For new All Blacks coach Scott Robertson, time at sea is a precious respite from the stresses of work – except when it comes to close encounters with ‘huge’ man-eating sharks.
These days, after multiple knee surgeries, the 49-year-old paddles out in the mornings as often as his position and schedule allow. Surfing used to be his activity of choice, and it was in 2018 that Robertson had what he calls his “little moment” in South Africa.
‘We were at one of the golf resorts a couple of hours south of Durban, and a tiger shark came out,’ he said. ‘The guy went out and I was the last one out. That’s when I saw the shark. It was big. It was huge. I looked around and there was nobody there. So I just got on my board, put my feet out and went right in.
‘I just glanced over my shoulder, it was a big deal. When the other guy got in, he could have told me! He was close enough. That was my little moment! I’m pretty calm when I’m in the waves, but that was just a little signal.’
Robertson jokingly mimicked deep breathing as he hurriedly avoided the waves and swayed on the beach. But the experience didn’t stop him from giving up his favorite pastime. Even now, despite the daunting task of managing a team that is considered a national obsession in New Zealand, he still gets to the water whenever he can.
New Zealand’s head coach Scott Robertson (pictured) loves surfing but narrowly escaped a man-eating shark attack in South Africa in 2018.
He is now tasked with leading New Zealand back to the top of world rugby.
‘There was a 10-foot wave today,’ he said. ‘I’d be in Antarctica right now! I try to get out there. I still check the surf report all the time. It’s on the app wherever I go. Some people play golf, I surf. Some people go to the gym, I surf or swim. I’m a water guy.’
Robertson will cherish his ocean refuge more than ever, as a means of escape from the maelstrom of hope and hype. The Kiwis will expect the All Blacks to conquer all their rivals and will be hoping to mark a new era with a win over England at Forsyth Bar Stadium on Saturday.
Robertson, who won seven successive Super Rugby titles with the Crusaders in Christchurch, was announced as the next national team coach in March last year, eight months after his predecessor Ian Foster defied pessimistic predictions and led the team to the World Cup final.
So, the new guy has been eyeing this first test for over a year. It’s no wonder he’s excited and realizes the stakes are high. ‘I realized I had to do it,’ he said.
If his career sliding door moment had taken Robertson in a different direction, he might have been in the visiting camp this weekend. The RFU interviewed him in November 2022, when they were working on a succession plan before Eddie Jones’ term ended a year later. Then the Australian was abruptly sacked and Steve Borthwick was brought in from Leicester to replace him on short notice.
Although he publicly expressed interest in the England job, it ultimately wasn’t the right fit for Robertson and his family. What he really wanted was something closer to home.
‘We talked about living in a castle at one point, me and my wife,’ he joked when asked about interest from England. ‘I thought about going to France, but after all the great times I had at the Crusaders, I didn’t want to go back to club rugby. It was time to test myself at Test level and the All Blacks gave me the opportunity. There were other opportunities but my feet are here.’
Robertson could replace Eddie Jones (pictured) as England manager in 2022.
England have opted for Steve Borthwick (pictured) instead and Robertson’s first game in charge of the All Blacks will be against Borthwick’s men on Saturday.
Asked why taking charge of England was not for him, he added: ‘There are a lot of factors. The age of the children, the wife. We spent three years in France and one year in Japan. We understood what it was like to bring the children and then we took the next step in our lives. We dug deep into all those areas and what was right for us and what wasn’t. My first choice was where I am now. I’m happy to continue in that fight. And here I am now.’
Robertson has earned recognition and praise far beyond the Canterbury region of New Zealand’s South Island, where he led a golden era of title-winning form. When the RFU invited him to Twickenham for a chat, the Kiwi free spirit renewed his coaching alliance with former Crusaders assistant Ronan O’Gara on behalf of the Barbarians. The pair clearly embraced the true spirit of the inaugural team, as evidenced by their hungover profile pictures.
The image went viral, drawing plenty of laughs, with Robertson recalling the episode: ‘Oh my gosh. I don’t do social media, but I showed him. He looked worse than me!’ The relevance of the experience is that the win over a New Zealand XV showed Robertson can work miracles in a short space of time, and that’s what he’s here to do.
He has a dyslexia, and that has affected the way he coaches. He focuses on using images and clear, simple instructions. ‘That’s how I’ve always worked,’ he said. ‘I’m not good at administration. I just talk to the pictures and make them come alive.’
Robertson enjoyed formative experiences in Northern Ireland before embarking on a professional career, which had a profound impact on him. After finishing school at Mount Maunganui, he played briefly for the Az Rugby Club and returned home with a strong sense that he needed to further his education.
He recalled the time and said: ‘It helped me grow. I was a little bit sheltered. It helped me grow into the realities of life and the opportunities that were out there.
‘I was limited in my thinking. The most important thing I learned from playing at Ards was that you have to get an education. A lot of people went to Queen’s University. I sat in the back of the lecture hall and listened. They went to Amsterdam or London. To finance and the markets. Education gave them that opportunity and I didn’t have that opportunity.’
Armed with this new perspective, Robertson signed with the Crusaders, who funded his degree at Lincoln University in Christchurch. It was an example for many All Blacks who followed him. “I was a bit of a pioneer in that sense,” he said.
New Zealand lost to South Africa by one point in last year’s Rugby World Cup final.
New Zealand will now look to usher in a new era against England under Robertson.
One of those who graduated from Lincoln is Richie McCaw, the iconic two-time World Cup-winning New Zealand captain who was invited to the All Blacks camp to talk about the current squad and the challenges ahead. They are taking England seriously and are a team that can spoil the launch party of a new era.
‘They’ve evolved their game with the ball in their hands,’ said Robertson. ‘They still play pressure football and like to compete in the air, but they’re a little bit braver now when they attack in the air. There’s a little bit of an unknown side to them. Steve’s been working with them for a year and he’s a really capable and meticulous coach. You can see how they’ve evolved.’
When the Crusaders won the Super Rugby title in recent years, Robertson celebrated with an impromptu break dance surrounded by players. But it will take more than just one Test win for him to show off his body-shaking moves in his new job.
He said of the next World Cup, “Let’s get to Australia in four years.” That’s the goal. That’s the sky-high expectation. Nothing else works.
