Status quo means no room for Robertson

Scott Robertson’s hopes of coaching the All Blacks probably unravelled in the early hours of last Sunday morning.

Had the All Blacks not stunned the Springboks 35-23 at Ellis Park in Johannesburg last weekend, Robertson, not Ian Foster, may have been invited to sit alongside NZ Rugby chief executive Mark Robinson and chairman Stewart Mitchell at a press conference in Auckland yesterday.

That announcement, to confirm Foster would be retained as All Blacks coach through to the 2023 World Cup, destroyed any chance of a broom being shoved through the team’s coaching staff.

Robertson, once again, was left in the cold by NZ Rugby.

Yes, he will remain at the Crusaders next year, but his ambition of coaching at the highest level was thwarted when the board voted unanimously to stick with the incumbent.

They did so upon the recommendation of Robinson after he and fellow NZ Rugby senior staffer Chris Lendrum met with Foster on Tuesday to review the two recent tests in South Africa.

The review had also involved Robinson sitting in on All Blacks team and leadership meetings in South Africa, as well as having discussions with the coaches, high performance staff and senior players.

Lots of homework was done, in other words.

Yet, for all that, it’s impossible not to think a marvellous chance to apply the jumper leads to the All Blacks juggernaut has been lost.

If Robertson had been promoted to All Blacks coach, he would have made changes, bringing in his own assistants and support staff.

Fresh voices, new faces and different ideas.

The call to stick with Foster means little has changed. The only tweak will be for Joe Schmidt, who had joined him as a selector and analyst before the Rugby Championship, to assist with the attack.

Prior to the test in Johannesburg, the All Blacks had been playing like a team that was low on ideas and energy. Three consecutive defeats had contributed to their dire record of just one win from their previous six tests.

Then came the miracle at Ellis Park. Late tries from David Havili and Scott Barrett, and conversions by Richie Mo’unga, silenced the 62,000-strong crowd.

It may not have been lost on Robertson that the men who turned the match in the All Blacks’ favour were all Crusaders players, who won Super Rugby competitions under his watch.

For the record, if anyone needs reminding, Robertson has won six titles at the Christchurch-based franchise since 2017. It’s a remarkable record.

This wasn’t the first time Robertson had been rejected by NZ Rugby; he was shortlisted for the job in late 2019, but missed out to Foster.

Recently Robertson said he wanted to coach at the 2027 World*

Cup. If that means being in charge of another country, so be it.

His ambition should be admired. That’s not to say Robertson won’t get the All Blacks job after the World Cup next year.

But for that to happen, it could hinge on the All Blacks crashing out of the tournament.

On the flipside, if the All Blacks win, Foster may want to continue.

That’s all for the future. Right now, it’s business as usual for an All Blacks team aiming to build on the memorable win in Jo’burg.

The NZ Rugby bosses did their best to project a rosy picture yesterday. Let’s hope they come good on that. Because it’s still difficult to suppress the negative vibes.

We can only hope for the sake of the All Blacks, and their supporters, that NZ Rugby hasn’t painted itself into a corner.