All Blacks great: ‘2024 Bledisloe Cup will be the most crucial of Scott Robertson’s reign’
All Blacks head coach Scott Robertson and former player Mils Muliaina.
Mils Muliaina insists that the All Blacks’ upcoming games against the Wallabies takes on an added importance for the team and Scott Robertson.
New Zealand are already out of Rugby Championship title contention after successive defeats to the Springboks in Johannesburg and Cape Town.
They desperately need a pair of victories over Australia to lift spirits, especially with Joe Schmidt’s outfit coming off the back of a record loss in Argentina.
Bledisloe Cup dominance
Another reversal would therefore be unthinkable for the All Blacks, who are seeking to retain the Bledisloe Cup for another season.
They have kept hold of the trophy for 21 consecutive years and Robertson’s men are expected to extend that run when they go head-to-head with the Wallabies in their next two Rugby Championship encounters.
“Psychologically, the All Blacks have got to get back on board. Yes, there was some good stuff, but the next two games against the Wallabies, I think, will be the most crucial of Scott Robertson’s reign,” Muliaina said on The Breakdown.
“He’s got to get the mental edge from the players.”
For all the criticism Robertson’s predecessor – Ian Foster – received during his tenure, he won four successive Rugby Championship titles.
That included the 2022 success, which saw the All Blacks lose one of their two home games against Argentina before heading to South Africa.
Foster’s side succumbed to the Springboks in Mbombela but, unlike in 2024, they turned it around to claim a 35-23 triumph.
With that Rugby Championship streak now over, Muliaina insists that it is vital New Zealand and Robertson don’t make more unwanted history and relinquish the Bledisloe Cup.
“It’s hard when you’re expected to win, and you want to win. When you strip things back, they are getting better,” he said.
“The next couple of games against the Wallabies, they have to make sure they get back on the horse and win well.”
Psychological impact
There were positive signs in the narrow losses to the Springboks, but ultimately Robertson’s record now stands at four wins and three defeats in his seven games so far.
Muliaina is worried that could have an impact on the players going into the Bledisloe Cup clashes, but hopes they can get into a good place mentally.
“They’re not far away but the big thing for me is psychologically. They’ve got to get over that because if you’re parking up and thinking about where this is and what’s happened, the last thing you want to do leading into the Wallabies game is think you’re down and out, and not as good as you think you are,” he added.
