Will arduous All Blacks schedule hamper Razor’s rebuild?
There is extreme optimism, excitement even, that new All Blacks coach Scott Robertson is going to build an all-conquering team in much the same way he did in his seven years with the Crusaders.
His record there was incredible – seven campaigns and seven titles. But his real triumph was the culture he fostered, the spirit he engendered and the style of rugby the Crusaders played.
They were lovable and entertaining winners – playing a free-flowing but abrasive style of rugby that enabled them to adapt their game to Super Rugby’s vastly different climactic conditions and (certainly between 2017 and 2020) variety of opponents.
Robertson, known as Razor, is viewed as a coaching Svengali – an alternative thinker who used pictures and themes to communicate and inspire his players, and there is no doubt that the public mood is behind him now that he’s in the All Blacks role.
But this conviction within New Zealand that the All Blacks stand on the cusp of a bold new era, where they unearth young, charismatic superstars and play and interact with a freedom their predecessors didn’t, is going to be challenged by the enormity of the schedule the national team is likely to face in 2024.
If everything goes to plan, the All Blacks will play 15 tests next year – a schedule that will also see them circumnavigate the globe twice. No one should doubt how tough it will be to play 15 tests in 21 weeks – games that will be played in 10 different countries and across five continents.
The All Blacks have twice previously played 15 tests in a calendar year, with mixed results. In 2008 they did it – plus an additional game against Munster in Limerick – and it tested them to the limit.
The coaching teams of 2008 and 2021 both say that 15 tests were too many and that it left them having to make selection decisions designed to manage workloads and fatigue, rather than always pick the players they wanted
That year they won 13 of the 15, while in 2021 they also played 15, primarily because they had only managed six fixtures because of Covid the year before and were eager to give an emerging group of players more test exposure.
The All Blacks won 12 of their first 13 tests in 2021 and then lost the last two against Ireland and France to finish with a 75 per cent win ratio. Given that they spent 15 of those weeks in a secure bio-bubble and three months away from home, it wasn’t a bad effort.
But the coaching teams of 2008 and 2021 both say that 15 tests were too many and that it left them having to make selection decisions that were designed to manage workloads and fatigue, rather than always pick the players they wanted.
What is going to make 2024 such a hard year is not just the volume of games played in a more condensed period, and the associated travel, but also the quality of the opposition.
In 2021, the All Blacks had plenty of soft games, starting the season as they did with home tests against Fiji, Tonga and Australia, with fixtures against USA, Italy and relatively weak Argentina and Welsh outfits. Robertson, on the other hand, will begin his tenure with two home tests against England in July, with a third in New Zealand against Fiji.
There is a desire for a second game to be played against Fiji in Fiji seven days later, to turn that into a two-test series. The heat and humidity in Fiji at that time of year will be hugely challenging.
If all this happens, New Zealand will be playing tests against the teams currently ranked one, two, four and five in the world and that begs the question of how many tests Robertson must win to deliver on expectation
The All Blacks will play the world champion Springboks twice in South Africa, while they are also considering taking one of their home Rugby Championship tests against the Pumas to Los Angeles, Miami or some other city in the United States.
It will be hot in the US and then the All Blacks will have to return to the depths of the New Zealand winter to play back-to-back Bledisloe Cup tests against the Wallabies – one in Australia and one in New Zealand – before finishing the season with a test in Japan, one in London, one in France, one in Ireland and one still to be determined.
If all this happens, New Zealand will be playing tests against the teams currently ranked one, two, four and five in the world and that begs the question of how many tests Robertson must win to deliver on expectation.
When the All Blacks won 12 in 2021, it was considered a poor year. There were effectively four tough games in that schedule and the All Blacks only won one of them, when they beat South Africa in the Rugby Championship.
So, really, Robertson has to be targeting 13 wins to meet expectation. With two tests in South Africa, as well as away games against England, France and Ireland, it’s going to take a huge effort to win that many.
But what might end up marking Robertson’s tenure as different to that of his predecessors is that playing 15 tests in a season may become the norm.
These brutal schedules are probably going to become a necessity for the All Blacks as New Zealand Rugby comes under increasing pressure to make the sort of financial returns its equity partner, Silver Lake, needs to justify its investment in the team.
Moffett was right that the All Blacks will be squeezed that little bit harder by the new investors, whose theory is that there are millions of offshore All Blacks fans waiting to be monetised
This was always one of the dangers of NZR getting into bed with a fund manager – that the All Blacks would be seen as a cash cow to be milked, with one of the easiest ways to do that by asking them to play more tests.
This was a point former NZR chief executive David Moffett made back in 2021 when a deal became a possibility. “If [Silver Lake] don’t get the return they expect, they may very well say we want a bigger percentage and a bigger say.
“If they don’t get the return that has been worked out, because spreadsheets are one thing but delivery is another, then they will be looking at ways at which they can and… the first place they will look at is how many times can we get the All Blacks to play and where can we get them to play.
“Will it be exhibition matches in the United States for example? But whether it’s now or in the future, you will see the All Blacks playing more games and perhaps more meaningless games and that just devalues the greatest brand in rugby.”
Moffett wasn’t right about the nature of the additional games, but he was right that the All Blacks will be squeezed that little bit harder by the new investors, whose theory is that there are millions of offshore All Blacks fans waiting to be monetised.
