Super Rugby: Emotional Scott Robertson gives last interview as Crusaders coach

NZ Herald

30 Jul, 2023 09:04 PM3 mins to read

Crusaders coach Scott Robertson doing his best to rev up the crowd before the semifinal win over the Blues. Photo / Photosport

A departing Scott Robertson has opened up on his career as Crusaders coach in his final interview before taking on the All Blacks role in November.

Razor — as he’s known — won seven Super Rugby titles as coach and four as a player. He takes over from Ian Foster after the Rugby World Cup.

In a new video posted by the Crusaders, an emotional Robertson looks back on his time with the franchise and reflects how much it has meant to him.

“To give back to a jersey that has given me so much ... it’s special that I can walk away and go ‘thanks for everything, I’m a better man for it. And thank you’,” he says in the video.

Robertson gets emotional in the video while reflecting on his final game in Christchurch, the 52-15 semifinal thrashing of the Blues. He admits to nerves about the potential of ending his stint with a semifinal defeat and went onto the ground and revved up the home crowd before the game.

“Probably that moment was my last time at Orangetheory, at the home ground ... I just felt we needed it. I just thought it was going to be a special moment. A chance to bring us all together. It was a chance to get our people on our feet but also a thank you from me. To say ‘let’s enjoy this, this is our moment. Stay here now, we’re on’. And the performance probably reflected that,” he says.

“I was pretty nervous too. I thought we needed the crowd that night. It was the end of a career, if you end on a semifinal at home, at a place you’ve never lost in a final ... I thought we’re all in. It was a pretty special moment.”

Last week Robertson penned a goodbye letter to the Crusaders faithful.

He thanked players and their families for their support and respect — and for keeping him accountable.

Robertson says so much of who he and his family are — and who he aspires to be — is linked to red and black.

“This week was my last at Rugby Park and boy does it feel strange to say that,” Robertson said in the message shared by the Crusaders.

“My time as a Crusaders head coach is over and my focus has shifted to my ever-supportive family and my own development ahead of the next big challenge,” it continued.

“This is a moment to thank everyone for their role they’ve had in my career. An attempt to put gratitude into words. I did this with great people.”

“There are 282 men who’ve taken the field in the Crusaders jersey. I’m Crusader #26. To have been able to give back to a jersey that’s given me so much, that’s so special to me,” Roberson said in his letter.

“Now I join the watchtower proud with our brothers, seven titles as a coach, four as a player. And a long list of incredible men for whom I was a coach and now a friend. I’m a better man for it.”

“Stay sharp, Crusade on,” he ended the letter.