All Blacks: Why Scott Robertson was fired as NZ Rugby boss reveals ‘clear hypothesis’
Former All Blacks head coach Scott Robertson and an inset of players Rieko Ioane and Ardie Savea
Following a comprehensive review, it has been deemed that the All Blacks aren’t on track for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, which led to Scott Robertson’s dismissal.
That is according to New Zealand Rugby chairman David Kirk, who firmly stated that there was no player revolt, but it was clear that change was needed.
“There was a clear initial hypothesis”
The former All Blacks captain and scrum-half explained that the board went into the review with an ‘open mind’, but it was clear that the team was not on track, which ultimately led to the decision to part ways with the head coach.
“Nothing’s ever inevitable. You go into every stage of a discussion in these types of reviews with an open mind, looking for more information to help you make the right decision,” Kirk told reporters on Thursday following Robertson’s sacking.
“You engage more people who can provide you with information that you think is important. I think there’s always a momentum in these things.
“You start to be moving towards one direction, but it’s important to stay open-minded.”
Asked if there was a clear picture of things not going well, Kirk replied: “Yes, certainly, when the board had analysed the material and the management high-performance team, there was a clear initial hypothesis that things were not on track, and obviously, we needed to talk to the head coach in particular and others about that before we jumped to a final conclusion, but yes, the review did give us a clear direction.”
Scott Robertson FIRED as All Blacks head coach after NZ Rugby review
Robertson has done a lot right
The chairman was not willing to go into too much detail about the findings of the review, other than that the team is not on track for Australia 2027, but added that Robertson’s tenure hasn’t set them too far off course.
“It’s not really appropriate to talk in detail about any review findings,” he said.
“There were a lot of things covered in the review and a lot of opinions and approaches taken, but the direction was clear, and they certainly had an influence on the outcome.
“Scott has done some very good things in his tenure, and as he has said several times, and I’m happy to absolutely agree with, he has introduced a number of young players to what it means to be in the All Blacks environment, what it means to play with the intensity and accuracy required at international rugby.
“He has done a lot of good things; there are a lot of strands, and there are a lot of elements to the development of a team, but the All Blacks environment is very challenging.
“Trajectory is a good word to apply. We just weren’t seeing the trajectory that we wanted, and I think fans will probably share that view that the way we were playing and feeling that we were falling short of the excellence that we’re looking for, which never really got addressed over the year, that was certainly a theme.”
Kirk confirmed that Robertson is the only coach who has left the environment, and his successor will have the freedom to hire his own staff if necessary.
NZ Rugby currently don’t have a successor in mind as they begin their search, with the chairman stating that they will cast a wide net and expect to have several high-profile candidates.
Want more from Planet Rugby? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for world-class coverage you can trust.
READ MORE: The MAJOR impact Scott Robertson’s All Blacks exit could have on Rassie Erasmus’ Springboks
