Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
NZ NZ

Scott Robertson in favour of bold new concepts but laments South Africa loss

By Tom Vinicombe
(Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)

Crusaders coach Scott Robertson has emphasised the importance of the current discussions taking place at World Rugby headquarters in Dublin regarding an aligned global calendar while also lamenting the loss of South African sides in Super Rugby.

ADVERTISEMENT

Key stakeholders of the game have travelled to Dublin for various meetings which will decide, amongst other things, who will host the next five men’s and women’s Rugby World Cups, a potential ‘Nations Championship’ concept to add more stakes to international ‘friendlies’, and an alignment of the Northern and Southern Hemisphere calendars.

With the World Cup situation out of the way – England will host the next tournament in 2025, Australia will host the 2027 and 2029 events, and the United States the 2031 and 2033 events – the powers that be will turn their attention to reformating the rugby calendar.

Video Spacer

What players are in the running to start for the All Blacks this season?

Video Spacer

What players are in the running to start for the All Blacks this season?

A Nations Championship was discussed in the past but ultimately fell by the wayside. There are hopes, however, that a tweaked concept could find more support from unions around the world.

The latest rumoured variant would see the top 24 teams in the world split into first and second divisions, with inter-division matches played in the July and November calendars over a two-year period to determine division champions. Every iteration of the competition would see nations promoted and relegated based on their performances over the two-year period.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by RugbyPass (@rugbypass)

It’s a concept that Robertson largely supports.

“I think it’s important we get aligned now,” he told media on Wednesday. “I think this is a great chance to do it. If every test match has got purpose and it’s leading to an outcome, it just makes sense, doesn’t it?”

ADVERTISEMENT

There have been reservations expressed by some that the competition would further segregate the haves from the have-nots, with tier one sides likely to rarely square up with their developing counterparts – even less so than the token one or two games some tier two teams are lucky to play a year.

“I haven’t looked heavily into the itinerary side of it and I understand that’s probably the pitfall of it,” Robertson said. “I also understand [we have to ask] how do we build and grow our game.

“With those tours, there’s more on it, it’s really clear, the purpose, it’s not just another tour. It’s a tour with a clear finale at the end of it somewhere down the track. They’ve definitely got to balance it and make sure that every nation gets equal opportunities, if they’re going to come up. I love the idea of the promotion/relegation side of it. Those games, every game counts for them as well.

“You look at all the teams, every competition around the world in any sport, football, wherever you go, that’s what factored in and makes it great.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Related

Robertson also added that if the test and club calendars can be separated out so there isn’t any cross-over between the seasons, it would also open the door for a world club championship – an event the Crusaders would no doubt regularly feature at.

“If we can get everything aligned it means we can align world club champs in there as well, so we’ve got a club championship, an international championship in a cycle of four years. For me, if logistically lines up, we need to do it – a great idea.”

Speaking closer to home, Robertson indicated that while South Africa’s shift to the United Rugby Championship didn’t seem like a major blow to Super Rugby early on, the impacts are now starting to become apparent.

“I think [we’re missing them] more and more now,” he said. “The first year, I was thinking maybe we won’t miss them probably because we had [Super Rugby] Aotearoa and that was tough enough as it was. And then the second year, we had two competitions and then we realised when you watch them play or you watch those test matches that their mentality to the game, their style, their strengths… What makes our game great is a different flow, a different game, and when we play them we’re better for it. So I think we do miss them.”

The South African franchises are currently locked in a five-year agreement with the URC which effectively means Super Rugby Pacific is here to stay for the medium-term. If South Africa were to fully realign with the Northern Hemisphere unions and join the Six Nations, the impact would be felt even further by New Zealand rugby.

Robertson’s Crusaders are set to take on the Brumbies in Canberra this weekend in a game which could decide the second-ranked team heading into the Super Rugby Pacific play-offs.

ADVERTISEMENT

Join free

Aotearoa Rugby Podcast | Episode 6

Sam Warburton | The Big Jim Show | Full Episode

Japan Rugby League One | Sungoliath v Eagles | Full Match Replay

Japan Rugby League One | Spears v Wild Knights | Full Match Replay

Boks Office | Episode 10 | Six Nations Final Round Review

Aotearoa Rugby Podcast | How can New Zealand rugby beat this Ireland team

Beyond 80 | Episode 5

Rugby Europe Men's Championship Final | Georgia v Portugal | Full Match Replay

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

Comments on RugbyPass

J
Jon 4 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

35 Go to comments
j
john 7 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

30 Go to comments
A
Adrian 9 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

30 Go to comments
T
Trevor 12 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

21 Go to comments
TRENDING
TRENDING 'I didn't think it would happen this early': Carbery on Munster exit 'I didn't think it would happen this early': Carbery on Munster exit
Search