Springboks great in Ardie Savea ‘rant’ over Scott Robertson sacking as All Blacks star should have ‘manned up’
Ardie Savea looking at Scott Robertson's phone, and Springboks great Steven Kitshoff.
Former Springboks forward Steven Kitshoff was left “sour” by Ardie Savea’s perceived role in the removal of Scott Robertson as All Blacks head coach.
The Crusaders legend was sacked last week after reports of a player revolt, with the 2023 World Rugby Player of the Year very much the face of it.
It was claimed by the New Zealand Herald that Savea would consider his All Blacks future if changes weren’t made following an underwhelming 2024 and 2025 under Robertson.
New Zealand Rugby chair David Kirk has since denied that there was an uprising, while Savea has yet to comment publicly on the matter.
Even so, Kitshoff was left disappointed by what he read, insisting that if what the back-rower has been accused of is true, he would not be selected if Rassie Erasmus was the coach.
Kitshoff’s frustration with Savea
“In the Springboks environment, Rassie would go, ‘if that guy is acting out, I won’t select him anymore’, even if he’s the best player. We’re not picking the best players, we’re picking the right players,” he told the GameTime podcast.
“Ardie’s move like that is not the right move. Are you saying you’re the best and it’s either me or him? I’m ranting but it’s just something I read and I was a bit sour about it.
“I might have read it wrong or it may not have given the full picture but, with the article that came out, it’s a bit tough for me. As a player you get selected to do a job.
“Of course, what happened to Jake White, he was outvoted by the players and you either get rid of the coach or the players.
“I promise you he would have knuckled down this year and gone, ‘we’re going to change the trajectory of All Blacks rugby’.
“That’s where I’m like if Ardie could have just manned up and said: ‘I take full ownership to what happened to this team this year and I’m going to do my bit to change the course of side’.
“I would have been like, ‘Ardie, that is the way to do it’… and that’s what I didn’t like.”
Despite the apparent tension in the All Blacks environment under Robertson, the head coach still selected Savea as the skipper if regular captain Scott Barrett was not available.
“Scott’s the captain, there’s nothing that came out from him because he worked with Razor through all their Super Rugby wins and was the captain,” Kitshoff said.
“When Scott wasn’t available, Ardie was captain. Surely if there’s qualms between them you wouldn’t make him captain.”
Highly rated Scott Robertson
The ex-Springboks prop also added that Robertson was appointed given his proven track record, even if it wasn’t at the very highest level.
“A coach is selected because of merit, he is not just put there because he’s won a lucky draw contest and all of a sudden he’s coach of the ABs,” he said.
“He gets selected because of his credentials, he should know about 80 per cent of the squad, either that have worked with him before, or worked with the management.
“He knows the squad, he knows the people, he knows the team around him, they wouldn’t just put a clown in there for the sake of it.
“I don’t know if it’s one player, but one player is public about it and goes, ‘it’s either him or me. If you don’t get rid of him, I’m going to play my rugby at Leinster or in Japan’. That is not caring about your country and putting your country first.”
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