match fit, I've seen it all and I know as a certainty that big business is a plague to sport …change the board not coaches.

Proof that Richie Mo’unga was the key to Robertsons’ wins with the Crusaders.

Not sure why the Players Association reps were happy to see Razor go…

- after all, these Players (who selected themselves) [actual Selectors don’t select the AB lineup] chose the clearly past-it Beauden Barrett as the 1st Five for the English Test…

So the current culture in the All Blacks is not focused towards Winning.

It would be nice for the new All Blacks coach to force the players to sit together and watch many replays of courageous All Blacks Tests… including Tests the ABs lost - notably the 1986 Battle of Nantes

It wasn't just the loses most of our wins where not fun to watch as well

AB forwards haven't been playing with any true cohesion for awhile now. Their stock has gradually diminished over the last 10 years. Veterans need to be brought back into fold to help innovate NZ forward play beyond what the Springbok pack are doing. Strong, athletic and dutiful don't meet the traditional mold of an AB forward. They need to strike the same level of fear that Kiwi backs have always commanded wherever they have played. I blame the high season long production demands and systemization of play. Ardie may be the last of the line of legendary AB forwards so the veterans like McCaw/Kaino/Zinny etc must be tapped to help. Regardless of this dip in “win rate" and consequ of changes to Super Rugby, the ABs will return to the acme of sport. There is no other magic but All ALL BLACKS MAGIC!!! You can't replicate it. It lives in the air and water of NZ.

The decision to remove Razor simply accentuates the high standards and expectations of All Black rugby. Had nothing to do with Razors record and everything to do with quality of performance, especially in 2025. The opposition have caught up but the All Blacks were their own worst enemies during 2025. When players looked confused or indecisive on the field, its logical to question the coaching teams input. Look at the difference Joe Schmidt made to All Blacks when he joined team during 2022. Or the incredible transformation under Rassie for that matter, after Boks were beaten 0/57 in 2017. Experienced international coaches have a huge bearing on developing player IQ improving consistency of performance.

I think NZR have been asleep at the wheel since 2017, but the arrival of Kirk as Chair will see a new era of accountability, hard decisions made and noticeable improvement at all levels of our game.

NZ is a small rugby nation and faces many challenges, but we are still capable of punching well above our weight.

Enough of the ‘aura’ BS! Kiwis are way past this knee-jerk stuff. The ABs were in disarray: what’s happened is surgical and clean. Whoever comes in is going to make the ABs a more competitive team. It’s not so much about the win/loss ratio but the manner of. Most of the wins were scratchy, but the losses involved second half psychological melt-downs, against Argentina, South Africa and England (the chaotic thinking around that infamous tap penalty) that were unacceptable. We can cope with the ABs losing, but whether the new coach is Jamie J or Dave Rennie or ROG or Tana or a combination of these men, the ABs will be a lot more combative and abrasive. They may lose just as many (or more, given this year’s itinerary) but they’ll be a damn sight harder to beat.

I bet no coach will want to do this job.

This could be all a domino effect from Ian times. NZR messed it up.

I also bet Richie left because of NZR at that time and the money was just bonus.

But also shows how good the ABs are. With all these dramas they only lost 3 games.

I feel the players have let themselves down and have put themselves under massive pressure to step up. Being manhandled by the Boks and England had nothing to do with Razor - seems like the “Aura” within camp surrounding the black jersey IS A THING - Mounga choosing Japan spoke volumes at the time and now the current crop of All Blacks have spoken even louder.

Aha. Clear KPIs:

1. 80+% win rate

2. Restore Aura.

3. Keep players happy.

4. Win World Cup

Easy peasy.

Aha. An aura article. Right on queue

An article that is far too lenient toward Robertson. It wasn’t the system or the modern era that brought Robertson down.

Robertson was simply terrible as head coach of the All Blacks. His communication was poor and he didn’t coach the team at all. Scott Hansen was the one doing that. There’s no point looking for excuses where none exist. The players didn’t pull the trigger. Robertson sabotaged himself.

NZR made the decision unanimously and without delay. We won’t know the precise reasons detailed in the review report, but Robertson’s work was deemed insufficient, and that is entirely logical. Everyone could see it. NZR has wasted a lot of time over the years by appointing head coaches who didn’t have the required level: Foster and Robertson. The All Blacks haven’t created anything for years now. They can’t even score tries off turnover ball anymore, which used to be their strength. They played like robots, with no creative ideas. It was painful to watch.

Always with ‘the aura is gone’. Come up with something new.

Robertson will get a big payout for mutually agreeing to depart

Hard to take an article seriously when the writer hasn’t done any research. It was confirmed he is receiving no payout.