NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Sport

Phil Gifford: The inside story behind Scott Robertson's eight-month contract negotiations

Phil Gifford
By Phil Gifford
Contributing Sports Writer·NZ Herald·
9 Jul, 2021 05:00 AM5 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

All Blacks coach Ian Foster on team to play Fiji. Video / All Blacks TV
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

OPINION:

The eight-month story of how Scott Robertson eventually signed to the Crusaders for another three years is a great illustration of how much more there is to the man than huge enthusiasm and break dancing.

Crusaders' CEO Colin Mansbridge is happy to say that one of the tactics to keep Robertson in Christchurch was to "keep telling Razor this is home, and how much we love him, all of us".

Basking in the sun at Rugby Park in St Albans, Robertson made no bones about the fact he, his wife, and their young family feel huge affection for Christchurch, the place he arrived in to play for the Crusaders in 1996 as, in his words, "a blond madman from Bay of Plenty."

But Robertson the person and coach has a clinical and deeply practical side too, so it took his contract representative Warren Alcock, a 20-year veteran of rugby negotiations, months to hammer out a deal with New Zealand Rugby that allows Robertson, if he doesn't become the All Black coach after the 2023 World Cup, to skip the last year of the three-year deal.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"If I don't get the All Black job there is an exit [option] after '23. But if I want to stay around I can," says Robertson. "That's why it took a bit longer than we'd hoped for, just to make sure we got the wording right. Whenever the next All Black role comes up, that's still my clear goal. Now I've got the opportunities [to look elsewhere] if I don't get it, and if I do get it, great."

There is absolutely no doubt that Robertson, without question now the best and most successful club or provincial coach in the world, could command bigger money if he headed to a European club.

Crusaders coach Scott Robertson ahead of the Round 5 Trans-Tasman Super Rugby match between Melbourne Rebels and Canterbury Crusaders. Photo / Photosport.co.nz
Crusaders coach Scott Robertson ahead of the Round 5 Trans-Tasman Super Rugby match between Melbourne Rebels and Canterbury Crusaders. Photo / Photosport.co.nz

During the eight months of discussions with NZR he "looked at the world market, and a couple of opportunities, to see how they compared."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

In the end, he says loyalty played a big part of deciding to stay, and no doubt so did the formula he suggests to players who are considering going offshore. "I always talk to my players around the three Cs, which are club, coach and cash. For me now, as a coach it's the CEO you look at. And when you look at a privately owned club, as they are in Europe, you examine how they operate."

It's difficult to imagine Robertson, with his mantra of fair treatment for all, finding a warm relationship with, as one example, Mourad Boudjellal, the owner of the Toulon club, who in 2019, unhappy with how his big signing Julian Savea was playing, said of Savea: "They must have swapped him on the plane. If I were him I would apologise, and go back to my home country."

Discover more

School Rugby

First XV rugby saga: Principal's leaked response to threat of radical ban

09 Jul 02:26 AM
All Blacks

All you need to know: All Blacks v Fiji

10 Jul 12:00 AM
Super Rugby

'Best is yet to come': Scott Robertson re-signs with NZR and Crusaders

08 Jul 09:00 PM
Super Rugby

Set on leaving NZ? Rugby boss refutes Blues star's claim that 'no one wanted me'

09 Jul 12:00 AM

Robertson as an All Black coach - realistically that must surely be a case of not if, but when - will wipe out the folk wisdom that our national coach needs experience coaching in another country.

Crusaders Scott Barrett and Scott Robertson celebrate winning the Super Rugby Aotearoa 2021. Photo / Photosport.co.nz
Crusaders Scott Barrett and Scott Robertson celebrate winning the Super Rugby Aotearoa 2021. Photo / Photosport.co.nz

That idea almost became locked into our rugby DNA after the success of Sir Graham Henry and Sir Steve Hansen, who won World Cups after coaching Wales.

But while they were good enough to rebound from bitter experiences in the Six Nations to become great All Black coaches, I'm with Robertson when he says, "I've been coaching long enough to feel I can adjust to test rugby. I think staying in New Zealand you get the skills to take you to the next step."

There's certainly no doubt that the passion he has for his Super Rugby coaching is as fierce as it ever was.

His eyes light up when I ask him how much pleasure he gets when his players win All Black jerseys.

"Seeing guys achieve their goals is a massive driver for me. They work so hard to get there. It's just natural that when someone comes in [to the Crusaders] you wonder, spitballing as a coaching group, will he be an All Black? How long is it going to take?

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Head Coach Scott Robertson of the Crusaders speaks to his charges during the round nine Super Rugby Aotearoa match. Photo / Photosport.co.nz
Head Coach Scott Robertson of the Crusaders speaks to his charges during the round nine Super Rugby Aotearoa match. Photo / Photosport.co.nz

"Then you see someone like Ethan Blackadder as a prime example, who came in through a different pathway, and it's achieved by nothing but true grit, and hard work. He takes his own path, he's his own man, and when he gets there it's 'Oh wow'. He's one who I thought being an All Black might be a push.

"So you get so much satisfaction from his selection. As a loose forward you're working one on one with him, he's in my group. From four years ago, to see him succeed after all the injuries he's had gives you so much satisfaction."

Before he heads away from the ground there's an intriguing revelation about who his own sounding boards are now.

"I've got Robbie Deans and Rob Penney, who I talk to on a regular basis. From a rugby point of view they've been here, done it, know the environment, and had that experience before. They can draw on the past, and tell you what they've learnt. 'I did this. I could have done it better this way.' So the stories have been handed over.

"A lot of the time you're having what you think confirmed. But now and again I'll find myself going, 'Oh, is that right? I hadn't thought of that.' That's the gold."

Then there's someone I've never heard Robertson talk of before. "I have a guy that's been in the army for a long period of time. He's got a great rugby mind, and played to a good level. Best of all he's got a great understanding of how teams work, how to organise an operation. He'll give an opinion from a completely non-biased point of view."

No, he'd rather not name his services friend. But if there are moments when opponents detect traces of military ruthlessness in the Crusaders, they may be right.

Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Latest from Sport

Premium
Opinion

The rise of Rosmini's 'Horse': Young star gallops to scoring benchmark

07 Jul 06:49 AM
Premium
All Blacks

Is World Rugby targeting the All Blacks with excessive scrutiny?

07 Jul 05:01 AM
Auckland FC

'Best chance': Rogerson commits to Black Knights amid World Cup dreams

07 Jul 04:24 AM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Sport

Premium
The rise of Rosmini's 'Horse': Young star gallops to scoring benchmark

The rise of Rosmini's 'Horse': Young star gallops to scoring benchmark

07 Jul 06:49 AM

Braden Morley scored 30 points in Rosmini’s 40-7 win over Massey High.

Premium
Is World Rugby targeting the All Blacks with excessive scrutiny?

Is World Rugby targeting the All Blacks with excessive scrutiny?

07 Jul 05:01 AM
'Best chance': Rogerson commits to Black Knights amid World Cup dreams

'Best chance': Rogerson commits to Black Knights amid World Cup dreams

07 Jul 04:24 AM
All Blacks v France: Read the best Premium analysis

All Blacks v France: Read the best Premium analysis

07 Jul 03:48 AM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP