Scott Robertson admits the All Blacks can learn plenty from the Springboks and that they will ‘imitate’ some of Rassie Erasmus’ unique ideas.
South Africa, the reigning back-to-back Rugby World Cup champions, capped off their 2023 triumph — a narrow victory over Ian Foster’s New Zealand — with an impressive 2024 campaign. Under the guidance of head coach Rassie Erasmus, the Springboks won 11 of their 13 matches and lifted the Rugby Championship trophy, reinforcing their status as the top team in world rugby.
Meanwhile, the All Blacks find themselves in unfamiliar territory. They are currently on a four-match losing streak against their fierce rivals, a run that includes two defeats under new head coach Scott Robertson in his debut season.
Although New Zealand experienced inconsistent form throughout 2024, a strong finish to the year has renewed optimism. Robertson believes the team can reclaim their place atop the World Rugby rankings — and part of that journey includes learning from the Springboks’ methods.
“What Rassie has done exceptionally well is his clarity in the second half of matches — knowing how to make impactful changes,” Robertson told the Sunday Star-Times. “That’s an area we’re looking to grow.”
He continued: “They’ve developed a formula that really works for them — a brutal, pressure-based style that pins teams back but also allows for some brilliant rugby off turnovers.
“Naturally, we can learn from others. Our goal is to blend a touch of imitation with our own innovation as we look to set a new standard in 2025.”
The All Blacks, and therefore the head coach, had their critics in 2024 and at one stage lost three out of four matches, but recovered to only lose one more – a narrow away loss to France – during the rest of the Test campaign.
Robertson was pleased with plenty of what he saw last year but the Crusaders legend insists that the challenge is to put it together for longer periods.
“You’re always evolving your identity. We created so much in Tests, and just didn’t finish. The effort was there – just not the discipline and self-control,” he said.
“We played some incredible rugby – just not for long enough. Looking at how we can get better is the great part of being a coach.”
As for Robertson himself, 2024 provided a big personal learning curve in his first campaign as boss of the All Blacks.
The 50-year-old made his name by guiding the Crusaders to seven Super Rugby titles in as many seasons before taking over from Foster last year.
Even for a coach as talented as Robertson, he needed an adjustment period to adapt to the rigours of Test rugby, having never been involved in tier one international rugby before.
There were brief stints with Brazil and the New Zealand U20 side, where they won the World Rugby U20 Championship in 2015, but this is obviously a few levels up from that.
“You learn on the job. You learn on your feet. I’m better for that. I’m also mindful of making sure we’re quick to adjust to where the game is going, and stay a step ahead,” he added.
“That’s on-field. And off-field, it’s how can I get the best out of everyone in the organisation? There’s a lot more off-field than on-field.”
