The All Blacks have \u2018abdicated\u2019 the throne as World Rugby\u2019s innovators with the sacking of head coach Scott Robertson.<\/p>\n
That is the opinion of renowned Kiwi pundit Scotty Stevenson, who has ripped into New Zealand Rugby\u2019s decision to fire their head coach 18 months out from the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia.<\/p>\n
Stevenson believes that the former Crusaders boss was unfairly treated by the NZ Rugby board, who have effectively admitted that Super Rugby is no longer a breeding ground for international coaches.<\/p>\n
Robertson<\/a> won seven titles with the Canterbury outfit before he was eventually given the All Blacks<\/a>\u2018 reins, taking over from Ian Foster, who himself was under pressure at a similar stage during his tenure.<\/p>\n Scott Robertson was treated unfairly<\/p>\n Unlike Robertson, Foster was allowed to see out his contract and led the side to a Rugby World Cup final where they were defeated by the Springboks.<\/p>\n Stevenson also called \u2018bullsh\u2013t\u2019 on NZ Rugby chairman David Kirk\u2019s claim<\/a> that a player revolt did not result in Robertson\u2019s dismissal before launching his rant about the state of the union.<\/p>\n \u201cIt doesn\u2019t worry me whether you think Scott Robertson was the right person for the job or not. What it all boils down to me is, has the organisation been fair? That should be a concern for people,\u201d he said during his Sports Nation show<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is an organisation that\u2019s supposed to represent the best of the game. The best of us. They appointed a coach on the back of winning seven domestic Super Rugby titles, including when South Africa was still part of the competition, including when Argentina was still part of the competition.<\/p>\n \u201cYou appointed him on the back of that; you appointed him on the back of the strength of his success with a Super Rugby side.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat you\u2019ve said now is that\u2019s never going to be good enough again. And bigger than just this to me is the subtext, which is an admission that the domestic game is not good enough to create international coaches.<\/p>\n \u201cAs an organisation, that is what has been admitted by this. That is what is underneath all of this, and underpinning all of this is that you have abdicated the throne when it comes to being the innovators of World Rugby.\u201d<\/p>\n Rassie Erasmus slammed for \u2018childish\u2019 post that is a \u2018massive disservice\u2019 to Scott Robertson after All Blacks firing<\/a><\/p>\n Running the All Blacks like a Premier League team<\/p>\n The radio host adds that he doesn\u2019t have an issue with the All Blacks maintaining high standards for their coaches and players but accused NZ Rugby of running the team like a Premier League club.<\/p>\n \u201cI have no issue with having huge expectations on win percentages for the All Blacks. I have none at all. It\u2019s not about whether I believe Scott Robertson is the right coach for the job. I just want to look deeper than this for just a second,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n \u201cIf we\u2019re going to become an EPL club where our managers, our coaches come and go at the whim of ownership groups, at the whim of influential people on boards, fair play to you. But I\u2019m not entirely sure that\u2019s going to lead to consistent results. Rassie Erasmus is a World Cup-winning coach on the back of a 76% win ratio. He wins the ones that count.<\/p>\n \u201cScott Robertson is no longer All Blacks coach based on a 74% win ratio.<\/p>\n \u201cThat has always been the difference, I think, between coaching the All Blacks and coaching any other international side. You are judged on every Test as an All Black coach. It\u2019s not the same for any other country. It\u2019s just not. It can\u2019t be. Otherwise, they would be changing coaches every second week.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have massive expectations. I\u2019ve got no problem with that, of course, you should, that\u2019s been part of the All Blacks ethos, it\u2019s been part of the All Blacks brand identity forever. Winning. I can understand that.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is an interesting text, \u2018Has it ever occurred to you the right decision has been made in the best interest of our team?\u2019 Of course it\u2019s occurred to me. What A ridiculous text. It\u2019s not about whether the outcome is right; it\u2019s about the process to get there. I mean, I still believe in a sense of fairness. I still believe that these people are humans and is it in the best interest of the team? Well, time will tell. Careful what you wish for.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s certainly in the best interest of some members of that team. And if they are calling the shots now, good luck to you.\u201d<\/p>\n Richie Mo\u2019unga\u2019s stance following Scott Robertson\u2019s sacking while All Blacks legend issues \u2018time is done\u2019 verdict<\/a><\/p>\n What a mess<\/p>\n Stevenson also hit out at the fact that Wayne Smith was not part of the review process of the 2025 season before taking the decision to remove Robertson.<\/p>\n All in all, the experienced pundit believes that the state of New Zealand Rugby is shambolic.<\/p>\n \u201cThe bigger thing here for me, as always, and I just like to zoom out because we can get stuck in the personality politics of this, and of which there are. Obviously, there are. But what does it say about the state of the organisation, of the game here? That surely concerns fans out there,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is an organisation without a CEO, without a coach for their national side, now we\u2019re on the hunt, two years out from a Rugby World Cup, doesn\u2019t it just look like a mess?<\/p>\n