Sam BruceDec 4, 2025, 01:12 PM
CloseSam was brought up on long drives and the dusty fields of north-west New South Wales, where he developed his love of rugby from an early age. He joined ESPN after a five-year stint heading up Fox Sports Australia’s digital rugby coverage.
All Blacks great Dan Carter has urged New Zealanders to get behind under-fire coach Test coach Scott Robertson, though the 2015 Rugby World Cup winner admits that right now the team isn’t where it needs to be.
Carter was in Sydney on Wednesday night to help reveal the draw for Rugby World Cup 2027, the former All Blacks No. 10 joining the Wallabies’ most-capped player James Slipper, Olympic gold medallist Alicia Lucas, and World Rugby chairman Brett Robinson in drawing the pools for the 2027 tournament.
As it turned out, Carter got what he had asked for in the pre-draw broadcast, with the Wallabies and All Blacks grouped together in Pool A. And while his beloved New Zealand will likely start that game as overwhelming favourites, right now, Carter knows that the All Blacks aren’t meeting the standards expected of them.
As a result, Robertson is coming under intense scrutiny, particularly with a second member of his support staff, Scott Hansen, now having moved on.
“I think you’ve got to support Razor and the beauty with New Zealand is we’re just so passionate and have such high expectations,” Carter told reporters following the RWC 2027 draw.
“And I love that pressure that it brings the team and the head coach. He’s been trying to grow depth and he’s been quite open about that, but there’s been key moments in the last couple of seasons that we just haven’t quite delivered.
“So as long as he’s learning from those, and I’m confident that he will, and the coaching group will be learning from those losses, then they’ll only grow and continue to get better… as long as they are continuing to grow and improve, then they’ve put themselves in good stead for Rugby World Cup 2027.”
All Blacks coach Scott Robertson [R] and veteran playmaker Beauden Barrett look on after New Zealand’s defeat by England at Twickenham Adam Davy/PA Images via Getty Images
The All Blacks are still ranked No. 2 and finished 2025 with a 10-3, 76.92% winning record. But it was the nature of those three defeats, to Argentina, South Africa and England which really drew the ire of New Zealand fans and pundits alike, none more so than the embarrassing 43-10 hammering from the Springboks.
“I think they’ve definitely got the players to win a World Cup,” Carter said of the All Blacks’ current trajectory. “It’s just a matter of, you know, they’ll be working on building depth, but now we just need to start working on combinations, consistency and monitoring growth over the next two years.
“You know, you don’t win World Cups two years out from a World Cup. So as long as the trajectory is forward over the next couple of years, they’ll definitely put themselves in the best possible shape to do that.”
Carter also said the All Blacks No. 10 jersey for the World Cup was well and truly up for grabs and noted that the competition between Beauden Barrett, Damian McKenzie, and the returning Richie Mo’unga was hugely beneficial for New Zealand’s hopes of winning a fourth World Cup crown.
The two-time World Rugby Player of the Year was also asked about Australia’s current mire at No. 10, suggesting the Wallabies might be best served by repatriating another player who is now overseas.
“I’ve always thought Noah [Lolesio] was the man for him but unfortunately at key times he has injuries,” Carter said of the former Wallabies playmaker who is now in Japan. “So if he can get his body right and build some consistency, then for me he’s shown enough on occasions to drive the team.
“But the fact that they’ve got three or four guys fighting for that position, similar to what I talked about with the All Black 10 jersey, you’ve got competition within the squad and that’s what’s going to get the best out of the players and that’s what you want to try and build within your environment.”
Asked what he liked about Lolesio’s game, Carter added: “I just liked his direction. When the Brumbies are performing well it’s normally off the back of him playing good rugby so he can influence the game.
“When the other team are hot on attack or when you’re under pressure, he’s got the ability to bring the momentum back into their favour, so just the matter of being able to do that on a consistent basis is key.”
Lolesio has signed a 1+1 deal in Japan, and hasn’t ruled out returning to Australian rugby in an attempt to reclaim the Wallabies No. 10 jersey for the World Cup. But after a succession of head knocks, and then a serious neck injury in Australia’s win over Fiji in July which ended his season, there are questions about whether the 30-Test pivot is durable enough for the international arena.