Nice guys finish last: Players push Scott Robertson out the All Blacks door
Thursday, 15 January 2026
ANALYSIS: A proven winner with the Crusaders, Scott Robertson has fallen victim to the NZR Razor Gang - for losing games and the hearts of his players.
An All Blacks internal review of the charmingly twitchy Robertson was scathing, with failings found across his coaching, communication and culture.
So yet again, players have been instrumental in giving a national coach a swift shove toward the exit door.
Dame Noeline Taurua felt it last year in netball, Andreas Heraf and Jitka Klimková from the Football Ferns, and Glenn Moore out of the Black Ferns.
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“Following the end-of-year review I have taken time to reflect on some of the feedback,” Robertson said in a statement.
“After discussions with New Zealand Rugby, I believe it is in the best interests of the team for me to step aside.
“I am gutted by this outcome. I care deeply about this team.
“Given the sensitivity of this situation I will not be making any further comment.”
NZR chairman Sir David Kirk, board member Keven Mealamu and former high-performance manager Don Tricker carried out the review.
“We’ve taken an extensive look at the team’s progress on and off the field and have subsequently had discussions with Scott on the way forward,” Kirk said.
“Both NZR and Scott agree it is in the best interests of the team that he depart his role as head coach.”
On Wednesday, 2023 world player of the year Ardie Savea applied a lit match, when he hinted he held serious doubts over his test future if Robertson was coach.
In Godzone, only the prime minister rivals the All Blacks coach for public scrutiny — and both roles often end in tears.
You slave away for years doing the best you can, only to be voted out or axed, to a surfeit of acclaim and a deficit of thank-yous.
Kirk did thank Robertson “for his contribution to the All Blacks”.
“As always, he has continued to put the All Blacks first and we respect that he has done the hard but right thing in agreeing to depart,” Kirk said.
“His passion for the team as both a player and coach is evident and his commitment to and involvement in rugby in New Zealand at every level over a long period is significant. We wish him well for the future.”
There’s no doubting Robertson is a nice guy, who gave his best. But in sport nice guys finish last, and his best was judged not good enough at international level.
A win record of just over 70%, a record 43-10 loss to the Springboks in September, then leading England 12-0 at Twickenham only to lose 33-19 all point to an internal disconnect.
So Kirk has made the hard call, giving the incumbent the boot with 20 months until the 2027 World Cup in Australia.
“The mid-point in the Rugby World Cup cycle is the right time to look at the All Blacks’ progress over the first two seasons. The team are set to play a significant 2026 schedule and the tournament in 2027 remains the key goal.”
Waikato Times journalist Aaron Goile told The Post he was not surprised by the suggestion Robertson had lost the players.
He struggled to understand what Robertson was saying at press conferences, so he felt for the players, he said.
“You can’t really make sense of what he’s saying - if that’s what he’s like to the media, what is he like behind closed doors?” Goile said.
But the real issue seemed to be a coaching and management team too inexperienced to cover those cracks, all of which disrupted the All Blacks on the field.
At international level, weak points are ruthlessly attacked and exposed, it is difficult to conceal them as is possible at Super Rugby level.
Predecessor Ian Foster was a long-serving international coach. Robertson was not.
Foster had the vastly experienced former Ireland and now Australia coach Joe Schmidt as his backup.
Foster had long-serving All Blacks manager Darren Shand who was with the squad from 2004 until after the 2023 World Cup. Shand oversaw virtually everything off the field and was there for two World Cup wins.
Foster had Gilbert Enoka as leadership manager. Enoka was with the All Blacks for 23 years moulding a winning culture.
All of Foster’s wily henchmen departed before Robertson arrived.
Expecting Robertson to leap from Super Rugby into the international arena, surrounded by assistant coaches with scant international experience, a new manager and lacking cultural icon Enoka was a huge ask.
If history repeats, it will not be the last we see of Razor.
Wayne Smith and John Mitchell both lost the big job, to bounce back to World Cup wins and acclaim - Smith with Graham Henry’s All Blacks and the Black Ferns, Mitchell last year with the England women’s team.
In coaching being appointed is just the first step in losing the job. And defeat? That’s the first step on the comeback trail.