Scott Robertson is on the thin edge of the blade after a season in which the All Blacks flattered to deceive and also recorded the worst loss in their storied history.
NZ Rugby has reportedly decided to stick with the 51-year-old for now after a formal review of an average 2025 season. But there are no guarantees that he will be the man to take the All Blacks to the 2027 World Cup.
After a year defined by inconsistency, tactical confusion and eyebrow-raising off-field revelations, NZ Rugby has opted for stability over shock, but made it clear that anything short of a major resurgence in 2026 could see the All Blacks coaching crew jettisoned.
The pressure had intensified further earlier this month when it emerged that assistant coach Scott Hansen was effectively acting as head coach, with Robertson in a role more akin to a hands-off director of rugby.
The admission made to the New Zealand Herald while on tour in Cardiff stunned All Blacks supporters already frustrated by the team’s stumbling direction under the Robertson coaching tenure.
Renowned New Zealand radio host Martin Devlin didn’t mince his words, calling the situation “flabbergasting”.
“None of us wanted Scott Hansen to be the coach of the All Blacks,” Devlin blasted on DSPN. “Razor is the coach – and if he can’t be the coach, get another coach. And it’s not Scott Hansen.”
Devlin went further, questioning the entire coaching structure, especially Hansen.
“You haven’t earned the right to be All Blacks coach yet. You haven’t even coached the Crusaders. Robertson was meant to be doing that job. Last week he says the assistants are learning on the job – now he says the assistant is basically the coach. If he really means that, we’ve got serious problems.”
The Herald article added that in interviews for the All Blacks job, Robertson had pitched himself as a “cultural coach”, the implication being that he would create a conducive environment for the team and delegate coaching responsibilities to his long-time Crusaders staff.
The Crusaders won an unprecedented seven consecutive Super Rugby titles, including two Super Rugby Aotearoa and five full Super Rugby titles during the Team Razor tenure.
However, that hugely successful coaching axis has struggled to transpose the same level of excellence to international level, leaving the All Blacks faltering badly in the lead-up to the 2027 World Cup.
The pressure is building.
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Photo: Dan Mullan Getty Images
