Scott Robertson on the 'game within the game' of playing France

As the Super Rugby Pacific playoffs near, so too does the international season, and for the All Blacks, there are plenty of questions hanging over their opening campaign of 2025.

Scott Robertson is busy planning for his second season at the helm of rugby’s most iconic team, and it remains unclear what kind of team he will face come July.

The French are set to touch down in New Zealand for the first time since 2018, and as is typically the case for the July Series, the Top 14 finalists will most likely be fulfilling their club duties instead of boarding the flight south.

Robertson and co can’t bank on any particular omissions, though, and the coach knows the depth France boasts can cause headaches regardless. There are also lessons from last November’s 30-29 loss in Paris to consider.

“It’s a game within the game, isn’t it? This is the most asked question: who’s coming, who’s not? We just expect the best team. I think that’s the way you’ve got to do it from our end,” Robertson told SportNation‘s Scott and Izzy radio show.

“You get yourself right, especially in those first two, three Tests – first Test mainly, let’s just focus on that.

“We played incredibly well over there, and they took two or three chances and the game turned, so we know what the French can do. It can be on in a moment. They’ve got a lot of depth.

“Look, Fabien (Galthié) has been doing that for a long time, he’s got six years as a head coach, he’s got a remarkable depth in his squad. He’s got some young guys that have come through the 20s that he’s given little looks, opportunities, and he’s got combinations of whatever guys don’t make that Top 14 final.

“So, we’ll expect a really strong squad, which they’ve built.”

While he established the desired playing style throughout his first season leading the side, ‘Razor’ is not known for sitting still, having lifted the Crusaders to seven Super Rugby titles in as many years before his promotion to the top job.

There are plenty of takeaways from the 2024 campaign that pose challenges for 2025, something the former All Blacks flanker is intent on tackling square on.

“On a personal front and as a coaching group, what really matters? How can you simplify it for the players as much as you can, but also give them enough to be creative with?

“Our skillset, how do your weeks work, and the opposition you play. A lot of Test rugby’s about being disciplined, minimal errors and finishing games.

“Those are big areas that we knew last year that we do have to get better at this year. We’ve looked at it, we’ve understood how you train it, the mental skills that come with it, and your bench that’s required to finish games.

“So you have little projects that you dig into, but fundamentally, we still had the most linebreaks, the most offloads and defenders beaten, so we created a lot. The first thing is you’ve got to remember that, and how do you start finishing those opportunities you create?

“It’s really exciting, but you’ve also got to dig deep and be aware of where you have to get better.”