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Scott Robertson reveals All Blacks clause in new Crusaders contract

(Photo by Kai Schwoerer/Getty Images)

Crusaders head coach Scott Robertson has revealed his new contract with the franchise and New Zealand Rugby [NZR] features a clause that allows him to leave his job early if he misses out on the All Blacks head coach role in the future.

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It was announced on Friday that Robertson has signed a three-year contract extension with the Crusaders in a deal that will see him stay with the reigning Super Rugby Aotearoa champions until 2024.

Speaking to media about his new deal, Robertson revealed that he has the option to leave the Christchurch-based franchise a year before his contract expires if he isn’t hired as All Blacks head coach by 2023.

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Beauden Barrett and Aaron Smith named to start for All Blacks against Fiji

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Beauden Barrett and Aaron Smith named to start for All Blacks against Fiji

“If I don’t get the job, there is an exit [clause] after ’23, but if I want to stay around I can and that’s the part of the loyalty and that was probably why it took a bit longer than we’d hoped for, just to make sure we get the wording right,” Robertson said.

“Whenever the next All Blacks role comes up, that’s still my goal, my clear goal, and I’ve got opportunities if I don’t get it, and if I do get it, great.”

Robertson’s honest summation of the details surrounding his contract comes two years after he unsuccessfully applied for the All Blacks head coach role in the wake of New Zealand’s failed 2019 World Cup campaign.

Instead, NZR opted to replace outgoing boss Sir Steve Hansen with his assistant and current head coach Ian Foster, whose two-year deal with the national union is set to expire this year.

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It’s expected that, unless the All Blacks implode over the coming months, NZR will offer Foster a two-year contract extension that will keep him on board as head coach of the national side until the 2023 World Cup in France.

Who takes charge of the All Blacks beyond then may be dependant on how the side fares in that tournament in two years’ time, but Robertson has made it clear he intends to land the All Blacks job by the end of the next World Cup cycle.

After guiding the Crusaders to five straight Super Rugby and Super Rugby Aotearoa titles between 2017 and 2021, Robertson was seen by many as the right man for the All Blacks job due to his success in the lower levels of the game.

Prior to that, Robertson assisted Canterbury to five successive national championships between 2008 and 2012, before leading the province to three NPC titles as head coach between 2013 and 2016.

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The former All Blacks loose forward has also found success on the international stage as he led the New Zealand U20 side to a World Championship victory in 2015.

Such an imposing track record caught the attention of clubs from around the globe that were eager to cash in on Robertson’s services, but, after eight months of negotiations, the 46-year-old’s short-term future lies with the Crusaders and NZR.

“I had a look at the world market and a couple of opportunities overseas just to make sure that what you are getting paid and what is out there is comparable and it was.”

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Comments

2 Comments
G
Graham 701 days ago

World Rugby has caught up with the ABs and now thrown down the challenge to whom is the best on all fronts. There are no clear favorites IMO. We can't keep blaming the coach when opposition coaches are consistently analysing your game plans.

S
Shayne 725 days ago

Ever since Wayne Smith left Hansen no progress, what are they waiting for?Robinson all the way.

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Flankly 51 minutes ago
'Absolute madness': Clive Woodward rips into Borthwick in wake of NZ loss

Borthwick is supposed to be the archetypical conservative coach, the guy that might not deliver a sparkling, high-risk attacking style, but whose teams execute the basics flawlessly. And that's OK, because it can be really hard to beat teams that are rock solid and consistent in the rugby equivalent of "blocking and tackling".


But this is why the performance against NZ is hard to defend. You can forgive a conservative, back-to-basics team for failing to score tons of tries, because teams like that make up for it with reliability in the simple things. They can defend well, apply territorial pressure, win the set piece battles, and take their scoring chances with metronomic goal kicking, maul tries and pick-and-go goal line attacks.


The reason why the English rugby administrators should be on high alert is not that the English team looked unable to score tries, but that they were repeatedly unable to close out a game by executing basic, coachable skills. Regardless of how they got to the point of being in control of their destiny, they did get to that point. All that was needed was to be world class at things that require more training than talent. But that training was apparently missing, and the finger has to point at the coach.


Borthwick has been in the job for nearly two years, a period that includes two 6N programs and an RWC campaign. So where are the solid foundations that he has been building?

4 Go to comments
N
Nickers 1 hour ago
Scott Robertson responds to criticism over All Blacks' handling errors

Very poor understanding of what's going on and 0 ability to read. When I say playing behind the gain line you take this to mean all off-loads and site times we are playing in front of the gain line???


Every time we play a lot of rugby behind the gain line (for clarity, meaning trying to build an attack and use width without front foot ball 5m+ behind the most recent breakdown) we go backwards and turn the ball over in some way. Every time a player is tackled behind the most recent breakdown you need more and more people to clear out because your forwards have to go back around the corner, whereas opposition players can keep moving forward. Eventually you run out of either players to clear out or players to pass to and the result in a big net loss of territory and often a turnover. You may have witnessed that 20+ times in the game against England. This is a particularly dumb idea inside your own 40m which is where, for some reason, we are most likely to employ it.


The very best ABs teams never built an identity around attacking from poor positions. The DC era team was known for being the team that kicked the most. To engineer field position and apply pressure, and create broken play to counter attack. This current team is not differentiating between when a defence has lost it's structure and there are opportunities, and when they are completely set and there is nothing on. The reason they are going for 30 minute + periods in every game without scoring a single point, even against Japan and a poor Australian team, is because they are playing most of their rugby on the back foot in the wrong half.

43 Go to comments
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Nickers 1 hour ago
Scott Robertson responds to criticism over All Blacks' handling errors

I thought we made a lot of progress against that type of defence by the WC last year. Lots of direct running and punching holes rather than using width. Against that type of defence I think you have to be looking to kick on first phase when you have front foot ball which we did relatively successfully. We are playing a lot of rugby behind the gain line at the moment. They are looking for those little interchanges for soft shoulders and fast ball or off loads but it regularly turns into them battering away with slow ball and going backwards, then putting in a very rushed kick under huge pressure.


JB brought that dimension when he first moved into 12 a couple of years ago but he's definitely not been at his best this year. I don't know if it is because he is being asked to play a narrow role, or carrying a niggle or two, but he does not look confident to me. He had that clean break on the weekend and stood there like he was a prop who found himself in open space and didn't know what to do with the ball. He is still a good first phase ball carrier though, they use him a lot off the line out to set up fast clean ball, but I don't think anyone is particularly clear on what they are supposed to do at that point. He was used really successfully as a second playmaker last year but I don't think he's been at that role once this year. He is a triple threat player but playing a very 1 dimensional role at the moment. He and Reiko have been absolutely rock solid on defence which is why I don't think there will be too much experimentation or changes there.

43 Go to comments
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