All Blacks coach-elect Scott Robertson has shed light on how he has tried to leave his “unique mark” on the all-conquering Crusaders.
‘Razor’ will take up one of the sport’s most coveted jobs after this year’s World Cup in France, when he replaces Ian Foster as All Blacks head coach from 2024.
Robertson has led New Zealand’s domestic Crusaders side to six Super Rugby titles since 2017, but has never coached a national team, and some pundits have questioned whether his influence at the team has been overstated.
The Crusaders benefit from one of the most fertile rugby nurseries on the planet, but in a wide-ranging interview on Stuff.co.nz, the 48-year-old revealed how he sows seeds of success at the Canterbury-based outfit.
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“I’m a storyteller. It’s my greatest strength. As a coach, your first job is to select the right people – but then, you need to connect them with each other. You need a story to explain: ‘This is where we’re going’. That’s how you motivate people,” he said.
When he took charge in 2017, the former All Blacks and Crusaders loose forward took inspiration from boxer Muhammad Ali, and chose a theme for the year: “Rumble in the Jungle”, inspired by Ali’s 1974 fight by the same name. The Crusaders reached the Super Rugby final, and flew to SA for the decider against the Lions in Johannesburg.
Robertson added: “I get a bit tingly just thinking about it. Ali hadn’t won a championship for eight years, and neither had we. The story just lined up beautifully. We were in the jungle, we were in a rumble… This was real. We were living it.”
He recalled how the team doctor warned the players that in the final 20 minutes of the Highveld clash, they would feel like someone was “blowing a hairdryer down the back of their throats”, but they were told to “dig deep”.
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“I was really confident that the story would play out,” added Robertson. “We just had to win two or three critical moments in that match, and we did. I had an immense sense of pride, and I knew we had started something special. I thought, ‘We could win four or five titles off the back of this.’”
Now nearing the end of his 24 years with the Crusaders,, Robertson reflected on his time in Canterbury: “I’ve been part of something special. I’ve tried to leave my unique mark on this place. I want people to know that I gave everything – a piece of myself – to the team.
“When I’m gone, it would be nice if people remember me in the same way I remember previous coaches like Robbie Deans or Wayne Smith.”
Photo: @crusadersrugby/Twitter