"Loss of trust" could see Scott Robertson head to England, says Marshall

For All Black scrumhalf Justin Marshall says a breakdown in the relationship between New Zealand Rugby and Crusaders boss Scott Robertson means that the latter could well be appointed to the England top job after the 2023 World Cup.

Robertson came close to taking the reins in August after a disastrous run of results recorded by the All Blacks, including a first ever home series loss to the Irish. However, the NZR bigwigs elected to stick with the incumbent, Ian Foster.

Robertson’s former teammate, Marshall, shared his thoughts on the current situation.

“Scott Robertson has had, very much in his mind, some disappointment, because he’s lost a little trust in the New Zealand Rugby Union who had made him some promises and then changed their mind,” Marshall told the Evening Standard Rugby Podcast.

“So would he trust that, regardless of what happens at the Rugby World Cup he would coach the All Blacks? Because they have said that before and it hasn’t happened.

“So I would imagine he’s a bit worried about hanging on, and then if say the All Blacks win the World Cup and they don’t offer him the job, when there’s a team knocking his door down very much at the moment.”

Marshall went on to explain just what makes Robertson such an effective coach.

“He’s very, very good at creating a culture, and what good coaches do, they have this ability to get a group of other people around the team that enables them to function and create culture,” Marshall said.

“Culture is all about making people happy in the environment. Every team has a multi-cultural environment, with different backgrounds, trying to keep them and their families happy is the key thing.

“He’s very good at theming, creating goals for players and for the team, to create success.

“He has a very good brain for the game but also great people underneath him who help him implement things.

“You see people group around him when they do well and when they win, in breakdancing celebrations and things, and that’s because he’s part of the team.

“And that’s key, you want players in an environment where they are going to thrive.”