Scott Robertson was \u201ctotally different\u201d as All Blacks head coach to what he was in Super Rugby, according to a comprehensive report into his sacking.<\/p>\n
Communication with players and coaches, as well as the rivalry between the Crusaders and Blues, played a key role in his downfall.<\/p>\n
That is according to the New Zealand Herald<\/a> who have also suggested that Ardie Savea\u2019s<\/a> alleged dissatisfaction was not a key reason why New Zealand Rugby decided to pull the trigger.<\/p>\n Perhaps central to Robertson\u2019s<\/a> exit was the apparent change in the 51-year-old\u2019s change in personality after taking the All Blacks<\/a> job.<\/p>\n Man-management issues<\/p>\n He was incredibly well-liked at the Crusaders and was seen as a players\u2019 coach, but his man-management skills were questioned once in the national team role.<\/p>\n It appears as though the pressure got to Robertson as soon as he became All Blacks boss, a position he had coveted for some time.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was difficult from the start,\u201d one insider told the Herald. \u201cYou had Crusaders players saying, \u2018We don\u2019t recognise this guy. He\u2019s totally different to the Scott Robertson that we worked with in the Crusaders\u2019.<\/p>\n \u201cThey said that in the Crusaders he was upbeat, he was fun, he was energetic.\u201d<\/p>\n The source added that he was \u201cjust on edge\u201d and \u201calways tense\u201d, stating that \u201cfun stuff was gone\u201d and making it \u201cdifficult right from the start for everyone.<\/p>\n \u201cThe only thing I can think of as being the reason for that is the pressure.\u201d<\/p>\n His coaching credentials were also doubted with very little on display during his time in charge. Instead, he would look to motivational videos in an attempt to boost team morale.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019d play the clip, and at the end of the clip, he\u2019d go, \u2018Everyone good? Cool, let\u2019s go.\u2019 You were not getting any inspirational speeches, you were not seeing any rugby IQ, any innovation,\u201d another source told the outlet.<\/p>\n \u201cI just think the poor guy was under so much pressure.\u201d<\/p>\n Ian Foster\u2019s verdict on All Blacks vacancy and issues \u2018sure of it\u2019 prediction after Scott Robertson\u2019s sacking<\/a><\/p>\n Handing over responsibility<\/p>\n The report also seems to confirm earlier suspicions that Robertson handed responsibility over to his backroom team, telling the players to discuss selection with the likes of Jason Ryan and Scott Hansen.<\/p>\n That was also the case when Leon MacDonald was on board, with a Herald source claiming that the coach was expected to tell the players why they had been dropped, despite Robertson making the call.<\/p>\n Although the head coach did have an \u201cinitial chat\u201d with a player, the assistant would then discuss the \u201cspecifics\u201d, leading to some \u201cgnarly conversations.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s just so different to the approach they were used to with Foz [Ian Foster] and those who dealt with Steve Hansen,\u201d one source said.<\/p>\n \u201cFoz, on a Monday night, would sit players down to explain to them why they\u2019re not being selected. And a lot of times, he\u2019d actually cry.<\/p>\n \u201cWith Razor, he wasn\u2019t doing any of that Monday night stuff. You\u2019d rock up to the bus to go to training on Tuesday. He\u2019d tap you on the shoulder and just go \u2018Oh, I just want to let you know you\u2019re not playing this week, cool\u2019 and walk off. So you go into a training session trying to process that.\u201d<\/p>\n Crusaders-Blues rivalry<\/p>\n There was possibly also politics at play, particularly when it came to the rivalry between the Crusaders and Blues.<\/p>\n Before Robertson took the All Blacks job, there were worries that there would be Crusaders bias. Although it did not seem to be prevalent during his tenure, it did not stop those from Auckland being disappointed by some of the selections.<\/p>\n According to the Herald the Blues hierarchy were \u201cdismayed\u201d when Super Rugby MVP Hoskins Sotutu did not get called up, even though it proved to be the correct decision with Wallace Sititi \u2013 the player who was picked instead \u2013 winning the World Rugby Breakthrough Player of the Year.<\/p>\n The 51-year-old perhaps did not help himself, though, with the report claiming he left one Blues player in \u201ctears\u201d after telling him he was in the \u201ctop tier of players\u201d, only to drop him from the squad weeks later with \u201cno explanation\u201d.<\/p>\n There is another side to the story, however, with the report suggesting he received \u201cover, unprompted and sometimes questioning\u201d comments from those at the Auckland-based side because of what the players were saying.<\/p>\n One source reckoned it played a big part in the review, telling the Herald it \u201cwasn\u2019t just listened to, it was reinforced and encouraged, then pushed upwards \u2026 into NZR\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cThat shaped the feedback environment around the review in a big way.\u201d<\/p>\n