Ex-England player hails Scott Robertson’s masterstroke of appointing New Zealand’s ‘great rugby thinker’

Ex-England fly-half and outspoken pundit Stuart Barnes believes that Scott Robertson has pulled off a significant coup by making Wayne Smith part of his coaching staff.

Robertson confirmed his backroom team ahead of the 2024 Test season with Smith being named a performance coach for the All Blacks.

The 66-year-old is a three-time Rugby World Cup winner – two with the men in 2011 and 2015 and one with the women in 2022.

He will now look to play his part over the next four-year cycle as New Zealand build towards the men’s 2027 World Cup.

Praise and frustration

Barnes is a huge fan of Smith and believes that he would have been the ideal appointment for England.

Instead, he has joined Robertson, who has put together a talented group of coaches that will guide the All Blacks on their exciting new journey.

“His philosophy is to challenge the orthodoxies and encourage players and coaches to think outside the box,” Barnes wrote in his Sunday Times column.

“The throwaway comment that rugby union is a simple game is one that Smith disagrees with.

“‘There are so many complexities,’ he once said. ‘There are so many different ways you can play it.’

“Every step a rugby player runs should have its reason: to pull an opponent out of position, to create space for a support runner. In theory, this is the mental challenge that the game poses, but in practice, this is, too often, not the case.

“Defenders dominate, and statistics show that the best way to counter this is by kicking the ball back and asking the other team to play from deep defensive positions.

“No country is so committed to this policy as England. Defenders of Steve Borthwick’s side will say that even the All Blacks boot away the ball.

“They do, but they are also not afraid to damn the data and attack from the depths of their own half. The kicking issue is as much about why as how often.”

Thinking differently

England reached the semi-finals of the recent World Cup and almost pulled off a huge shock against the Springboks in that last-four contest.

South Africa would eventually prevail 16-15 before going on to claim their fourth global title by overcoming the All Blacks in the showpiece event.

Borthwick came up with a tactically astute game plan which so very nearly worked, but Barnes is worried that it will encourage him to continue with that extremely conservative style.

The ex-playmaker insists that having a different voice in the camp would have benefited Borthwick and England going forward.

“It would not have been a threat to suggest that the management should think outside the box, while the odd reminder that the sport has limitless options would have been a welcome whisper,” he added.

“New Zealand have appointed one of the great rugby thinkers to be on the outside of the insiders. It’s a splendid idea.”

READ MORE: ‘I’m in the English system’ – Johann van Graan on his link with ‘good friend’ Steve Borthwick