Scott Robertson’s blunt 18-word response to Rieko Ioane’s All Blacks axing
All Blacks head coach Scott Robertson and dropped New Zealand back Rieko Ioane.
All Blacks head coach Scott Robertson kept his answer brief when asked about his decision to drop Rieko Ioane for the Springboks clash in Wellington.
The 28-year-old has been a mainstay since the former Crusaders boss took charge of the national team following the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
However, Ioane has struggled for form under Robertson, first at centre and most recently as a wing having been shifted at the start of the 2025 Test season.
The move out wide has not worked out and he has subsequently been axed for this weekend’s game, with rookie Leroy Carter earning his first cap instead.
Robertson’s response
Robertson was questioned about the big call to drop Ioane but his response was blunt, saying: “We’ve given another player an opportunity. My job’s to build depth in the team and it’s Leroy’s chance.”
There was always going to be an alteration in the back three due to Emoni Narawa’s injury but Will Jordan has taken that right wing spot with Damian McKenzie coming in at full-back.
Robertson could have therefore kept Ioane on the left-hand side but the All Blacks boss has decided to give a chance to Carter.
“He’s trained incredibly well. He complements that back three, great at the kick-chase, extremely quick and his work rate is as good as it comes, so we’re excited by it, so he will gives us really good balance,” the head coach said of the All Blacks bolter.
“He’s fast and he’s got some great hops. We just think it’s a great opportunity for him this weekend, he’s been superb for us at training and has had a great year, and now is his time.”
Carter’s route to Test rugby has come in a roundabout way having initially started his career as a scrum-half before switching to wing while playing for Bay of Plenty in the NPC.
In 2022, he started playing for the All Blacks Sevens side and featured at the 2024 Paris Olympics before signing for the Chiefs.
He only made his Super Rugby Pacific debut earlier this year but he will now be making his international bow at the age of 26.
Sevens route ‘definitely an avenue’
“It’s not uncommon, you look at the French with [Gabin] Villiere and [South Africa’s] Cheslin [Kolbe] and [Kurt-Lee] Arendse, a lot of those sevens players are coming through, even for Australia, so it’s definitely an avenue,” Robertson said.
“There’s not a massive amount of kicking in sevens, there’s a lot of passing and running and great defence, and he’s filled the skill set that’s required over this Super season.”
New Zealand have struggled aerially this year, with Argentina particularly exploiting that weakness in Buenos Aires, but Robertson hopes that the new back three can deal better with the high balls.
“It gives us really good backfield coverage. We know that it’s going to come again, that aerial battle, and it’s a great balance,” he said.
“The other tough one (selection call) is the loose forwards, there’s been some really good performances there and we’ve got a couple of guys we could have easily picked for this Test match.”
