Who is the real Scott Robertson? The ‘unique’ All Blacks coach explained

Crusaders coach Scott Robertson celebrates winning the Super Rugby Pacific final. Photo / Photosport

As he prepared for a 1997 preseason game Scott “Razor” Robertson draped his Crusaders jersey over a chair in his room in Timaru. Nothing unusual there, only the jersey faced a wall socket with the power switch on. The reasoning? Robertson was attempting to channel the electricity into his jersey.

Such a tale offers an insight into Robertson’s distinctively quirky, out-of-the-box persona that invigorated the Sumner rugby club, Canterbury and the Crusaders in the last 15 years. With those same coaching qualities he will seek to inspire the All Blacks from next year.

With infectious enthusiasm at its core, Robertson’s All Blacks tenure promises to be an authentic, eccentric adventure.

“My parents always said ‘be yourself, son’. I remember that catchphrase growing up,” Robertson said this week after signing a four-year contract as All Blacks head coach from 2024. “That’s who I am. I can always get better in different areas but what I know now is I can bring energy to a group, I can connect people, I have great vision. I enjoy what I do, how I do it and the people I work with – so you’ll get me.”

Scott Robertson in action for Canterbury in the 1996 NPC semifinal against Counties Manakau. Photosport

Robertson, the Mount Maunganui born-and-raised surfer, shifted south to carve a career as a loose forward and adopt the Razor moniker for his try-scoring celebrations with Canterbury and the Crusaders, and in 23 tests for the All Blacks, before traversing to France and Japan to finish his playing career.

As a coach, his laid-back image overshadows a deeply passionate, competitive, sensitive blend.

Described as genuine, warm and emotional by Crusaders chief executive Colin Mansbridge, Robertson’s domestic coaching success that includes an 83.2 per cent win rate and 10 titles started with his transition from playing at the humble seaside Sumner club, where he transformed the division two battlers overnight.

Tim Cronin was Sumner team manager as Robertson charted successive unbeaten, title-winning campaigns – 40 victories on the trot – in 2008 and 2009. Robertson stayed on to lead the club to fifth in their maiden division one season before concentrating on his Canterbury assistant role.

I’ve never seen anybody connect with different individuals as well as he can or connect with a common cause.

Tim Cronin, Sumner team manager

While guiding the Crusaders, Robertson remains connected to the club after returning to mid-week trainings to help establish the Colts team that won their title in 2020.

“I’ve never seen anybody connect with different individuals as well as he can or connect with a common cause,” Cronin recalled. “At Sumner, he started dabbling in the theming he puts around his season. He started to flesh that out and understand the value in having a purpose around everything within the group. I haven’t seen anyone in sport or business who has been as effective as Razor at that.

“Everything he has touched has turned to gold. The big thing is his ability to get that one percent out of talented players. The All Blacks coach gets served up great players. Are you good enough to get one percent rather than having them underperform? It’s consistently winning year after year one of the toughest competitions on the planet. That’s what we’re after from our All Blacks coach – that consistent elite performance.”

Alongside the envy that inevitably accompanies six Super Rugby titles, Robertson’s exuberant personality – encapsulated by his notorious break-dancing celebrations – form a lightning rod for those who believe he craves the limelight.

Cronin suggests that’s a prevailing misconception.

“You’ll see after the Crusaders have won there’ll be some trolls hacking off at him about it. Those two years we went unbeaten, Razor doing his break dance at the end was as much a symbol of success as raising the trophy above your head. Look at what happened last year. He was reluctant to do the dance at Eden Park and it was the Crusaders players encouraging him. He’s not trying to say he’s the world’s greatest break dancer.”

During his time at Sumner, Cronin says everyone from young disillusioned kids to grey-haired grannies loved Robertson. Walking down the sideline, he made time for everyone. He knew the names of children, girlfriends, supporters alike.

“He knows what’s going on so players are coming to him when they need life advice. A lot of what he’s doing is trying to make sure they’re happy in their own skin before he’s asking them to be happy out on the field.”

Robertson’s public perception is not, according to Cronin, reality.

“People look at him and see this relaxed surfer dude but he played for the All Blacks so he’s an extremely competitive guy. He’s got very high standards. He’s just got a different way of achieving them than that old school traditional Kiwi mentality. I’m blown away when I look at my kids’ schools and how few are in love with rugby like kids were 20 years ago. It’s a time when the new generation isn’t connecting with the traditional faces of New Zealand rugby.”

Scott Robertson is famous for his love of big waves. Photo / Getty Images

Robertson is clearly unique - yet his coaching style is shaped by experiences. In many respects, he’s a blended by-product of his rugby environments.

At the Crusaders he played under inaugural coach Vance Stewart, Wayne Smith and Robbie Deans, the latter two remaining mentors throughout his coaching career.

Following a horror maiden Super Rugby season when they finished last with two wins, Smith assumed charge and, together with mental skills coach Gilbert Enoka, set about defining the meaning behind playing for the Crusaders.

