Joe Schmidt issues reply to his comments about Scott Robertson’s ‘integrity’ and also has his say on ‘scars go deep’ referee Andrea Piardi
Wallabies boss Joe Schmidt talking to All Blacks head coach Scott Robertson.
Wallabies boss Joe Schmidt has been asked if he stands by comments he made about Scott Robertson’s integrity in a newly released book by Ian Foster, the former All Blacks head coach.
Schmidt has also fielded a question about having referee Andrea Piardi in charge of this Saturday’s Rugby Championship match in Auckland, nine weeks after the Italian official controversially opted not to penalise Jac Morgan for his borderline clear-out on Carlo Tizzano at the end of the second Test against the British and Irish Lions in Melbourne.
Schmidt was wheeled out for media duties on Thursday in Auckland after naming a starting XV to face the All Blacks at Eden Park that has six changes from the Round Four loss to Argentina in Sydney.
Having explained his team alterations and given his take on the All Blacks’ record loss to the Springboks in Wellington, the questioning then moved on to his relationship with Robertson, the former Crusaders boss who succeeded Foster as All Blacks boss following the 2023 Rugby World Cup final.
“A guy I have known for a long time…”
“Scott is a guy I have known for a long time,” Schmidt replied. “He’s spent time at (my) home, and I have been to his home, met his boys and would know Jane. We’ll catch up and have a good chat on Saturday.”
That response was followed by the question asking Schmidt if he stood by the comments he made in Foster’s book that Robertson was putting undue pressure on the NZR to get the All Blacks job while Foster was still in the role.
Last Saturday’s extract from Leading Under Pressure, which was published by the Sydney Morning Herald, focused on some awkward moments involving Robertson before he got the job.
Quoted in the book, Schmidt, who was working as Foster’s attack coach at the time, said: “A big part of it was about integrity. The pressure that was being exerted was contributed to by not just New Zealand Rugby, but people aiming up at Ian.
“There was a podcast with Jim Hamilton and Scott Robertson. That’s in the public domain. That was a pressure point and an advertisement that he [Robertson] wanted to win the World Cup with two different teams.
“And he [Robertson] applied pressure by starting an interview with ‘Bula’ when there was talk of the Fijian job being open. That was happening in the foreground, not the background. That was the tip of the iceberg, and it was bloody awkward for Ian.”
With the publication of the book extract adding some extra spice with Schmidt now facing Robertson in this weekend’s Bledisloe Cup tie at Eden Park, the Wallabies coach explained the reason for his comments.
“That was a few years ago. Probably where I was, I was just seeing the impact it was having on Ian Foster and that accumulation of pressure,” he said at his media briefing.
“Because whether it was mainstream media or social media, seeing his family, you don’t want to see somebody coming under that sort of pressure, and I thought he coped really well with it.
“If there is anything you can do to release that pressure a little bit, you want to do it. Again, I have known Ian for a long time, and being respectful of the pressure he was under, that was probably part of my response at that time.”
Seething Joe Schmidt slams late referee call in defeat to British and Irish Lions
Later at the media conference, Schmidt was asked whether he had caught up with referee Piardi since the MCG game against the Lions on July 26. With the Italian seeing no foul play from Morgan on Tizzano, the last-minute try scored by Hugo Keenan was allowed to stand, and it clinched the Test series for the tourists with one match to spare.
“I haven’t spoken to Andrea,” admitted Schmidt two days out from having Piardi in charge at Eden Park for the Wallabies against the All Blacks. “The one thing, as much as scars go deep, you can’t change what happened. You can only learn from it and try to adapt to what might happen in the future.
“I know that if we don’t get out cleanout right and we impact someone on the neck, it could be a penalty against us. That’s the law, so we know we have still got to be accurate even if a decision didn’t go our way at the end of that second Test.
“In the end, our focus comes back to ourselves. Obviously, we will see Andrea in the changing room before the game and we’ll exchange pleasantries, and he’ll go out and he’s got the whistle and I will watch from a distance.”
