Scott Robertson interview: All Blacks coach on why Test rugby needs players like Marcus Smith

It was at Twickenham in March that Scott Robertson’s first assignment as New Zealand head coach became tougher. England had stuttered their way through the first three rounds of the Six Nations, with reigning champions and consecutive Grand Slam-hunting Ireland in waiting. After the dismal defeat at Murrayfield, the expectation was that England’s players were lambs to be slaughtered on their own patch.

What transpired, however, did not follow the script.

Robertson was in the crowd that day to see Marcus Smith’s late dropped goal ensure an against-the-odds English victory. And it was not just the result which made the rugby world stand up and take note, but the manner of it. The man they call Razor was impressed as a stadium rocked after a performance for the ages. He was sharp enough to discern, too, that Steve Borthwick’s side would be no pushovers in the upcoming two-Test series against his All Blacks, his first two games in charge.

“The Ireland match was probably a reflection of how detailed, planned and prepared Steve is with his teams,” Robertson, 49, tells Telegraph Sport. “He knows how to put pressure on teams. That afternoon, it all came together. Turnover ball, the ability to play to space, trust themselves on the edge and get the ball there, they grew with it. It was a fine show of Test footy. What a day for it, a full house, a spectacle. I really enjoyed it – the crowd, the singing. It felt like it united everyone.”

‘England have grown their game – it’s great to watch’

What Robertson has witnessed since is an England side developing “world class” elements. The former boss of the Crusaders, the franchise at which he became the most successful Super Rugby coach of all time with seven consecutive titles, praises the English back row’s ability on the floor, Smith’s willingness to conjure spells at fly-half, and the sprinkling of Northampton’s attacking talent.

“England’s loose-forward trio is extremely gifted,” Robertson says. “Their ability to slow down the breakdown is world class. With Marcus at 10, he’s a creator, he can do things out of hand or off his feet – beating players, kicking – and he creates a lot.

“We’ve had a few 10s over the years who have been very similar to Marcus: natural, quick, with great hands. A timely burst of pace which can change a game. The electric feet that he has, with the way Harlequins have played over the years, and how he’s played for England, he’s been brilliant. We love to see that sort of play. It’s what we need in these series and in international rugby. Players like him, at their best.

“And the way Northampton have come through, with their style, their backs and their second-man plays, the ability to keep the ball alive and make defenders check. England have grown their game. It’s great to watch.”

Now, Robertson is concocting a plan to defeat them, having this week selected his squad for the two Tests, in Dunedin and Auckland. Scott Barrett, a former lieutenant of Robertson’s at the Crusaders, will captain the side, picked from a squad containing five uncapped players and 15 from the Super Rugby final between the Chiefs and the victorious Blues.

“A hell of a game,” the former flanker says, explaining how a “finely balanced squad of a lot of Test caps and some exciting young guys” was put together – without any foreign-based players, a policy which the New Zealander believes works.

“The way I set up my coaching groups is to ask them to select the area that they coach,” he says. “Me: loose forwards. Jason Ryan: tight five. Scott Hansen: nine and 10. Jason Holland is midfield and Leon’s the outside backs. They’ve all played in that area and they’ve all coached in that area, so they’re experts. They have tracked all the players and given them feedback throughout the season. They’ve built a relationship with those players. And their job is to go through our selection model and explain why they’ve selected those players.

“Then we discuss it. In the end, I have the final call, but it makes it robust. There’s ownership and accountability. You have to own those selections and you have to own the players that you have selected.”

‘I have a responsibility to bring the nation together’

During Robertson’s tenure as Crusaders coach, he gained a reputation as a leader who valued the holistic side of coaching, employing creative methods to both master the tactics of the game and the behaviour of his players. He has overcome dyslexia to rise to the top job in New Zealand sport. Now, the challenge is not just uniting a squad, but a nation, too, with “mana” - a Maori concept concerning honour and respect – at the forefront.

“As head coach, I have a responsibility to bring the nation together,” he says. “The mantra is ‘together we walk’. We want people to come with us on the journey. It’s important to take the first step and enjoy the opportunity I’ve been given, to lead such a fine, historic team. And make our own history. The story is around uniting a small country at the bottom of the Earth in a game that we love. We’re proud and hold a lot of ‘mana’ in who we do and what we are.

“It’s the black jersey. The expectation is that you win. But to win and develop, there is an art to that.”

‘I will breakdance again if we win the World Cup’

And, with a four-year World Cup cycle ahead of Robertson, should his first two All Blacks Tests end in victory, is there any chance of seeing some of that trademark breakdancing at Eden Park next month?

“No disrespect to England, but maybe not after two Tests!” he says. “If we hold up the World Cup [in 2027], I’m happy to hit the floor. I’ll hit the ground with a beat on.”

The journey to gyrating immortality begins next month with the arrival of Borthwick’s side. A series with post-Ireland England alongside Robertson? There is one certainty: it will be fun.