Analysis: He’s made it clear he’s "no Razor" and he certainly won’t be breakdancing. But there are more similarities between Scott Robertson and replacement Rob Penney than we think, writes Jordan Oppert.
Rob Penney is two weeks into the job yet he walks through Crusaders HQ at Rugby Park like he never left after coaching Canterbury 12 years ago.
He greets people by their first names and with a fist pump – a gesture everyone at his new club does from top to bottom.
And while he looks at home, it’s unusual to be in the building six months out from a new Crusaders season talking Super Rugby (particularly with a World Cup simmering away in the background).
But this was different.
Penney had called in local media, whom he already knows on a first-name basis, for a “meet and greet” over coffee before his first “official” stand up. Whether that was an organisational decision or directive is somewhat irrelevant, because when we sat around the boardroom yesterday at 8:30am Penney took charge, and it was clear like his predecessor relationships matter.
While a large chunk of the 30-minute informal chat was taken up by Rob giving us an insight into his life for the last decade – coaching overseas and the trials and tribulations that came with it, including nine months separated from family in Christchurch due to Covid – he also was the one asking the questions.
“What would be your advice to me from a media perspective heading into the new season?” he asked of us.
“As cliché as it is, be your unapologetic authentic self,” I replied.
The reason I said that is because it’s obvious he has massive shoes to fill taking over from THE Scott ‘Razor’ Robertson – not only because of his aura, but the awe.
Robertson is the most successful coach in Super Rugby history and anyone who chooses to follow in those footsteps is ballsy and brave.
But Penney sees it as a chance to add to the legacy. While he’s got themes he’d like to introduce, he isn’t about to re-invent the wheel.
That’s in part because he’s inherited a solid platform with a stacked roster [even without Sam Whitelock and Richie Mo’unga] and shares the same core values as Razor which revolve around maintaining a culture that is nurturing, caring and loving, an environment where people can express themselves and a place [Rugby Park] people look forward to coming to.
It’s those key principles the organisation believes has made them so successful.
When asked about the pressure on his shoulders to maintain that success, he said, "someone once told me you can look at pressure and it can be an uphill grind or warm wind at your back and I’ll certainly be looking at it as warm wind on my back".
That’s gold, something which Razor offered plenty of.
But where the challenge lies for Penney is not internally but externally.
Where Razor was somewhat of an extrovert, Penney is more so an introvert. And granted he’s only had his feet under the desk for two weeks, but his demeanour is going to take some getting used to.
In fact, I asked 20 people at random on the streets of Christchurch if they could name the current head coach. Seven said Razor, 12 didn’t know and one even threw Robbie Deans’ name out there!
Penney doesn’t particularly like the limelight but knows being head coach of the Crusaders means he doesn’t really get a choice.
We learned to love Razor, and I’m sure the same will be said of Penney if he’s given the chance.
And if he’s his unapologetic, authentic self.
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