All Blacks stars ‘angry and disillusioned’ after Damian McKenzie escaped ‘more severe punishment’ for indiscretion
All Blacks fly-half Damian McKenzie and head coach Scott Robertson.
Scott Robertson risked alienating his senior players earlier this year by not properly punishing Damian McKenzie for a breach of team protocol, it has been claimed.
In August, it was revealed that the fly-half missed the team bus following their victory over Fiji in the July series in San Diego.
McKenzie was forced to get an Uber to Los Angeles International Airport, a journey of 210km, and had to apologise to his All Blacks team-mates.
However, according to the New Zealand Herald, senior players were “angry and disillusioned that the punishment was not more severe”.
First choice for Rugby Championship
There were no other repercussions for the playmaker, who started their next match against Argentina and the following four Rugby Championship matches.
The All Blacks would go on to succumb to a surprise 38-30 loss to Los Pumas in the first match of the tournament, which came in the wake of that McKenzie incident.
Equally, the Herald have claimed there was an information overload from the coaches, who “bombarded” the players with “rugby content” ahead of that clash, while not allowing them enough time to “decompress”.
It is part of the learning curve that Robertson has been on, with the new boss admitting to that outlet that they have managed to find a better understanding between players and coaches.
“I would say we have got the balance better,” he said.
“You become rugby heavy at the start naturally because people are learning new calls, new structures, so that is where the focus goes to. We have balanced out through the season.
“We have done what works for us and what works for this group and the personalities and been hugely collaborative.”
Robertson had a turbulent start to his tenure, which included the departure of attack coach Leon MacDonald ahead of the Springboks encounters, but the former Crusaders boss has managed to overcome that upheaval.
“I have always prided myself in being able to learn quickly and having a good feel for what the team needs. But you still need guidance, you are not going to get everything right,” he said.
“We are humans. And you have to be able to look back and say, ‘Yeah I could have done this better’.
“I have got a tight group of people around me who I trust and who I draw upon. You know in our game if you win everything is right and if you lose everything is wrong to everyone.
“There are only extremes. I have to go back to what I know, what I trust, my vision and test my thinking.”
Experience
The 50-year-old came in at a time when a rebuild was required following the departure of several vital players after the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
Robertson has sought to find the next generation while also getting results, something which has not been easy to balance out.
There has still been an experienced look to the All Blacks squad, though, with the likes of Sam Cane heavily involved throughout the year despite his impending retirement.
Robertson believes that those senior players have been critical and have enabled the younger individuals to progress quicker.
“We lost three, senior 100 Test All Blacks. A lot of sheriffs have left town so how does that balance out? How do we keep each other accountable?” he said.
“We had a couple of tours and that fast-tracked things because you are constantly with each other, and you learn quickly and adapt.”
READ MORE: How Scott Robertson stacks up to previous All Blacks bosses after 14 Tests
