Breakdancing coach Robertson energises All Blacks

Senior All Blacks are enjoying the energy brought by new leader Scott Robertson, the surfing, breakdancing and independent coach who has his first Test as coach against England on Saturday.

The man nicknamed “Razor” has inherited a New Zealand club that was criticised for a lack of innovation under his predecessor, Ian Foster.

According to lock Patrick Tuipulotu, Robertson has energised the squad since they met in Wellington last week.

“The first word that comes to mind is probably ‘energy’. I think that’s good for this team,” Tuipulotu said.

“He knows what he wants and he certainly brings that forward, especially in the meeting room.

“There aren’t many guys who fall asleep when he’s out there giving a presentation to us.”

New Zealand open the international season with the first of two Test matches against England in Dunedin on Saturday. It is the All Blacks’ first game since narrowly losing the World Cup final to South Africa in October.

“When you change personnel, it’s inevitable that you’re going to have to deal with different approaches and different ways of thinking,” said center Jordie Barrett.

“You can see the boys having to relearn some terms, but it’s exciting, a fresh change and the boys are looking forward to what’s to come.”

The All Blacks have lost a number of big names since the Rugby World Cup.

Playmaker Richie Mo’unga, one of Robertson’s key lieutenants when he coached Canterbury Crusaders, now plays in Japan.

Experienced forward Sam Whitelock, who also played under Robertson at Canterbury, has retired after 153 Tests.

Robertson has appointed lock Scott Barrett as captain in place of the injured Sam Cane. Loose forward Ardie Savea and Barrett’s brother Jordie are the side’s vice-captains.

– Razor sharp –

With his blond hair, Robertson is a stark difference from the taciturn All Blacks coaches of previous seasons.

It’s not uncommon to see him skateboarding to the beach near his home on the South Island with a surfboard under his arm.

He celebrated the Crusaders’ run of Super Rugby titles by breakdancing on the field.

“We’re going to have fun, stay professional and have high expectations of ourselves, but we’ve got to do it with a smile,” Robertson said.

As a player, Robertson was a free-forward. He made 23 appearances for New Zealand between 1998 and 2002 and was nicknamed Razor for the way he used a knife to knock down opponents.

He is also at a high level as a coach, having led Canterbury Crusaders to seven consecutive Super Rugby titles.

Critics of Robertson point to his lack of experience at international level.

He coached the Barbarians to victory against a shadow team of the All Blacks XV in late 2022 and helped New Zealand juniors to the 2015 under-20 world title.

Scott Hansen, one of Robertson’s assistant coaches at both the Crusaders and now New Zealand, said he has seen one major change recently.

“In all my time at Razor, I’ve never seen him wear a watch, but now he’s wearing one,” Hansen said, indicating that Robertson was less nonchalant about being late.

“Have I seen a change in him? He’s getting better and better. There’s a lot of color, a lot of energy.”

ryj/sft/dh