“There’s a lot of feeling that they punched above their weight last year. Scott Robertson, who many wanted to take the role back in 2020... when he missed out to... Ian Foster the first time. There is a sense that he is the right man for the job at this point in time to bring the younger generation through,” Smith says.
“And that’s what he’s done really well at the Crusaders, winning seven titles in seven years, is connect the younger players and also foster relationships with those players that have been more experienced and won All Blacks honours. So it’s a few months away obviously still, but there’s a sense that, there’s a real excitement about what Scott Robertson might bring to this All Blacks.”
Smith does warn fans that there is every chance that Robertson could lose some of his early matches - predicting two out of the 14 scheduled won’t go Robertson’s way - but the real mission here is building towards the 2027 Rugby World Cup.
“[Robertson is] signed all the way through to that point in time and these players that maybe now have 30 or 40 tests by that point are going to be 80, 90 tests come that World Cup. And there’s going to be players that haven’t debuted yet that’ll ideally be up to sort of 30, 40 tests by that point as well.”
One thing that could be sorted by that point is the future of Auckland’s main stadium. Multiple consortiums are pitching Auckland Council - and the wider public - on their vision for a downtown stadium, with details of one being shared over the weekend.
Smith said that while Eden Park is hallowed ground with plenty of experience, it can’t last forever - but the current home of the All Blacks is not dead in the water just yet.
“Auckland is a long way off from having the stadium. There’s so much to sort out in terms of Eden Park and whether that’s an ongoing concern - that’s one of the eight proposals that are going to front council, to keep going with Eden Park - and the problem with that as well is that Eden Park falls outside the Auckland stadiums [public ownership - Eden Park is owned by a trust] and therefore Auckland Council structure, so they’ve got to figure out a way that they handle that.”
Listen to the full episode to hear more about the year ahead in sports, including our Olympic chances, the return of the resurgent Warriors, and if the Commonwealth Games needs to call it a day.
The Front Page is a daily news podcast from the New Zealand Herald, available to listen to every weekday from 5am. This episode was presented by Chelsea Daniels, an Auckland-based journalist with a background in world news and crime/justice reporting who joined Newstalk ZB in 2016.
You can follow the podcast at iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
