Why Scott Robertson wants to coach in France

By Neil Reid

Scott Robertson — considered by many as the leading contender to become the next All Blacks coach — has spoken of his desire to coach in France, including the chance to take charge of the French national team.

And he has talked of how things he learnt as a player in France have been adopted by the Crusaders during his five title-winning coaching stint with the team.

Robertson has been widely tipped to replace Ian Foster after this year’s Rugby World Cup in France.

New Zealand Rugby wants to have contracted the next coaching team by April, a timing that Foster says could be a distraction for the All Blacks’ playing and coaching teams during World Cup year.

As well as Robertson, fellow former All Black Jamie Joseph has been another name bandied about as a potential front-runner to become coach.

But in a newly-released book by English author Peter Bills on rugby in France, Robertson has talked of his desire to coach in France — where he spent several seasons playing for Perpignan — and says he would be open to taking charge of the French national team.

“One of the reasons I went to France was to learn their language and understand about their culture,” Robertson says in the new book, Le Coq: A Journey to the Heart of French Rugby.

“I did that, but now it is one of my personal goals to go back someday to win the Bouclier [Top 14 trophy the Bouclier de Brennus]. Or even coach the French team.

“I would love to do that; it would be a great challenge for me. Something entirely different.”

Robertson told Bills how he was aware only two non-French coaches had ever taken their respective club teams to Top 14 glory.

“So, the chances of winning it as a foreign coach are stacked against you. Which is probably why I’d love to go back and try one day,” he said.

“To coach in the competition that I played in would be something special.”

Robertson headed to France in 2003, a year after playing the last of his 22 matches for the All Blacks.

Twenty years after linking up with Perpignan, he spoke glowingly in Le Coq of his time there and the French style of rugby.

“It was about freedom,” he said in Le Coq.

“They had a pretty special philosophy and unique way of their skill-set system. When they would find their offloading game and pass off the inside hip, it would fire.

“And they loved it when people talked about it, the French flair.

“Some of the teams you played, like Toulouse — wow, bang . . . some of the tries they scored and the way they played! They would light things up beautifully.”

Robertson also spoke of how it took him time to come to grips with some of the brutal reality of playing in France.

He said in Le Coq, he had been stunned at some of the violence in the top league.

“I remember there was a game that we played against Beziers,” he told Bills. “It was an all-out fight; there were people coming in from all over the show.

“It was horrible. I went the other way; I wasn’t used to it.

“I just didn’t understand how quickly it could turn on its head. But I did understand there was a sort of village mentality. You protected your own, you looked after your own.

“Of course, the laws allowed it then which was a shame. It was just part of the game, their culture.”

Robertson said he was glad to see how that violence had been cracked down on over the past two decades.

“The French are still aggressive but it’s nowhere near as violent. It has changed with the world.”

Robertson finished his professional playing career in Japan, before becoming a coach.

Aspects of the game he had learnt in French had been adopted and incorporated into his own coaching philosophy, he said.

“Definitely about them challenging around the maul and how much of a weapon it is,” Robertson said.

“They can grind you down with the tries and penalties that they created to put pressure on teams.

“That is one of the Crusaders’ foundation trademarks now. We have tried and tested it for five years. The French approach to this game really is unique.”

Robertson said earlier this month the All Blacks coaching position was set to be firmed up in February.

He indicated he knew what his fate was in terms of the job, but was now waiting for New Zealand Rugby to make a public announcement.

They were comments which took New Zealand Rugby by surprise, with the national body later releasing a statement saying: “New Zealand Rugby is continuing to have internal discussions, but an announcement about the All Blacks head coach or process is not imminent.”

Robertson made his comments on the day NZR was launching the women’s Super Rugby Aupiki competition, taking some of the focus off that launch.

NZR chief executive Mark Robinson was also left frustrated several days later when he was again asked about Robertson’s comments at a press conference to announce Allan Bunting’s new role as the Black Ferns’ director of rugby.

This article was first published on nzherald.co.nz and is republished here with permission