New All Blacks head coach Scott Robertson has begun his tenure by holding a two-day camp in Auckland for a group of 22 players involved in last year’s World Cup, a mid-summer assignment which included a session with the police’s special tactics group.
Robertson, never afraid to think outside the box during his seven years in charge of the Crusaders, let slip the police connection at the end of a media briefing this afternoon.
The idea of the camp – not something the All Blacks normally do at this time of year – was to connect and test the fitness of the players but also their resolve before they head back to their Super Rugby teams.
The New Zealand Police website describes the special tactics group as a unit who “apply specialist skills and tactics to escalating situations which require more than the capability or capacity of the armed offenders squad.
“This includes terrorism incidents, hostages, high-risk surveillance, VIP security, and much more.”
Robertson wanted a quick way to build connections before sending his group back to Super Rugby where he expects them to be role models, and it sounds like he achieved his aim and then some.
“The police were awesome,” Robertson said. “They made us think on our feet, we were put under pressure, we were a little bit uncomfortable there at times. It was just what we needed. It was a great start for us to connect.”
A group of All Blacks have gathered in Auckland and today were put through their paces at the gym. (Source: 1News)
Asked what was involved, Robertson added: “It was amazing. A few hostages – we freed everyone.”
The man known as Razor then made his escape after a 15-minute talk during which he again stated that his stance on New Zealand’s top talent abroad being available for the All Blacks hadn’t changed – he has made a case for NZ Rugby’s board to “keep an open mind”.
“Decipher that,” he added, cryptically.
And he confirmed he would announce his captain when the squad for July’s Tests against England is announced. Scott Barrett is probably the favourite ahead of Ardie Savea to take over from Sam Cane.
Robertson also said the race for the No.10 jersey between Damian McKenzie and Beauden Barrett in the absence of Richie Mo'unga was an open one.
McKenzie will likely be the front-runner for the England series given the 28-year-old is playing for the Chiefs this year while 32-year-old Barrett is playing a season in Japan before returning.
“Yeah, they’re two clear candidates, and whoever else puts their hands up,” Robertson said. “We’ll do a lot of Super visits and have lots of conversations about what we think their area of growths are to be Test All Blacks. They’re two good candidates, yeah, and it’s great that they’re both playing.”
McKenzie, speaking after Robertson, said: “It’s clear and obvious there’s an opportunity there in the first-five position. That’s the position I want to be playing, that’s where I want to be, being able to lead this team.”
Robertson also confirmed the “management” of All Blacks in Super Rugby would continue this year but it would be more of a personalised system rather than the previous five or six games and then mandatory rest.
“We’ve changed the model - we’re going to do individual load management for the players,” he said. “We found five or six games sometimes wasn’t enough for players.
“We’ve got the Super coaches to look at their draw. During the round robin they still have to have a couple of games off but look at the draw and what’s right for the individual player and how many games do they need. Sometimes it might mean they need a little bit more rest.”
Asked how he would mitigate against a potential backlash from a public disappointed at not seeing their favourite players on the field, Robertson said: “The first thing I’d do is get in front of that and explain it. Expecting the player to play 17 games and then 14 Tests… they’re not going to play 31 games this year. For the players, if you’re playing 17 games you’re not going to be peaking for finals footy. They have to be managed.”
He confirmed he would soon travel to the Northern Hemisphere for sponsorship meetings and take in the England v Ireland Six Nations match before travelling home via Japan where he would catch up with the likes of Barrett at Suntory.
Asked about Robertson’s style, McKenzie said: “He brings a lot of energy.”
SHARE ME