Eddie Jones claims ‘forces at play’ in New Zealand Rugby as several theories offered for hasty Scott Robertson call
Ex-All Blacks head coach Scott Robertson and an inset of NZ Rugby Chairman David Kirk.
Former Wallabies and England head coach Eddie Jones believes Scott Robertson should have been given more time and that New Zealand Rugby bowed to external and internal pressure
The governing body are set to announce the All Blacks’ new boss a month after sacking the 51-year-old midway through his four-year deal.
It was a big and surprising call from NZ Rugby, who decided not to give Robertson a chance to lead them into the Rugby World Cup despite his 74% win rate.
Sacking coaches has become prevalent in all sports and the Crusaders legend was not able to escape the axe.
Jones sacked before World Cup
Jones knows that himself having been given the boot by England only a few months prior to the 2023 World Cup starting.
“I think there are some other forces at play now. As we all know, social media is a massive driver of influencing what happens now, and I think that’s a factor,” he told DSPN with Martin Devlin.
“Boards don’t like to be criticised. People at the top end don’t like to be criticised and when there’s a fair bit of unrest on social media, that can that can cause a little bit of a more urgent movement.
“The other thing is, has the commercialisation of the All Blacks had a factor in it? We’ve seen that at Manchester United for a great team, that had such massive stability that commercial issues ended up driving the team more than performance issues, and it’s a subtle change in nuances, but it can affect things, and it can affect the way people think.”
Jones also believes that rugby league has become more of a threat to the 15-a-side code, which has always been by far the most popular in New Zealand.
“The other factor in New Zealand, and this is a factor that the coach doesn’t control, is the rise and rise of the [New Zealand] Warriors. It’s undoubtedly taking some of the gloss away from the All Blacks in New Zealand,” he said.
“If you’re a young kid growing up, previously, if you were good at running the ball, you’d want to play rugby for the All Blacks. Now, it’s a serious threat to play for the Warriors. It’s popular, it’s on television all the time. You know, people want to watch it. So, for a young kid, it’s a proper option for them.”
Robertson’s incredible Crusaders record
There have been reports of concerns about Robertson’s man-management and the All Blacks’ culture under the former head coach, but his record prior to getting the job was impeccable.
“If you look at all those factors, there are a lot of things eating away, and you need to look at the totality of the hit. Where are we now? What do we need to do? Certainly, the coach is an important part of it,” Jones added.
“But sacking a coach who’s won seven Super Rugby titles, you can’t do better than that. No one can even dream of doing that. He’s got the runs on the board.
“It’s not like he’s coming into the team with a questionable record. He’s a winning coach. Give him a little bit more time to put his influence on the team.”
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