Scott Robertson will be the New Zealand rugby coach from 2024. The current coach of the Crusaders of the super rugby will relieve Ian Foster, current tenant of the bench of the All Blacksafter the World Cup next autumn, in an agreement that will last until the end of the 2027 World Cup.
The news was made public by New Zealand Rugby, the New Zealand Federation, on Tuesday. Robertson, 48, has spent practically his entire rugby life linked to Canterbury, for whom he played 86 games between 1996 and 2003, and the All Blacks, with whom he made 22 appearances between 1998 and 2002.. nicknamed razor (razor in English), was a forceful third who, already as a coach, began his career in the franchise of the aforementioned province as an assistant, to later take over the position of head coach. From there he jumped to the under-20 team, the Baby Blacks (with whom he won the 2015 World Cup and put several important players in the senior squad today), to land in the Crusaders in 2017, with whom he has won Super Rugby four times (2017, 2018, 2019 and 2022, in 2020 and 2021 it was not played in its normal format due to the pandemic).
Although the names that were put on the table were several (among them Joe Schmidt, Vern Cotter or Jamie Joseph), the truth is that the most plausible option always seemed to be Robertson. For his successful tenure at the helm of the Crusaders, for having had previous contact with the All Black structure and, above all, because he was already aiming to be the ideal man when the previous selection process was launched, who ended up enthroning Ian Foster. He gave the feeling that this was definitely his moment.
“It is an honor. This job comes with a huge load of responsibility, but I’m excited about the opportunity to contribute to the legacy of the black jersey. Representing your country, as a player or coach, is the highest honor in sport. I can’t wait,” Robertson said at his introductory press conference.. “Having time to plan for 2024 and beyond is crucial to putting the All Blacks in the best position to succeed in the next World Cup cycle. Now I have work to do with the Crusaders and that will be my main concern until the Super Rugby campaign is over. In the meantime, I have the opportunity to work with the NZR to make key appointments for my work team to be ready for next year”, concluded the new patron of the All Blacks, thus putting an end to the selection period that they made public, causing a lot of commotion, a few weeks ago.