Rassie Erasmus’ blunt admission on Scott Robertson’s axing and provides ‘high expectations’ theory on his exit
Ex-All Blacks head coach Scott Robertson and Springboks boss Rassie Erasmus.
Rassie Erasmus has revealed that New Zealand Rugby’s (NZR) decision to fire Scott Robertson as All Blacks coach is something which he did not expect.
Robertson was dismissed from his position earlier this month just two years into a four-year contract. This followed a review by the governing body into the 2025 Test season, headed by NZR chairman David Kirk.
It was eventually decided it was best to part ways with Robertson, who took over the reins as All Blacks boss from Ian Foster after the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France.
The review was undertaken by 1987 World Cup Kirk, former All Blacks hooker and NZR board member Keven Mealamu as well as ex-NZR high performance manager Don Tricker.
Much has been said and written about Robertson‘s axing and NZR announced on Monday that the process to appoint his successor as the All Blacks’ new head coach has started.
Surprised by Robertson’s dismissal
Erasmus revealed that although he has not contacted Robertson since his dismissal, NZR’s decision to part ways with their head coach, who had a 74% win record, caught him by surprise.
“No, I haven’t been in touch with him. We have come a long way, we are around the same age and played in the same era,” said the Springboks head coach.
“I don’t know him that well, like an Eddie Jones that will phone and say: ‘Hang in there, you’re banned, but you can get through to the other side’.
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“But I was surprised. I don’t know what is going on in their camp. New Zealand Rugby knows what is best for them and the team going forward.”
Prior to taking charge of the All Blacks, Robertson had great success as head coach of the Crusaders where he won seven Super Rugby titles in as many years.
Although Erasmus emphasised that he is not clued up on the whole situation, he believes the immense difference in the All Blacks and Crusaders’ rugby cultures could have played a part in Robertson’s downfall.
‘I was dealing with a very similar group of people’
“I remember when I was coaching the Cheetahs, I was dealing with a very similar group of people. It was a lot of Afrikaans, Christian boys, who come from the farm,” he explained. “You didn’t have to deal with a lot of (different) cultures and getting guys thinking the same way.
“Then when I went with Chester Williams to the Cats in Jo’burg it was a little bit eye opening, and when I got to Cape Town coaching the Stormers, you had to get players aligned and synced, which I wasn’t great at doing at that time, and I’m not saying I’m great at it now but you get better at it.
“With a team (the All Blacks) with those high expectations, it is always going to be a difficult job. So was I surprised? Yes. But maybe if you know the ins and outs of the situation maybe you wouldn’t be surprised.”
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