Winners and losers from the appointment of Robertson as All Blacks coach
New Zealand Rugby revealed that Scott Robertson will coach the All Blacks from 2024 onward, securing the most successful Super Rugby coach in history on a four-year deal.
What was perhaps the worst kept secret in the rugby world, the appointment of Robertson brings in the first real regime change in 20 years for the All Blacks since Graham Henry took the job in 2004.
Since Henry’s appointment the All Blacks have handed the job down to a pre-planned successor, first Steve Hansen in 2012, then Ian Foster in 2020, both assistants under the previous head coach.
As a result of the decision to break with the old regime there are bound to be ramifications for players and coaches alike with a fresh start under a new man.
Winners
Scott Robertson
Top of the winner’s list has to be the man known as Razor, who after a long wait has finally been rewarded after an unprecedented six consecutive championships with the Crusaders since he took over in 2017. All he does is win.
Although he will have to wait until next year to start his reign, this is a moment to enjoy for Robertson.
Jason Ryan
The former Crusaders forwards coach who worked under Robertson for many years you would think will stay on in his assistant role with the All Blacks with the new coaching team.
It would be a shock to see Robertson pick anyone other than Ryan for the role.
Scott Barrett
Tipped to be the next All Blacks captain, the appointment of his club coach Robertson will shorten Barrett’s odds of getting the nod in 2024.
The 29-year-old has captained the Crusaders under Robertson and it wouldn’t surprise to see him reprise that role under him again.
He recently re-signed with NZR until 2025 which isn’t a long term commitment, but that is the way many of the players are doing their deals these days.
Cullen Grace
The one cap All Black made his debut in 2020 with a short bench appearance and hasn’t been seen since.
After falling down the pecking order in 2021, injuries have also struck the 23-year-old loose forward.
His form in 2022 for the Crusaders wasn’t enough to earn an All Blacks recall despite taking apart the Blues’ lineout in the Super Rugby Pacific final but he did receive a glowing endorsement from one coach, Scott Robertson.
Grace’s All Black career could be revived with Robertson taking over.
Ethan Blackadder
The workhorse blindside flanker has been in hot form to start Super Rugby Pacific and may well return to the All Blacks in 2023 after missing the entire 2022 international season after suffering a shoulder injury in Super Rugby.
After nine Test caps in 2021 mainly as a No 7 with the All Blacks, Blackadder has returned to action with fire as hard-running blindside this season.
With Shannon Frizell a confirmed departure and Blues’ Akira Ioane’s contract status unknown past 2023, Blackadder will be right in the mix to become the All Blacks starting blindside under Robertson.
Leicester Fainga’anuku
Despite an unpleasant experience with the All Blacks in 2022, reports that the 23-year-old is being shopped around in France have still surprised.
Perhaps with Razor becoming the All Blacks coach in 2024, he can convince the dynamic outside back to stay around a little longer.
The powerful left wing and centre option has flourished at the Crusaders under Robertson where he has 21 tries in 45 appearances for the club since his debut in 2019.
If Fainga’anuku enjoys the Crusaders environment under Robertson, he may have a better experience a second time around with the All Blacks.
Dalton Papalii
If Sam Cane is no longer captain of the All Blacks, he will no longer hold the No 7 jersey by default.
The openside flanker role would be up for grabs to the best player available, which based on form would be Blues captain Dalton Papalii.
Papalii was a physical beast on the All Blacks end of year tour after Cane’s injury, forming a dangerous back row combination with Ardie Savea that attacked the breakdown with great success.
Both players averaged about two turnovers each, with Papalii bringing turnover production that wasn’t happening with Cane.
Cane is a fantastic player, and may well retain the No 7 jersey under Robertson, but if it becomes a free market competition for the job that is still a win for Papalii.
Fergus Burke
The All Blacks need more than one new No 10 in 2024 with the departures of Richie Mo’unga and Beauden Barrett to Japan Rugby League One, while Damian McKenzie’s future is also yet to be confirmed.
Burke is going to be thrust into the 10 jersey at the Crusaders in Mo’unga’s absence next year and already has a number of years in the squad under Robertson in Christchurch.
There is familiarity there with Burke that other emerging candidates don’t have.
The 23-year-old will well and truly by in the mix as an option at 10-15 alongside Stephen Perofeta, Brett Cameron, Ruben Love, Aidan Morgan, and Zarn Sullivan.
Ian Foster
The glass half-full take on Foster here is that the man is a winner already given he somehow bargained an extra two years as All Blacks head coach.
The captain of the ship let his assistants go down with the boat while he jumped aboard a new one.
Very rarely does that happen in professional sport, with the head coach being the first head to roll.
When you consider that the axe fell on Wayne Pivac, Eddie Jones, and Dave Rennie, Foster is the most privileged of the bunch.
The 57-year-old still has the chance to add to his All Blacks legacy at the 2023 Rugby World Cup and right the wrongs of the 2019 campaign.
He has spent 12 years in the All Blacks environment, winning the 2015 Rugby World Cup as an assistant with one of the greatest Test sides of all time.
He’s been a part of long decade of All Blacks success, and has one last shot at glory.
Foster does not need a pity party, he has won.
Losers
Joe Schmidt
Schmidt has signalled his intent to finish up as an All Blacks assistant after the World Cup already which is a loss for NZR and for the All Blacks.
The former Ireland head coach has been a major coup for the All Blacks coaching staff and any team meeting without Schmidt’s brain involved probably has a lower output.
He brings a ton of experience, a track record of success and intimate knowledge of what now is the world’s best team. Not having him around post-2023 is a big loss.
Sam Cane
The current All Black captain could stand to lose his captaincy under the new head coach. This is just standard operating risk whenever leadership changes and decision-making power is in new hands.
However, should he lose the All Black captaincy, his monopolistic grip on the starting openside position becomes less secure.
Cane has a non-playing sabbatical option in 2024 so might opt to take a year out anyway and assess his future.
Hoskins Sotutu
The arrival of Robertson is likely to come with the arrival of many Crusaders loose forwards.
Sotutu has performed well with the Blues over the last two seasons but his brief opportunities with the All Blacks have been shaky as the back-up No 8.
Ardie Savea will be available for the All Blacks in 2024, despite heading to Japan, which means Sotutu could be the one to find himself lower down the pecking order if Robertson turns to the likes of Grace and Blackadder.
Richie Mo’unga
Mo’unga has won in a financial sense by securing the riches on offer in Japan for the next three years, but the stars have aligned for the opportunity to run the All Blacks backline unopposed.
The 44-Test All Black would have been a lock at 10 under Robertson with no competition apparent if he stayed.
He has been the best player in New Zealand since 2020 in Super Rugby with no rival.
The 28-year-old has lost out on a golden opportunity to become a 100-Test All Black and build a legacy in the black jersey to rival Barrett and Carter.
Crusaders
Losing the coach who has won every title available in six years is never going to be easy.
The organisation will be happy to see Robertson get the opportunity but they no doubt will struggle to find an equal replacement.
Comments on RugbyPass
Ben Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
19 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
7 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
19 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
9 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
9 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
26 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
19 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
26 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
19 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
86 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
2 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
9 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
19 Go to comments9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
14 Go to comments