Crusaders head coach Scott Robertson. Photo / Photosport
Crusaders head coach Scott Robertson. Photo / Photosport
OPINION:
Scott Robertson, coming out of his first real period of adversity as a coach, would be well advised to study the fortunes of England rugby coach Eddie Jones and ousted Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho as he ponders his future.
It was legendary stetson-wearing Texan NFL coach Bum Phillipswho coined the saying: "There's only two kinds of coach – them who's been fired and them gonna get fired."
No one is suggesting Robertson was facing the chop, but a weakened Crusaders side are by no means champions yet. If the vultures weren't exactly circling, there was certainly some anticipation that a bubble other than the housing market might be about to burst. After all, they avoided three defeats in a row by beating the Hurricanes - but only because of an undetected forward pass and a rookie halfback's clearing kick being charged down.
In the end, the victory over the Blues was an example of the Crusaders' well-oiled machinery and culture of character clicking into place. The Blues looked jittery, almost panicked at times, making mistakes and leaking penalties at crucial times.
It was a scenario that makes you wonder whether Leon MacDonald is trying to turn his team into something they cannot be. In Bum Phillips' second category of coaches are those who take on teams they are not really suited to, with the fortunes of Mourinho and Jones going some way to proving the point – and providing a steer on what Robertson's future should hold.
Mourinho was cut loose by Spurs just six days before their League Cup final, his tenure shortened by poor results and reports of player dissatisfaction.
His appointment was always an odd one. Spurs are a Premier League club with a proud history (most of it, admittedly, in yesteryear) of attacking play, as evidenced by their "To dare is to do" motto. The club philosophy is basically "you score three goals, we'll score four" but they hired a manager whose avowed technique is to defend and hit opponents on the break.
It worked for a while. Tottenham's previously porous defence tightened up; the counter-attacks profited. Spurs were briefly – very briefly – top of the league before a series of banal displays saw them go ahead against a series of lesser teams before surrendering goals to either lose or draw.
Robertson, overlooked for the All Blacks job, has said he was "flattered" to be included in speculation about taking over Jones' role for England – but should look carefully at the fit of that particular job.
Jones clearly has a shelf life, with his best results always at the beginning of his tenure with a team -- like that inspired defeat of the Boks by Japan at the 2015 World Cup, perhaps the biggest upset in rugby history. Back-to-back Six Nations crowns followed in 2016 and 2017 with England as did the World Cup final in 2019. England dispatched the All Blacks in the semifinal but, over-confident and inflexible, were outsmarted and outplayed in the final – perhaps the second time Jones helped the Boks win the World Cup (after his assistant coach gig in 2007, another Bok World Cup triumph).
You'd have to say – even with a 77 per cent win record with England – Jones is better with an underdog than top dog; his style lends itself to a sudden and sharp lift of a team. This year England finished fifth in the Six Nations; Jones is now on a short leash.
Robertson took over from a Crusaders dynasty that included Robbie Deans, Wayne Smith and Todd Blackadder, though the latter's tenure famously did not yield a Super Rugby title in seven years.
Crusaders head coach Scott Robertson. Photo / Photosport
Like Jones, Robertson has a reputation of enthusiasm and a fierce desire for success, but leavened with the ability to have fun. That said, part of the Crusaders' success has been built around a Mourinho-esque tactic of strong set pieces and strong defence mixed with an ability to hurt an opponent at exactly the right time. Their support play and decision making is consistently the best in the country.
Their culture was described by Blues convert Ali Williams as building its core not around All Blacks but around all the other guys. "You think the Crusaders way all the time – what's best for the team, how do I make this team better, how can I help the coaches, how do I enhance this culture, how do I give back to my community?"
It's a culture that inspires young players coming through; Williams said the club did not select players solely on talent but on character, forming a brotherhood unlike any he'd previously experienced.
You can see how Robertson might be able to employ that and freshen the All Blacks. But England? England where club v country politics are rife? English rugby's weakness: the greatest depth in the rugby world but a flawed system which does not allow players to flower fully, leading Jones to complain not enough talent is coming through.
Robertson's path to international coaching seems better paved if he stays here, if he wins this Super Rugby crown for the fourth time, with a weakened team and in the toughest circumstances yet. Do that and he becomes the sort of hero that Bum Phillips referred to when once talking about a prized quarterback: "That boy could throw a football through a car wash and not get it wet".
