Scott Robertson will become the All Blacks head coach from 2024.
The 48-year-old was appointed following a robust interview process and will announce further key appointments to his coaching and management team in the coming months before officially taking up his new role following the conclusion of the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
“Razor” Robertson has been appointed for four years from 2024 through to the end of the 2027 Rugby World Cup and will succeed current New Zealand head coach Ian Foster, who will lead the All Blacks through the conclusion of the 2023 Cup in France.
It appeared to be a two-horse race between Robertson and current Japan coach Jamie Joseph - but ultimately New Zealand Rugby (NZR) was impressed with Razor’s “innovative approach to the game, his passion for his players, and his desire to add to the All Blacks legacy”.
The news broke at 4pm today, and it was only a matter of hours before former All Blacks coaches weighed in on the appointment.
Speaking to Newstalk ZB, World Cup-winning coach Sir Steve Hansen said Robertson’s lack of international coaching experience won’t be any detriment to his ability to succeed with the All Blacks.
“That’s exciting for him. No matter who the All Blacks coach is, we want to get in behind them. When his turn comes, we’ll get in behind him and support the team,” Hansen said.
”Both candidates had outstanding records and they’re very good at man management.
”Personally I don’t think it makes any difference. He’s played overseas, he’s coached overseas, not internationally, but he’s coached here in New Zealand and it’s a New Zealander that’s got to coach. His record tells you he’s a good coach. Now we wait and see what happens next.”
Former All Blacks coach Laurie Mains was vocal following Robertson’s appointment, telling Today FM the decision is a “big pass mark” for New Zealand Rugby.
“He’s been the most successful coach at top-level rugby that New Zealand has had, certainly in Super Rugby, for me he did everything he needed to do to prove that he’s the best man to take over the All Blacks,” Mains said.
“There’s another thing that goes with it, not only has he been a top-class coach himself, but he has got the best out of all of the people who have worked for him. That’s a pretty special skill.”
Rugby writer Gregor Paul wrote that “Robertson can change the All Blacks in every way”, explaining he has already shown the qualities of “patience and perseverance” to succeed.
“Robertson doesn’t need to worry whether he has either the patience or perseverance to be a high-quality leader of the All Blacks,” Paul wrote.
“That much he’s already proven by bouncing back from two failed attempts at securing the All Blacks job to finally persuade New Zealand Rugby that his brand of visionary coaching, where campaign themes and imagery feature heavily, is the right one for the national team.
“Not since Elvis has anyone caused such inter-generational tension all because of the way they swing their hips, and the continued rejection of Robertson suggested that NZR somehow feared he was going to destroy the value of brand All Blacks by breakdancing with the Bledisloe Cup.
“Robertson has been guilty of nothing more than being openly ambitious and attuned to the digital rhythms of Gen Z, but that was obviously enough to heighten concern in 2019, and again last year, that he’s somehow intrinsically not the right man for the All Blacks.”
Despite losing their head coach at the end of the year, the Crusaders Super Rugby Pacific franchise showered Robertson with praise in his next step, writing “proud would be an understatement”.
“We are thrilled for Razor. As a development-led organisation, we love when our players and coaches are selected to play for and coach our national side. For rugby in New Zealand, there are few higher honours than this.”
Double World Cup winner Sonny Bill Williams also made his thoughts known, tweeting “Well done mate. Tamati Ellison as his assistant please.”
Rugby fans also weighed in on the appointment, with the majority in support of Robertson.
Despite the appointment, there had been backlash over NZR’s decision to not only drag out the appointment process while current coach Ian Foster is at the helm, but to also appoint a new coach before Foster could take the current side to the 2023 World Cup.
NZR also conceded that Foster might “wake up” to the news before being told by the union itself.
Robertson was named Foster’s successor in Wellington at 4pm this afternoon, but Foster is currently in Europe where he, along with assistants Joe Schmidt and Jason Ryan, have been scouting Six Nations fixtures.
It means it was 4am in France, where Foster currently is, when Robertson was confirmed.
NZR chief executive Mark Robinson was asked during the ensuing news conference if Foster had been informed of the news before it was made public, but he wasn’t able to give a straight answer initially, saying they had been “in touch”.
“I was travelling for a period and then he’s gone travelling for a period but we spoke before I headed away and we’ve stayed in regular text contact there,” Robinson said.
The issue was raised again soon after and Robinson reiterated they had simply “been in contact recently to have that chat”.
However, Hansen believes the way Foster may or may not find out about the appointment won’t phase the current coach.
“Foz will be fine. He’s known for quite some time that he wasn’t going to be the coach. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to work out that he wasn’t going to get it,” Hansen told Newstalk ZB.
“They’ve gone early because they felt like they had to because other people were going to be lost to the market, but no one in the market wanted [it] anybody; all the tier-one teams were full. But New Zealand Rugby made a decision and... you’ve got to accept that.
”You don’t always have to agree with the New Zealand Rugby Union but at some point you have to accept that they’ve made a decision and move on. Foster’s done that.”
Robertson starts his tenure on January 1, 2024.
