Under the knife

How Razor recovered from his 11 knee ops

More than two decades have passed since Scott Robertson made his 23rd, and final, test appearance for the All Blacks in 2002.

Robertson played at No 8 when the All Blacks beat South Africa 30-23 at King’s Park in Durban, a game many remember for the moment when spectator Pieter van Zyl ran onto the field to tackle referee Irish David McHugh.

Although Robertson already had a keen interest in strategy and technique, especially in defence, his focus was to be in the All Blacks squad for the World Cup in Australia in late 2003. It didn’t happen. Robertson couldn’t force his way into the All Blacks squad for the global event, and had to settle for representing the Crusaders and Canterbury in 2003 prior to departing to play in France and, later, Japan.

A couple of years later he returned to Christchurch to reboot and focus on a fresh career as a coach with his Sumner club, Canterbury and the Crusaders. Now he’s in charge of the All Blacks, having signed a deal with NZ Rugby through to the 2027 World Cup in Australia.

Here are his views on the challenges he faces as All Blacks coach.

Telling players they have been dropped is never easy. What is your approach to this?

I think the relationships before those conversations are really important. So, whether it is a player or staff member, they trust you, you are honest, and you do it up front. And you give them good feedback.

It is never easy. But there is a skill to it. If you do it genuinely and they know you care about them, it is a big part of knowing you have done it on a personal but a professional level as well. Respectful.'

How do you deal with the pressure of being in charge of high-profile teams?

The big thing I have learned is that you set up your week, you trust what you do. So when you leave that environment, I have done everything I can and now I am at home. I do something every morning. Energy is really important to me. If I have got good energy, I am fine. Sleep well, eat well, train well.

So you start with that. I normally do that really well if I have set the week up; I have got the right people, experts at their job and that sets you up. And that gives you the ability to trust, doesn't it?

And it's also important to have a top crew working for you?

Yes. You know you have got the best people, so you just continue on that cycle. When you are on, you are on. When it is time to switch off, great. You know you can look back and trust what you have done during the day. You have set it up.

If you haven’t, and something is nagging at you, deal with it. Then you can go home and be present.

You say it's vital to select the right people who work for you in the offfield duties. Can you expand on this?

I have always been really confident around the rugby side of the game, the strategic side. How we are going to play, game models; I have always had a creative mind around that, but it’s more around shaping what happens off-field.

The theming, your vision, alignment with the CEO, chairman. What staff you need to get around you. In our game we need people who are incredibly curious, hungry for professional development, but have a huge amount of character. Like [assistant] Scott Hansen – a world-class coach. And once you have someone like him, you have coaching partnerships. A lot of other coaches’ reputations precede them and once you know they are really good, you shoulder-tap them. You know your industry really, really well and that’s what I have done over the past 11 years.

During Super Rugby games you could be seen talking into a microphone, or looking at your laptop. What is your main job in the coach's box?

All the coaches are focused on different areas, so we are not just focused on watching the ball. It’s what’s happening off the ball, whether your back field is covering where their back field is, what’s happening at the breakdown, how you are talking to the ref. Have you been penalised, is there a trend on it? There’s lots of different things. I will take a little more of the big picture, especially around substitutions, and what is happening in the game.

So, yep, they [the opposition] are doing what we thought they were going to do, or they didn’t. And then you adjust from there. It is really just the little adjustments. There are not many messages there, because you have set your team up to prepare for that. They will adjust early. You sort of get a feel around the 20 minute mark, and then you adapt for the rest of the game.

That I am your dad, I am here. They have been through the whole lot while I was a professional player and coach. They have been awesome support. Jane, as you know, has been through a lot during my career and the coaching.

I know that when I am at home, there is such a huge foundation for me. Yeah, and there is a lot of love.

When you consider selecting a player, what is your thought process?

You have to trust your instinct, your eye. The most important job that I have got is selection. From the team to the off-field team. From captains, to vice-captains, to off-field captains. You have to know your role. You have to get that right.

It becomes quite instinctual. You start trusting your eye, so you are always looking and observing for early warning signs; your ability to watch talent. The more you do it, the more you trust yourself.

Wayne Smith has been appointed Performance Coach to the All Blacks and Black Ferns. And you keep in contact with former Crusaders coach Robbie Deans. How do you bounce ideas off them?

A lot of the time, if you ring them, they give you confirmation. They confirm what you are thinking, or sometimes they will go “oh, hang on”. That’s rare but it’s important you get someone to challenge your thoughts, and be honest and then they can share their experiences. They have got a lot of history in the game and more likely they have been through it.

You represented the All Blacks, Crusaders and Canterbury, and clubs overseas, before retiring to focus on coaching. Your knees paid a heavy price. Can you confirm how many operations you have had?

I have nine on my right knee, and two on my left. I am surfing as good as I ever have. I can get on a surfboard and a paddle board. I do a lot of yoga. With surfing, yoga and swimming … It is great for me. I know what I need. You get to know when you get older, what you do and don't like. But you do what is necessary.

Why are you ready for this job?

I know it is another step-up [being All Blacks coach]. Having been an All Black you know what is coming. I know what is coming. I am excited. This is what I needed. Good timing. I am ready. Yeah, go and have some fun.