This is why earlier this year NZR announced that the All Blacks will play a test in Japan in each of the next four years. It is also why they are considering playing a Rugby Championship test in the USA – to showcase the brand to potential new fans.
And the reason they will be playing at Twickenham next year is because they will be asking for an estimated cash payment to be there, as the game falls outside the designated test window.
The drivers to play these games are going to be as strong next year as they are this year and the probability is high that the All Blacks will play in Japan and the USA every year, and they will also, additionally, look to play at least one fixture in Europe outside the designated window so they can agree a lucrative financial payment.
The All Blacks may also look to play Fiji at least every other year. This is because the Fijians are likely to be invited into the League of Nations in 2026 and they need to be ready to compete. New Zealand will be doing its bit to help, and to provide broadcasters with the confidence that they will be spending their cash on something top-notch.
The fascinating thing is that NZR are scheduling these impossibly difficult seasons, and yet they installed Robertson to produce a higher win ratio than the 70 per cent achieved by his predecessor Ian Foster.
Comments on RugbyPass
I guess we may all agree on the fact, that the ABs and Boks are the two in contest for No 1 in rugby history (the triple-A sort of) …. the Wallabies, England and France are the next tier, with Ireland being the new kid in town (AA) …. in my view it makes little sense creating imaginary competitions (unless you have too much time to waste)
43 Go to commentsWhat a joke. Total joke and the pundits commentating, all of whom know a bit about the game, could barely disguise their contempt. Reaching for the card then pulling back when he realised a red card would carry further match suspensions is simply not his decision to make. A clear and obvious influence on the outcome of this match and indeed, the championship path.
4 Go to commentsI like the idea, in NZ the Ranfurly Shield and NPC coexist, both having their own bragging rights. The World Cup would be the pinnacle, but the competition and travels of these trophies would be interesting.
43 Go to commentsDon’t worry Sonny bill Williams leave that awkward situation about the curfew in the pass whoever it was it doesn’t matter its no big deal we back our All Blacks through the storm and the thunder until we see the Sun light again.
42 Go to commentsWho listens to this retard? He was a massive liability as a player but obviously a media sensation
42 Go to commentsI’m not surprised by such ‘virtue signalling’ by Sonny Boy. Butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth. He’s such a pious Islamic muppet, imo.
42 Go to commentsI’ve actually never heard of the guy (then I don’t watch League as it is boring). But if he is good enough.. then good luck to him. If not, well, he can always return to league.
2 Go to commentsIt is pretty clear that by almost any measure that NZ are a more successful rugby nation than South Africa. Quite aside from the distasteful events during the last RWC final. NZ lead SA in all significant measurements.
43 Go to commentsDickson went to his pocket for a card, saw who it was, changed his mind and spoke at length to TMO. One angle clearly shows Care diving over a Saints player to kill the ball. 1st yellow, reason given for not Red was player was falling backwards. He was only falling backwards after contact with Lawes. Graham try should have stood. Mitchell did not have both hands on the ball, ball went forward from a Saints boot dragging over it. 2 intentional knock-on's. One of which had an overlap on the outside. If Quins are happy to win by intentional foul play, then it does not say much for them. Would appear to be a bad day for Karl Dickson, also for the RFU in appointing a Ref who spent 8 years as a player at one of the clubs.
4 Go to commentsLet’s not forget about Ardie Savea just yet.
6 Go to commentsThe URC and the Euro Championscup can’t run at the same time, basically dilutes both competitions.
2 Go to comments“While Sotutu should start at No.8 for the All Blacks against England, but it’s only in that arena that he can prove just how good he really is.” And that my friends is where simply hasnt shone despite multiple opportunities. Even in this performance you can see what did him in in the test arena..he almost always still runs at the opposition almost ramrod upright making him easier to stop than it should be.
6 Go to commentsShould have been 0-0 and a message from SR CEO to both teams - “don’t worry about turning up next year”.
4 Go to commentsGreat work Owen Franks. A great of this team, scoring his first try for the Crusaders since 2010.He was beaming, justifiably. A fine win, he and the rest did the job up front.
1 Go to commentsDanny Care. Lang in die tand.
1 Go to commentsBig empty stadium does nothing for atmosphere but munster are playing well with solid performance
1 Go to commentsYes, Fiji can win the World Cup! With that belief plus their christian faith🙏 and hard work it is achievable. Great article. Ian Duncan Fiji resident 1981-84
2 Go to commentsInteresting comments about Touch. England’s hosting the Touch World Cup this year and the numbers have exploded since their last World Cup in 2019, something like 70% more teams and 40 nations taking part. And England Touch have made a big thing about how many universities are in their BUCS University Touch Championship as well as Sport England membership. Can only see this growing even more domestically as more people become aware of it
10 Go to comments“Cortez Ratima is light years ahead of anyone on current form, while TJ Perenara has also skyrocketed into contention following the unfortunate injury to the talented Cam Roigard.” At last some sanity. Hitherto so many pundits have been wittering on about Finlay Christie to the point one wondered if they were observing a FC in a parallel universe where the FC they saw wasnt just the mediocre Shayne Philpott project of Fosters hapless AB reign in the real world. Ratima, Perenara and Fakatava are the ONLY logical 9s for Razor now Roigard is crocked.
4 Go to commentsThis game was just as painful as the Hurricanes game. It was real fork-in-the-eye stuff.
4 Go to comments