Join now and get your first month for just $1 ><\/a><\/p>\nNew Zealand Rugby chair David Kirk said it was the right time to make a change, with the 2027 Rugby World Cup the \u201ckey goal\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe mid-point in the Rugby World Cup cycle is the right time to look at the All Blacks\u2019 progress over the first two seasons,\u201d Kirk said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve taken an extensive look at the team\u2019s progress on and off the field and have subsequently had discussions with Scott on the way forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cBoth NZR and Scott agree it is in the best interests of the team that he depart his role as head coach.<\/p>\n
\u201cOn behalf of New Zealand Rugby I would like to thank Scott for his contribution to the All Blacks.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs always, he has continued to put the All Blacks first and we respect that he has done the hard but right thing in agreeing to depart.\u201d<\/p>\n
New Zealand Rugby Chairman David Kirk speaks to media. Photo by Phil Walter\/Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images<\/p>\n
Robertson said in a statement he was \u201cgutted\u201d to be leaving the team, but he was \u201cincredibly proud\u201d of what they had achieved.<\/p>\n
\u201cCoaching the All Blacks has been the honour of my life,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs you can imagine, I am gutted by this outcome. I care deeply about this team.\u201d<\/p>\n
Robertson said he had ushered through a talented group of young players, improving depth and setting good foundations for the future.<\/p>\n
But he said he agreed to leave after reflecting on the end-of-year review. Robertson took over as coach in January 2024 with a contract through to the end of the 2027 World Cup in Australia.<\/p>\n
His appointment was greeted with much fanfare after he led the Canterbury Crusaders to seven consecutive Super Rugby titles to 2023 with a reputation as a forward-thinking leader who had strong support from his players.<\/p>\n
He endeared himself to fans with his winning record and his habit of break dancing on the pitch after his team\u2019s title wins.<\/p>\n
But under his leadership, the All Blacks have been in a spin. Robertson lost two of his assistant coaches in his first two years, with Leon MacDonald and Jason Holland quitting, citing differences with the head coach.<\/p>\n
Robertson claimed last year that his authority had been undermined, telling the New Zealand Herald that his assistant, Scott Hansen, \u201ceffectively operates in the role most would recognise as the head coach\u201d.<\/p>\n
But Chris Lendrum, New Zealand Rugby\u2019s professional rugby and performance general manager, said the comments were taken \u201cout of context\u201d.<\/p>\n
Australia’s Dave Rennie has been touted as a potential successor. Photo by MICHAEL BRADLEY \/ AFPSource: AFP<\/p>\n
Otago Highlanders coach Jamie Joseph, the former Japan coach, or former Australia coach Dave Rennie could be potential successors to oversee a packed Test calendar in 2026 in the run-up to the World Cup.<\/p>\n
Robertson\u2019s departure also opens the door for current Australian mentor Joe Schmidt, who is contracted to finish up with the Wallabies in July.<\/p>\n
Schmidt was due to step down from his role with the Wallabies after last year\u2019s Rugby Championship, but the 60-year-old New Zealander agreed to stay on to ensure a smooth transition for incoming coach Les Kiss.<\/p>\n
The All Blacks travel to South Africa for an eight-match tour in August and September, playing the Springboks four times.<\/p>\n
They also host France, Italy and Ireland in the Nations Cup in July, then play Australia home and away in the Bledisloe Cup before travelling to Europe in November for more Nations Cup matches.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"New Zealand fired coach Scott Robertson on Thursday less than two years before the Rugby World Cup, after…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":415644,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[567],"tags":[64,63,760,85],"class_list":{"0":"post-415643","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-rugby","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-rugby","11":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/415643","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=415643"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/415643\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/415644"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=415643"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=415643"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=415643"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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