The Razor moniker was coined in tribute to Scott Robertson’s scything tackle technique back when he wasa player, but it is proving an apt nickname in light of his selection style now that he is All Blacks head coach.
Robertson, after throwing the long-serving Finlay Christie back to the Tasman yonder a few weeks ago, has produced a yet more tectonic plate-shifting selection by dropping Rieko Ioane to the bench for this weekend’s test against the Pumas.
It was a decision that most commentators could see coming, and yet when it was confirmed that Ioane, the first choice No 13 since late 2021, had been relegated to the bench to allow Anton Lienert-Brown to start, it still managed to register as something of a shock.
While a change at centre was a definite possibility given the disparate performances of Ioane, Lienert-Brown and Billy Proctor throughout July, the speed at which it has happened is the surprising factor.
There was perhaps an assumption that Ioane, who started both tests against England, would be given one last chance this week to demonstrate that he possesses the breadth of skillset his job demands and that he’s prepared and able to adapt his game to suit the needs of the team.
In two tests against England, he was guilty of tunnel vision at times; too determined to break the line himself and not play his outside backs into space, while Lienert-Brown and Proctor demonstrated against Fiji the value of having natural distributors and astute decision-makers in the midfield.
The slick and multi-skilled performances from Lienert-Brown and Proctor inadvertently highlighted Ioane’s limitations – and presumably confirmed in the minds of the coaching crew that their attack needs a facilitator and distributor at centre rather than an out-and-out strike runner.
Some coaching regimes afford senior players an opportunity to respond to requests that they adapt and improve, but Robertson has clearly come into his new role with a view that no one should be granted extended time to save their spot if there is a compelling alternative.
Ioane, like Christie, was given two tests to stake his claim, just as Samipeni Finau was granted two starts at blindside before being dropped for the Fiji test.
Finlay Christie's performances against England weren't enough to earn him a spot against Argentina. Photo / Photosport
Two tests, then, would appear to be the upper limit of how patient Robertson is prepared to be, and on that basis, his timelines to make decisions about players and pecking orders would be comparatively short, lending weight to his nickname of Razor.
But while a big, era-changing decision like this one to drop Ioane could be characterised as bold, clinical or ruthless, Robertson’s view seems to be that these descriptions would be hyperbolic.
He sees it as a simple case of selecting in alignment with his belief that the All Blacks must operate as a truly competitive entity if they are to get the best out of themselves.
There is, as he insinuated, no credibility in promoting concepts that are not lived, and seeing a player of Ioane’s experience and standing relegated to the bench as a consequence of not delivering against expectation, and Lienert-Brown promoted, has unquestionably sent a powerful message to the rest of the squad that form matters and will be rewarded.
“I think it is important,” Robertson said to the question of how important it is to demonstrate through selection that the environment is genuinely competitive.
“I have always mentioned that my job is to create a depth in the squad, in the All Black team, so guys can step in and get themselves ready.
“To create depth, you need to create competition and to create competition you need to train hard and take opportunities when they are given.
“It is competitive in the team at the moment and the guys are stepping up to it.”
For the players, the new regime has been confronting but rewarding.
It has engendered confidence that Robertson’s tenure will be defined by his actions and not empty rhetoric, and that he has arrived with no agenda to pander to reputations, no preconceived ideas about players, and that he does not hold immovable opinions.
These things matter at the elite level – players have to believe coaches are capable of delivering to their core objectives and they, equally, have to believe their performances – both good and bad – will ultimately determine their selection fate.
“It’s massively important there are 36 players named in this squad and you could make a case for everyone to be named in the starting jumper,” says Lienert-Brown of the way Robertson has used selection to create competition.
“It is a healthy competitive environment. Everyone is aware that anyone at any given time could be in the starting team.
“If you want to be at your best, and if you want the team to be at its best, then you have to be competing amongst each other and how you train is what you will deliver on the weekend.
“Trainings have been highly competitive and will continue like that.”
