Johannesburg - Scott Robertson likes to show off his dance moves, and to be honest, there is a degree of trepidation within me that is not looking forward to it.
The newly-announced All Blacks coach will take over the reins of the New Zealand team in 2024, ending the reign of Ian Foster. Robertson has breakdanced his way into rugby lore by winning six consecutive Super Rugby titles since 2016.
Those championship victories have been punctuated by what I would only describe as a spina-roonie as Robertson gets down on all fours and spins himself around on his back. Very few South African rugby fans have experienced the “humiliation”, unless you are a Lions supporter, of course.
In that case, you have had to endure Robertson and his Crusaders team denying you twice in consecutive years – 2017 and 2018. It is from that experience that I can tell you, although an endearing exercise on the 48-year-old’s part – one that no doubt makes him personable and relatable to his players – you do not want to be on the other side of his shimmy.
So, with that in mind, the worry is that it won’t be long before we must endure this particular brand of celebration at a Test level, and as a Springbok fan I would rather stick needles in my eyes.
All silliness aside, Robertson has all the hallmarks of being an excellent All Black coach – his track record at Super Rugby level speaks for itself. As Crusaders coach, Robertson has overseen 105 matches, won 87 of those, drawn four and lost 14.
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It is a win ratio of 84%, while Planet Rugby will inform you that throughout his 15-year-long coaching career, he has won 88% of his matches. The rigours of Test match rugby are, of course, much more intense but Robertson also understands that.
After all, he played for the All Blacks on 23 occasions between 1998 and 2002, and also went to a World Cup as part of the greater squad in 1999. The All Blacks might not be as feared as they used to be – a strange notion to be sure – but under Robertson there could be a return to that dominance.
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He will have his challenges. After this year’s World Cup in France a clutch of All Black veterans will enter the twilight of their careers, including such luminaries as Codie Taylor, Brodie Retallick, Sam Whitelock, Sam Cane, Aaron Smith and Beauden Barrett. He might choose to invest in younger talent and look past the majority of the current squad post-2023
An argument can also be made – as pointed out by a local highly respected rugby scribe – that Robertson’s time at international level has come and gone, much like the belated appointment of Heyneke Meyer as Bok coach. His style of play and gameplan might just not fit into the current thinking at Test level.
I don’t know about that. What I do know is that the spin-a-roonie, that thing I do fear.
@FreemanZAR