All Blacks set for drastic overhaul under new leadership of Scott Robertson

S ea change in the form of Scott Robertson’s eccentric new era will soon envelope the All Blacks. Just as the pre-World Cup timing of his national head coaching anointment shatters long-standing New Zealand rugby tradition, so too does Robertson’s promise to break the mould when he assumes charge seven months from now.

Nothing in the combative rugby union arena is ever given or guaranteed. Robertson, known as Razor for his try-scoring celebrations, knows this notion well from his playing days as a loose forward who savoured 23 Tests for the All Blacks. Off the field, Robertson’s highly successful coaching transition from Sumner, the seaside grassroots Christchurch club, to Canterbury and the Crusaders, charts a similar script.

Twice passed over for the All Blacks head coaching role in the last four years, first following the 2019 World Cup semi-final defeat and again when incumbent coach Ian Foster saved his job with an upset triumph at Ellis Park last August, Robertson has been forced to be patient.

Robertson has forged an 83.2% coaching win record that includes 10 titles – six with the Crusaders – yet he could barely believe his moment finally arrived when he was officially unveiled as the All Blacks successor-in-waiting last week.

“I said ‘get the pen in my hand!’ – that marked a big moment for me,” an emotional Robertson said at New Zealand Rugby’s Wellington headquarters an hour after signing an unprecedented four-year contract as the All Blacks head coach.

“I stayed in the fight, and here I am now. I never thought I’d walk away as such but you start to look at options. I made it pretty clear it was my last year with the Crusaders and I wanted to become an international coach. I’m pretty loyal as a player and a