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Scott Robertson discusses his future leading the All Blacks
By Henry Lee
Now that the 2025 International season is over, All Blacks head coach Scott Robertson can reflect on his first two years in charge of the team, at the halfway point of a World Cup cycle.
Robertson’s side have been through their fair share of ups and downs as a group over the course of the two year period, losing four games in the opening year of Robertson’s tenure, before losing three in 2025 including the heaviest defeat of all time, against South Africa in Wellington.
This year, the 51-year-old head coach and his staff have used 45 players in the black jersey, a slight uptick from last year’s number, but have also dealt with a number of injuries that have forced changes throughout the campaign.
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When Robertson is questioned about whether he feels like he’s the right man to lead this team to the Rugby World Cup in 2027, he explains that he believes he has the backing from the board.
“They’ve taken me a four year contract in belief that this group has got some great young players coming through, and there’s going to be some learning along the way. Look, I’m excited. I’ve got some great backing from David and the board and have got a good crew behind us here. I’m excited,” Robertson told reporters in New Zealand from Cardiff.
Looking at the two seasons as a whole, Robertson explains that when he took the job, he knew there would be lots of challenges in the first couple of years, and that he would need to create exposure for players.
“When I took out the job, I knew the first two years were going to be challenging, I honestly did, I thought with the amount of players and leaders. I thought, okay, you get a new captain. You’re going to bring a whole new group through, you lost a spine effectively,” Robertson said.
“The hooker, two locks, your nine and your team, you know we kept TJ Perenara and Sam Cane around last year to keep the experience, and just until you played a Test match or coached a Test match, you don’t know, until you’ve done it.
“And so those guys are really valuable, now we feel like we’ve turned a corner with 45 players this year. We’ve got the balance, a lot of exposure, we’ve built combinations and the four deep projects coming along.”
The All Blacks captain Scott Barrett, who has now captained the team for two years now, has had a slightly stop-start year with a couple of injuries during the International campaign, which could be a reason for his non-playing sabbatical to start the 2026 season.
When asked about the on-field leadership of this All Blacks team, Robertson has nothing but praise for his captain, saying that he’s starting to get his body right despite having some problems in the past couple of years.
“I think Scott’s rugby IQ is as good as I’ve ever come across, he’s an exceptional reader of the game, his ability to understand the intricacies, and he’s got people to rely on like his vice captains and on field drivers that we do a lot of work with.
“But he is unique, he’s someone that can push a scrum, call a line out, make 20 tackles, barge rucks, and still make calls and be with the referee, and he’s done a really good job, so we monitor all that.
“He’s been good, and his body’s good this year, he played with a lot of bangs last year, and he couldn’t lift in the gym. We know he’s got preseason off, but the All Black captain takes a lot of you, and he’s coming of age with the experience,” Robertson said.
13 International Tests involve a lot of travel, many hotels, flights and time away from home, but Robertson says the biggest thing he’s learnt so far about himself as All Blacks coach is how to get the messages across to the players.
“Personally, yeah, being in 32 hotels and going around the world a few times, but I think what’s required of me every week, how do I set the group up, the management group, the team, we talk about being all in, we talk about serving our jersey on the field and our people off the field, so how can I shape and bring the legacy along with us.
“I feel like I’ve made a real connection to that piece and personally, how can I get those simple messages across to the group? Look, I said before, it’s fine margins, and there’s a lot of expectations that come with it. So how can you refine your messages so the boys are clear and then just go and play and trust themselves.
“I feel like I’ve got a lot better in that regard.”
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