Seven titles came along on Robertson’s watch, and each one owed plenty to Mo’unga, whose steely nerve, astute game management and regular moments of magic were instrumental in delivering success.
Mo’unga had arrived at the club the year before Robertson, finishing that 2016 campaign with the wider public none the wiser to the talent that lurked within.
But Robertson knew what he had, and arrived at the Crusaders with a single-minded determination to back Mo’unga through thick and thin – to keep picking him and build the then 22-year-old into the club’s talismanic No 10.
It was a plan that worked better than anyone imagined, and Mo’unga became an imperious figure in Crusaders folklore, just as Robertson did – the two building this incredible trust and respect for one another.
It was a relatively frictionless operation building Mo’unga’s status, the only real battle being that he was never backed in the same unconditional way by the All Blacks.
Mo’unga was in and out of the starting team between 2018 and 2022 – his confidence undoubtedly shaken by the uncertainty, and his growth possibly stunted by the lack of continuity he was afforded in the role.
The commentary on Mo’unga was always that he never developed into being the same player in the test arena as he did in Super Rugby and no doubt Robertson would have argued that his franchise quarterback was never given the chance.
Speaking to English reporters earlier this year, Robertson was asked about the difficulties of playing No 10 at test level.
“There’s a lot on your plate and it takes time to understand test footy and the pressure of it,” he said. “History shows that you know, it’s time on the field and your feet learning a couple of lessons.”
What’s beyond doubt, is that Robertson came into his role as All Blacks coach with a determination to replicate what worked at the Crusaders and build a franchise quarterback to take the team through to the 2027 World Cup.
Crusaders coach Scott Robertson and No 10 Richie Mo'unga after winning last year's Super Rugby Pacific final. Photo / Photosport
Robertson had to use Super Rugby 2024 to determine in which No 10 he was going to make a four-year investment. He settled on Damian McKenzie – the 29-year-old having significant test experience, and a desire to shift from fullback to first five.
It would be a tougher project turning McKenzie into a world-class first five than it was Mo’unga. The former had no prolonged exposure to the role, no proven game management experience or memorable episodes of producing calm, calculated rugby.
Robertson was happy to take that risk of allowing McKenzie to learn those components on the job, knowing that if he could develop his strategic tradecraft, and package it alongside his electric feet, his stunning acceleration and crazy ability to run through defences, the All Blacks would have their franchise quarterback.
Here we are eight games into Robertson’s tenure and the media agenda – both mainstream and social – has been dominated by whether Robertson has made the right choice with McKenzie.
His performances to date have been a mix of brilliance and wildness, where he has done the hard things effortlessly and the easy things catastrophically.
These mercurial outings are what the McKenzie brand has been built on, but Robertson is on a mission to rebuild his preferred No 10 as a man whose brilliance is accompanied by percentage plays and low-risk game management.
Robertson is looking to grow a No 10 who can stand up in tough times and deliver what the team needs, and so far, there is not conclusive evidence McKenzie is developing in line with expectations or learning on the job as hoped.
And now that Beauden Barrett is expected to start at first-five a week after McKenzie endured heavy public ire for needlessly blowing two tries in Sydney by trying to make impossible rather than simple passes, the stories are going to come that Robertson has lost faith in his chosen No 10.
That’s possibly true, but what seems more likely is that Robertson hasn’t lost faith in McKenzie, he’s lost control of the narrative.
The All Blacks had a plan last week in Sydney – that sometime early in the second half, they were going to shift Beauden Barrett from fullback to No 10 and give the veteran half an hour behind the controls.
The big lesson Robertson took out of the consecutive losses to South Africa was the need to have experienced players in key positions in the final 30 minutes.
If all had gone to plan in Sydney, McKenzie would have delivered an impressive 50 minutes or so, and Barrett would have closed the game out with his steady hand on the tiller.
That would have set things up to package a credible, non-headline-grabbing story about starting Barrett this week in Wellington.
Everything would have fallen into place to say McKenzie, after eight consecutive starts needed a break, and Barrett a chance to refine his work at No 10 to give the All Blacks security and depth around their play-making.
But nothing went to plan. Barrett had to pull out because of illness, and McKenzie produced an erratic 80 minutes that left Robertson answering a question about whether he would need to slap his No 10 on the wrist for blowing two tries.
“Slapping on the wrist... no, no, but you do have a conversation,” Robertson said. “Because you want to trust their skillset, you want them to be instinctive.
“It’s his greatest gift, isn’t it? Find space, glide, but put it on someone’s chest. Give that [pass] maybe a step earlier, and just get the reps in. Some good bit of pressure at training but keep trusting himself.”
Damian McKenzie. Photo / Photosport
The impression grew the next day that Robertson, presumably having had time to better absorb the details of the All Blacks 31-28 victory, was less enamoured by McKenzie’s performance.
“Damian was mercurial,” Robertson told reporters. “He can play, he can turn it on. We know how gifted an athlete and player he can be. “He’s getting better at his craft. We’ve got to finish a couple of opportunities and we’re aware of that.
“We’ve backed him. You’ve got to do that. You’ve got to give someone the opportunity and time to hold those reins as long as they possibly can and have someone else who can play there, because it can change quite quickly.
“Beauden is clearly that, and with Stephen Perofeta injured again, Harry Plummer has come in and had a little cameo. It was a great moment for him after the game. Those are the other two options.”
Robertson was seemingly trying to gently flag to the media that there could be a change at No 10 this week, but while it’s probable that both McKenzie and Barrett were aware of the plan for Wellington, without the backstory playing out in Sydney, it suddenly looked like the head coach had gone cold on his preferred No 10.
Barrett’s illness in Sydney and McKenzie’s erratic performance meant that the context of why a change could be in the offing for Bledisloe Two suddenly changed.
Instead of this being a controlled way to give Barrett game time ahead of the end-of-year tour, it now looks like McKenzie is being dropped and Robertson is no longer sure who he sees as his franchise quarterback.
The media messaging around McKenzie needed to be more nuanced on Sunday morning than it was – less playing into the first-five’s weaknesses and greater acknowledgement of his strengths, with direct reference to the coaching group retaining their faith in him as their long-term No 10.
The media is naturally sceptical when it thinks a coach is trying to get them to buy into an agenda that may be contrived or manufactured to hide the truth, and while Robertson was hoping to pave the way for soft or accommodating headlines should he change his No 10 this weekend, he’s actually managed to throw fuel on the fire that faith in McKenzie is waning.
What hasn’t helped him stay in control of the narrative was his needless mention of Mo’unga in Sydney last week.
The spectre of Mo’unga has hung over much of this year already – with Robertson having never hidden his desire to force a change in eligibility rules to be able to pick overseas players, and New Zealand Rugby itself also revealing it is trying to persuade the former Crusader to cut short his three-year contract in Japan.
But for McKenzie to hear his own coach voluntarily provide media with much-clicked headlines about Mo’unga two days out from a Bledisloe test, seemed either strangely naïve or highly calculated, but whichever it was, it has intensified the likelihood that the headlines and comment pieces on Thursday will not tell the story Robertson wants.
It’s probable that McKenzie remains Robertson’s preferred No 10 – the man whom he will continue to back to become the franchise quarterback.
But having lost control of that narrative, it may take Robertson some time to persuade the media and public that this is the case and that he’s as committed to McKenzie now as he was in July.
