Navigating the awkward transition phase and further fresh appointments amid an imminent coaching cleanout are the next challenging steps in Scott Robertson’s gradual ascent to the All Blacks throne.
The decision to break tradition to appoint the next All Blacks head coach six months prior to the World Cup now propels New Zealand Rugby (NZR) into uncharted territory.
While the tone of Robertson’s unveiling as coach on an unprecedented four-year contract from 2024 was largely celebratory, sensitivities piqued anytime questions around incumbent coach Ian Foster or the All Blacks’ World Cup campaign arose.
As probes from the floor at NZR’s Wellington headquarters concluded on Tuesday, chief executive Mark Robinson and All Blacks coach-elect Roberston spoke with the Herald about how the delicate transition process and appointing the next coaching team will be managed.
Robertson returned to Crusaders training on Wednesday - yet in an ideal world he would, at some stage before assuming charge, spend time with the All Blacks this year to assess what is working on the international stage, and how he can improve the team.
“There will be a little bit of work between our team, the likes of [NZR head of professional rugby] Chris Lendrum and [NZR high performance manager] Mike Anthony, Razor and Ian around how that looks,” Robinson said.
“Everyone understands the balancing act here. We have to create a pathway for success for the All Blacks but at the same time consider people’s futures as well, so that’s the balancing act. We all want the same things. We all want to create certainty, look after our people, and preserve the space for the All Blacks to be successful as possible,” the NZR boss said.
Robertson, as he prepares to juggle two hats in charting the Crusaders’ quest for a seventh successive Super Rugby title and his vision to evolve the All Blacks, is mindful of the need to establish clear parameters unless an invitation is extended.
“We’ll play that out. That’s a conversation between myself and Ian, or Chris Lendrum for what that looks like. It’s important I show full respect for what’s required for the All Blacks to win the World Cup. They’ll be pretty dialled in so I’ll keep my arm’s length,” Robertson said.
“We’ve got such a breadth of time now so there’s security for myself. You can forecast ahead but I can still finish my job with the Crusaders really well. There’s plenty of time before the end of the World Cup and my official start date. Then I can climb into it. I’ll have an understanding of what’s going on but the full responsibility is with the current All Blacks coaching group.”
With an imminent new era comes a new broom.
Foster, Joe Schmidt and mental skills coach Gilbert Enoka have already announced they will be moving on from the All Blacks post-World Cup. Forwards coach Jason Ryan is contracted through to 2025 but uncertainty surrounds fellow All Blacks assistants Scott McLeod (defence), Greg Feek (scrum), long-serving manager Darren Shand and strength and conditioning guru Nic Gill, among other established management.
Robertson has previously included Ryan, Blues head coach Leon MacDonald and Hurricanes mentor Jason Holland on his All Blacks coaching ticket. He is also expected to promote highly-regarded Crusaders assistant Scott Hansen next year.
All parties sidestepped mentioning future assistants by name but, asked by the Herald whether he wants to retain that team, Robertson said: “I’ve got my preferred group, yeah. I’m pretty loyal. There’s options. Without going into it and nothing is official but they’re all good men.”
Such a scenario would leave three Super Rugby teams searching for new head coaches next year.
From an NZR perspective, assembling Robertson’s future All Blacks coaching team is far more complex. Change can be messy.
The national body will be cognisant of emotions and the destabilising impact potential job losses can have.
Hence why, with a World Cup campaign to consider, NZR boss Robinson was reluctant to commit to any form of timeline.
With negotiations yet to be conducted there is also the question of how long Robertson’s assistants will be contracted, particularly after John Plumtree and Brad Mooar were replaced mid-last year following the fallout from the home series defeat to Ireland.
In the next World Cup cycle NZR will be acutely aware of avoiding a similar costly exercise.
“We haven’t got a hard date around any announcements of his team,” Robinson said. “He’s just been appointed in the role so there’s a bit of work from next week on about what that process might look like. We need to get good alignment from the incumbent group and ourselves in terms of managing that.
“In regards to a team, we were mainly focused on selecting a head coach. Certainly we gained some insights in terms of the groups of people candidates might work with but at the same time they understand that’s a process we want to have some sort of input and say in.”
Robinson would not comment specifically on Jamie Joseph’s presentation.
“These are big decisions, a really important role for our organisation and the country. There’s always a lot of thought and robust discussion that goes into it.”
Despite Foster’s repeated consternation on the subject, with his latest frustrations expressed from Europe on Sunday, Robinson maintained the timing of the appointment process gave everyone involved the best certainty.
“We were really mindful we wanted to have access to as much quality talent as possible.
“We’ve been working on principles of caring for people, working reasonably swiftly, confidentially. We can’t control what others have said as it relates to distractions.
“There’s now six months until the World Cup. We believe the players and management are highly professional. We’ll put this behind us today and move on and support the team all we can. The team is all in that space. We just want the absolute best for them.”
The former England winger opened up about his struggles post retirement.