Smith and Enoka concocted a presentation depicting the limited best bits from the ‘96 season, with Robertson’s efforts featuring in clips alongside Todd Blackadder, Mark Mayerhofler, Daryl Gibson and Angus Gardiner.

The video, set against the backdrop of the Hunters and Collectors song Holy Grail, contained King Henry V’s Agincourt speech which states among other elements: “We band of brothers. The man who sheds his blood with me shall be my brother; however humble he may be, this day will elevate his status.”

Experiencing such theming, the power of playing for a greater purpose, in his playing career had a profound impact on Robertson, a self-confessed ideas man who needs assistants with strong detail skills to complement his style and bring the vision to life.

At the Crusaders, Robertson isn’t often overly involved in hands-on coaching. Scott Hansen and Jason Ryan, prior to his elevation to the All Blacks last year, held responsibility on that front which allows Robertson the freedom to adopt a helicopter approach of driving strategy, connecting with individual players, working with the leadership group and forging alignment.

Robertson has evolved over time, too, by sourcing ways to combat his dyslexia. As Mansbridge explains: “While he’s an extroverted thinker and can charge all over the place, when he’s speaking to players he’s very disciplined on clarity and precision.”

After working with him for the last 11 years, All Blacks hooker Codie Taylor knows Robertson well.

“He’s definitely a unique character. The whole of New Zealand is aware of his personality. It’s awesome the way he approaches things,” Taylor says.

“There’s no hiding from the fact that what he brings to the environment is special. The thing he drives the most is the culture. He loves having themes involved each year. He demands a lot from us players but also the wider staff, board, everyone. That’s a real asset he has. The vision is seen by everyone not just the team which goes a long way to getting everything right for us to be successful.”

Robertson’s most well-known theme was based on Muhammad Ali’s Rumble in the Jungle victory against George Foreman – likening the Crusaders’ nine-year title drought in 2017 to Ali regaining the heavyweight crown after being stripped of his title seven years earlier for refusing to fight in the Vietnam War.

Sam Whitelock, pictured with coach Scott Robertson, is one of several Crusaders in the All Blacks. Photo / Photosport

As it transpired, in Robertson’s first year at the helm, the Crusaders travelled to Johannesburg where they defeated the Lions in the final at Ellis Park.

A gifted storyteller through the use of symbolism, Robertson conjured another theme around leaving your mark when the Crusaders changed their logo in 2019 to the Tohu emblem they now embrace.

At the start of that campaign each player received a badge with the Tohu thumbprint. Robertson spoke about the great trades of old, the master craftsmen, and how much repetition they needed to become experts in their field. That analogy was designed to inspire the repeat mundane skill work required throughout another title-winning season.

“The great thing about our themes is they’ve all led to something else,” Taylor says. “Rumble in the Jungle just happened to fit out perfectly the way the season ended up. We just happened to go play in South Africa.

“As a player when you’ve been doing that theme all year and then it finishes there you think ‘wow this is the moment we’ve been working for’. It doesn’t mean you’re guaranteed anything but it does give you a common cause and it unites the boys. That’s the power of what it can have.

“He drives mindset really well. He adds to the other coaches with little bits of gold here and there but he’s just a great people manager. That’s his greatest asset – his ability to manage players, management and get everyone to believe in one thing.

“Coaches don’t always get it right. There’s times when you need to check in and have those conversations. The great thing about our environment is we’ve got senior players who are happy to do that and he listens, digests and reacts. That’s a credit to him.”

That close connection to his senior players extends to coaches and management. Mansbridge, Crusaders chief executive for the last five years, extolls Robertson’s ability to bring player’s partners and the team’s commercial, marketing, board, sponsors along for the ride.

“People find it very easy to drink the Kool-Aid when Razor is around,” Mansbridge says. “I have never come across such an optimistic person. Any time you talk to him about an issue he reframes it as an opportunity. He’s a very influential individual.”

While affectionately called the boss Mansbridge notes Robertson’s soft touch that sees him physically embrace players on a regular basis.

“He understands emotions very well and that’s why he appeals to most players. Whenever you put him in a box and think he’s really good at relationships he’ll then turn around and make a brilliant observation about the game.

“You’ll get the occasional one where it might not be the perfect love affair but most coaches would die in a ditch for him the same way players would. I’ve seen players not play well and when they go up to him they’re disappointed in themselves. He’s got a very strong connection.”

Mansbridge points to luring Irish great Ronan O’Gara as assistant coach in 2018 and recruiting former Pumas captain Pablo Matera last year as examples of Robertson’s restless, inquisitive drive to improve.

“Pablo was good for us because it’s almost like bringing in someone else to critique your environment. He’d sit down with him and analyse things so he’s quite open.”

Eight months from now, Robertson will formally assume the coveted role he’s long sought and twice missed out on.

New Zealand Rugby chair Dame Patsy Reddy might have thought she was getting the final word at Robertson’s unveiling on Tuesday. Asked whether his break-dancing celebrations will continue with the All Blacks, Reddy responded: “Only when he wins the World Cup. We look forward to the inspirational journey he will take us on.”

Robertson interjected: “Every four years is enough for me.”

No pressure, then.