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We're finally going to see what Scott Hansen's really capable of


CARDIFF, WALES - NOVEMBER 22: Scott Robertson, Head Coach of New Zealand, and Scott Hansen, Assistant Coach of New Zealand, look on prior to the Quilter Nations Series 2025 match between Wales and New Zealand at the Principality Stadium on November 22, 2025 in Cardiff, Wales. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)
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Common sense is becoming contagious. Hard on the heels of a succession of sensible and proactive All Blacks appointments by New Zealand Rugby, the Crusaders have gone and done the same thing.

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Rob Penney needed to go as Crusaders head coach. It was right that the franchise stood by Penney after a poor start to his tenure, then nice for him to chalk up a Super Rugby Pacific title last year.

But there was always an element of Penney minding the shop here. His window was 2009. The Crusaders decided Todd Blackadder should succeed Robbie Deans instead and Penney’s probably always harboured some resentment about that.

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Well, he eventually got a turn and, whatever else you want to say about Penney as a bloke and a coach, they’ll never take his championship away from him.

He did well to save the first-season blushes and arguably should have walked the plank after the 2025 final. Penney was never going to have it so good again, and it makes sense for the Crusaders not to prolong this stopgap measure any longer. Just as it does to replace Penney with Scott Hansen.

I’ve no doubt Hansen is a good coach. Nor that he — for better or worse — essentially ran the All Blacks under Scott Robertson. But that was his issue; despite being the man coaching the team, it was Robertson’s show. Hansen was not the man in charge, and fans viewed the whole situation with suspicion.

Team Form

Last 5 Games

3
Wins
5
2
Streak
5
25
Tries Scored
34
23
Points Difference
113
4/5
First Try
4/5
2/5
First Points
4/5
2/5
Race To 10 Points
5/5

Robertson, for all his quirks, was a known quantity. Whether he was the sole architect of the Crusaders’ enormous success during his tenure, the titles went against his name. He was the head coach and, rightly or wrongly, people assumed that meant he then became the coach of the All Blacks too.

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It was Robertson who fans lobbied for in the comments section of stories. It was Robertson who people told talkback hosts should be head coach. No one went into bat for Hansen, and they were frankly surprised to see him given the hands-on role they naturally felt was above his station.

Here’s Hansen’s chance. Here’s where, as Crusaders head coach from 2027, he can prove his credentials and build a relationship and trust with the rugby public. Here’s where he states the case to be the legitimate coach of the All Blacks one day.

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I’ve written before about how the All Blacks are too big for one man to coach the team and deal with all the peripheral aspects of the team’s culture and brand. The All Blacks head coach is effectively a football manager, whose many responsibilities include delegating the actual coaching to others.

That’s not going to change, but while we continue to call them head coach — rather than manager or director of football or operations or whatever else you want to describe it as — folk are going to take the title literally.

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Even at Super level, Hansen will only be as good as the assistants around him. Yes, he’ll have the final say, and yes he’ll establish the blueprint, but he won’t be taking the forwards off to the scrum machine or advising goal kickers on their run-ups. He’ll be the frontman, doing the public relations job, selling himself and the team, and hoping to instil confidence in fans and sponsors.

Penney was prickly, past his time and a slightly desperate appointment in the first place. Hansen is not, and I applaud the Crusaders for the way they’ve managed Penney out and the new head coach in. Often it takes a crisis for organisations to act. That hasn’t happened here. Penney can now depart with his head held relatively high, leaving Hansen to stake a future claim as All Blacks coach in name, not just practice.

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Comments

3 Comments
G
GP 1 hr ago

Interesting article. Hamish spent a lot of time here in CHCH. But I think Rob Penney can totally hold his head high. In 2024 he lost Richie Mo’unga and Sam Whitelock and then had a epidemic level injury list. Will Jordan and Braydon Ennor did not play at all. Last year , with his great Assistant’s Matt Todd, James Marshall, Dan Perrin and the additions of Brad Mooar and Ryan Crotty. They won the comp. I think Scott Hansen will go well and as Hamish said it is now his turn.It was Rob’s decision to leave after this 1 year contract extension. These leaks are terrible, it happened to Scott Robertson in January and now Rob Penney, though the circumstances were different. People will never take away from Razor what a great coach for the Crusaders. I believe he will rebuild and come again as a Coach. I have the greatest respect and am a huge admirer of Todd Blackadder. The losses in the Finals of 2011 and 2014 were the 2 unluckiest in Super Rugby history, the circumstances of each were quite different. People should never forget that Todd Blackadder captained the Crusaders to 3 titles in a row, 1998, 1999 and 2000. He also won the Japanese comp twice as coach. Rob Penney was head coach of Canterbury that won 4 titles in a row, 2008-2011.

T
The Economist 1 hr ago

The headline makes more sense than the article, which is essentially “let’s bash Rob Penney”. Penney, whose teams won 4 NPC titles in 6 seasons and so should have been a Super-level coach a decade earlier, has done a remarkable job. On a hiding to nothing taking over from Robertson, he had terrible luck with injuries in his first year, then with better fortune won a title in his second year, and is about to enter the playoffs again in his 3rd year. Plus, in a move that showed more imagination than the rest of the SRP coaches put together, he proved his detractors badly wrong with Fainga’anuku. All that makes him more successful than any other coach currently operating in SRP. He deserves respect, not disdain.

N
NH 3 hours ago

I think we can all feel sympathy for Scott Hansen’s plight with the All Blacks. I felt like people wanted to treat Razor with respect as he was forced out and so the blame unfairly fell on Hansen.


Call them what you will, but the head coach must ultimately be responsible for the strategy they want the team to execute - and then hire assistants to deliver that. This I think was the real problem with Razor’s regime. He equated culture and theming with strategy.


Over the 2 years he was in charge could we as fans describe the style of rugby the All Blacks were playing? Could he? With that lack of clarity at the top - and with a coaching churn that was unacceptable - is it any wonder that Hansen and the other assistants struggled to get a cohesive game plan executed by the team?


Even as a Canes supporter, I wish him all the best at the Saders.

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