The All Blacks are in disarray, and one legendary figure thinks only a controversial South African mastermind can rescue them!
It seems the New Zealand Rugby landscape is experiencing a rather turbulent period, with a couple of significant departures shaking things up. Following the recent sacking of head coach Scott Robertson last week, New Zealand Rugby finds itself in an unfamiliar position of uncertainty. Adding to this, the organization is also currently without a chief executive, as Mark Robinson has announced his decision to step down and relocate to Australia to dedicate more time to his family.
However, the departure of Scott Robertson is the move that's truly igniting the most discussion. While chatting about the head coach role on the Rivals podcast, a renowned figure from the All Blacks, Sir John Kirwan, decided to playfully tease former Springboks lock Victor Matfield.
'You will have to pay him a lot'
Sir John Kirwan quipped, “I heard Rassie applied for it Victor, I don’t know if you’ve heard that.”
Matfield, never one to be outdone, delivered a perfect retort, suggesting, “he’s probably the only one that can save New Zealand Rugby at the moment.” He then added with a smile, “Maybe he will come; you will have to pay him a lot.”
Shifting to more serious considerations, Matfield then offered an insightful perspective on why Robertson might not have succeeded with the All Blacks. Despite considerable anticipation surrounding the 51-year-old's arrival in 2023, his Super Rugby success with the Crusaders didn't quite translate to the Test arena.
Matfield explained, “All these things – game plan, team culture – that starts with the coach. I’ve seen it. When Heyneke Meyer, who came into the Springboks set-up and was so set in his ways in terms of how he worked with the Bulls players.” He continued, “Unfortunately, a Bulls culture, Stormers culture and even a Sharks culture is so different and Razor coming out of that Crusaders camp, they’ve got a certain way of doing things and they’ve had a very experienced squad for the last 10 to 15 years. Maybe it’s just a bit difficult and some of the other guys with different cultures couldn’t fit into that Crusaders culture.”
Matfield's Surprise
Matfield expressed his genuine surprise at the decision, especially given Robertson's impressive win record. However, he acknowledged that a rumored rift with star player Ardie Savea was likely a significant factor that would have caused trouble.
“From all of us in South Africa, we didn’t expect it. There’s no one with a better record in Super Rugby than Razor, the amount of trophies that he’s won – it just shows the quality of coach that he is,” Matfield stated. He mused, “I don’t think you will ever get a team dominate world rugby like the All Blacks did for 15 or 20 years. He had a 74 per cent win record. Rassie is the best coach of all time in South Africa and he’s standing on 75 per cent. It’s pretty hard on him but the moment I saw the article of Ardie Savea not being very happy with Razor, I knew there was going to be trouble. Ardie is a well respected rugby player all across the world. It takes a lot of senior players to come out and speak up against the coach. Especially Ardie, he’s not an arrogant guy, he’s a very down to earth guy.”
But here's where it gets controversial: Is it truly possible for one coach, even one as highly regarded as Rassie Erasmus, to single-handedly save an entire national team? And what does it say about the state of New Zealand Rugby if they're looking outside their own borders for a savior?
Do you agree with Victor Matfield's assessment? Could Rassie Erasmus be the answer for the All Blacks, or is this a sign of deeper issues within New Zealand Rugby? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
