Crusaders head coach Scott Robertson. Photo / Getty
Crusaders head coach Scott Robertson. Photo / Getty
The Crusaders have begun their mission to win three Super Rugby titles in three years for the second time in their history and will take the field next season without two of their best forwards - but not without the sense of fun which has characterised this team under Scott Robertson.
Adding to what could be a difficult start to the season (three New Zealand derbies in the first four weeks), they will be missing All Blacks Sam Whitelock and Kieran Read for the first four rounds and possibly Codie Taylor too.
Pressure? Not so much. As usual the defending champions will back their depth to not only cope but thrive in a potentially challenging World Cup year and once again the man of the moment known as Razor will be setting the tone in his own unique way.
"Trying to win a third title could be a burden, or you could make it about having great fun and doing something special," Robertson told the Herald in Christchurch this week. To presumably no surprise to virtually anyone, he added: "I'm on the latter side."
Robertson, 44, has already created something special here in the place that is home to Super Rugby's most successful franchise. He was a crucial part of the team that won three titles in a row between 1998-2000 - which is still the only franchise to do so - and incredibly he is in with a good chance of doing it again as a coach.
Everyone in this rebuilding city has their own Razor story, whether it is a 10-year-old from the Marist-Albion club getting his photo taken with Robertson beside a wind-swept suburban field on the morning of the Super Rugby final this winter, or a four-year-old in a Crusaders top walking across a pedestrian crossing in Robertson's home village of Sumner and watching as the coach slows his four-wheel-drive and gives him a thumbs up out of the window.
He can be an entertaining man to be around but it is by design too because it is his job to create an environment in which his players, many of whom are experienced All Blacks including national captain Read and Crusaders skipper Whitelock, are stimulated and driven to improve, and Robertson has done it better than just about anyone could have expected in his first two years in the job.
His passion for coaching and success have put his name in the frame as the next All Blacks head coach and while Robertson is keen on the job at some stage, out of respect for incumbent Steve Hansen and the Crusaders, with whom he is negotiating a contract extension, he is wary about publicly revealing too much.
Scott Robertson and Sam Whitelock after the Crusaders won National Team of the Year at the NZ Rugby Awards. Photo / Photosport
What he will say is that he is in a good position as he continues talks over a contract extension, and after working his way up from coaching the Sumner club, being a part-time assistant and then full-time head coach at Canterbury, and now Crusaders head coach with a perfect Super Rugby record, he deserves to be. He hopes to put pen to paper within the next fortnight or so.
"It's obviously my home, so all those factors come into play but I love the team and I love the players," he said of his willingness to stay at Christchurch's Rugby Park. "It's probably the first time in my whole career that I feel I can negotiate."
Next year, with the World Cup dominating the national conversation and priorities of the All Blacks coaches, will be challenging for the Crusaders and Robertson.
But Whitelock and Read, two men who had a challenging 2018 in terms of the former's workload and latter's back surgery rehabilitation, will be better for their longer off-season, and the continuity that Robertson has in terms of his playing stock remains a big advantage.
"That's the benefit of having such an experienced and loyal team," Robertson said. "Crusaders players often stay here for the long term and become All Blacks. We've had 77 All Blacks in the last 22 years and a lot of them are long-term All Blacks and very successful All Blacks who have played long careers.
"The key thing is the next person always stands up and comes through. We trust our squad. [Loose forward] Whetu Douglas is a prime example, and he's back. You look at [lock] Scott Barrett … who has a great understanding of the lineout and can step in there. We have [locks] Luke Romano and Quentin Strange and Mitch Dunshea. Our depth is strong."
And so is the togetherness and drive within the squad. This year one of the most notable features of the international season was how much nations such as South Africa, England and Ireland have improved in relation to the All Blacks and the challenge for the Crusaders is to find ways to get better too.
"We've spent the off season looking at our strengths and areas we can get better and making sure the squad, which we've got a lot of continuity with, can get excited and build on what we've done before and keep our momentum," Robertson said.
"There are a few areas where we can improve and evolve. You have to keep evolving – that's the exciting part of coaching; how we can get better."
