Scott Robertson full of praise for 'powerful' wingers

With Scott Robertson at the helm of the All Blacks, a number of wingers have been in and out of the side as the coaching staff search for consistency, workrate, and finishing ability.

After the All Blacks’ 28-14 victory over their trans-tasman rivals the Wallabies, Robertson likely now has a better idea of who those two wingers are going forward.

Chiefs winger Leroy Carter scored his third try for the All Blacks in Perth, scoring in all three of his appearances in the 2025 Rugby Championship.

Like last week in Auckland, Carter scooped up the ball and powered his way over the line to score their first try of the evening in Perth.

Blues winger Caleb Clarke was solid last weekend at Eden Park, but his ankle injury gave Leicester Fainga’anuku a shot at the Wallabies in the last game for both teams in The Rugby Championship.

It was Fainga’anuku’s first Test match for the All Blacks since 2023, and the former Crusader didn’t at all look out of place, giving Robertson and his coaching staff a tough decision going forward in the No.11 jersey.

Carter has made the No.14 jersey his own, and after another standout performance in Perth, Robertson was pleased with how the 26-year-old played.

“Leroy was pretty special, he’s powerful, short and good hops, keeps his feet and understands his role,” Robertson told reporters in Perth.

“Leroy as we know can play halfback, so they’ve got some great strengths.”

For his No.11, Robertson explains that Fainga’anuku’s strengths with ball in hand make him tough to deal with.

“Then, obviously, when you’ve got Leicester, who can just run over people and carry people and hold his feet. That’s a good balance. He’s got a left foot, so it’s good to have him as somebody can go into the midfield.”

The All Blacks’ victory in Perth extends their winning run against the Wallabies to eleven games in a row, something which Robertson says means a lot for his side.

“It means a lot, because we’ve had a few things that we wanted to keep the tradition history on and other teams have set this up, so we wanted to keep it going.

“We know that Australia have got a little bit momentum in the Union, and it’s sport that needs it. You know, the people come watch when you’re winning, and that Lions tour, so there’s a little bit of hype around it.

“We knew how tough the series was going to be against them. Every series or every back-to-back games have been.”