Tupou Vaa’i has thanked former All Blacks head coach Scott Robertson for his two years of service to the team.
The Chiefs forward’s international career really took off under Robertson after he bided his time behind the likes of Brodie Retallick and Sam Whitelock during Ian Foster’s tenure.
He made his Test debut for New Zealand back in 2020 and earned 25 caps under Forster’s tutelage, but his international career really took off when Robertson tookover the head coaching reins in 2024.
Vaa’i on Robertson’s sacking
Vaa’i played 13 times in 2024, including two starts against the Springboks in South Africa, adding a further seven last year before injury ruled him out of the end-of-year tour.
Early this month, New Zealand Rugby announced that the union had parted ways with Robertson after a comprehensive review, which included talking to around 20 All Blacks players.
The identity of those players has not been disclosed, and Vaa’i was not willing to give anything away as he feels that the board handled the situation perfectly.
“That’s something that I’m not going to really touch on,” the Chiefs forward told DSPN with Martin Devlin when asked whether he was part of Robertson’s review process.
“I felt like the board really nailed that situation, and it’s kind of above my pay grade that I could answer that question. I’m sorry, I can’t really talk about it.”
While he was not willing to comment on the review process, Vaa’i did express his gratitude to the former head coach, under whom he thrived during his two-year stint in charge.
He revealed the details of his message to Robertson once the news was confirmed.
“My international career really lifted when Razor was the coach for those two years,” he said.
“Funny enough, I messaged and told him thank you for the last two years. I feel like those two years were really important to me and my footy career, probably the most important.
“So, I just messaged him and said, ‘Thank you for your service, and I hope that you and your family are well.’”
Return from injury and next All Blacks boss
The forward is set to mark his return from injury in the Chiefs’ pre-season friendly against the Fijian Drua this weekend. The 26-year-old hasn’t played since the Rugby Championship victory over Australia in August last year.
However, he is slated to feature for 20 minutes in the pre-season fixture as he builds up his fitness ahead of the Chiefs’ Super Rugby Pacific season.
Want more from Planet Rugby? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for world-class coverage you can trust.
Meanwhile, the New Zealand Rugby board will continue its search for Robertson’s successor, with Jamie Joseph and Dave Rennie seen as the frontrunners for the position.
Vaa’i isn’t overly concerned about who will take the reins and says that the players’ responsibility will remain the same.
“The board will take care of that sort of stuff [who the next coach will be], and we’ll just turn up each day and work hard for the jersey, putting the team and country first,” he said.
READ MORE: All Blacks star reveals the ‘left field’ playmaking inspiration who he tried to ‘copy and paste’