Kyoda.
I'm Chelsea Daniels and this is the Front Page, a daily podcast presented by the New Zealand Herald. All Blacks head coach Scott Raiser Robertson is out of the role just two years into his four year contract after reports of widespread frustration from players and staff and a damning internal review. Questions remain, what went so wrong for Razor, what does this mean for our World Cup campaign? And who will have the job of cleaning.
Up this mess?
The All Blacks drama spells the beginning of a huge year for sport. Twenty twenty six sees hopes of a record medal hole for New Zealand at the Winter Olympics and a chance to cheer on the All Whites on the world stage.
And of course we're all curious.
To see how Natbow and Z will rebuild public trust. All this and more today on the Front Page with Herald Sports reporter Alex Pound.
So, Alex, a major.
Start to the year, obviously, the sporting year that is, with Razor being cut. How surprising or unsurprising is this news?
Yeah, it's a weird one, isn't it, Because in a way it's sort of the only thing that makes sense if what's been put out there is true about the play on happiness and the failings of the environment. But at the same time this is really uncharted territory for the game in New Zealand.
Is that because it's two years into a four year contract.
No, it's never been. You don't know, we have never outright sacked a coach. You know. You remember the twenty two Women's World Cup. Glenn Moore left at the start of that year, but that was his choice because of you almost similar findings and unhappiness within the playing But this one being two years out does give a bit more time. You remember the twenty nineteen World Cup when South Africa won it, at the start of twenty eighteen they changed coach and like that sort of scene is
now the absolute latest you can do it. If you do want to salvage a World Cup campaign, you sort of have to give yourself at least two years.
Yeah, And because people do say, well, the World Cup is eighteen months out seems like a miles away, but in rugby world it's really not an especially given that the All Blacks Tour in South Africa as due this year.
Hey, yeah, absolutely, like the way rugby is now was not just those two. But you have also got the New Nations Championship and no one knows how seriously that's gonna be taken walk that'll efty the game, like you don't really have much room to breathe. It's always something into something into something and if it's now, you know with a World Cup at the end of twenty seven, New Zealand rugby kind of have been backed into a corner here and.
Scott Robertson he was really lauded as being like, this isn't a major opportunity for the All Blacks when he came and took over the side as head coach.
Can we pinpoint where he lost his edge?
I think the disappointing thing is that what New Zealand rugby and what fans saw in Super rug beat the Crusaders was never reproduced with the All Blacks and obviously Super rugby and Test rugby are two completely different environments.
But if Super Rugby is the proven grounds to step your way into Test rugby, no one had done what Scott Robinson did you know the amount of titles the Crusaders won in a row and the All Blacks just never looked like being able to be as successful as the Crusaders were.
And why not.
I think the test game and the club game are just so different and maybe now we do actually have evidence of that. You remember, you know, so Graham Henry and Steve Hanson were both incredibly successful Black coaches, but they both had to go and fail with other countries before they were able to step into the They both had really difficult times of Whales, but that what it did was it grounded them and how the international game actually works before they could take the big job.
In terms of who could be set to replace him, are there any early contenders?
You can think of Jamie Joseph Looms as the big one. You know, he missed out to Scott Robertson after twenty twenty three to actually take that job. He was in the running in twenty nineteen, when's the Steve Hanson stepped down. He's come back to New Zealand to take on the job with the Highland as he was in Japan for
the last for a better part of a decade. Last year he was given the All Blacks fifteen jobs, so effectively the side beneath the All Blacks as a way of I guess, keeping him in the picture and maybe putting a bit of pressure on Scrubs and saying, hey, look, if you can't do it, we do have someone else here. So he would loom I guess for many people. As the next gave off the rank, he would probably bring Tiny Brown with him, those who have a very good relationship.
Tony Brown is currently with the Springbook. So if you can strengthen yourself and weaken your opponents at the same time, New Zealand Rugby would be silly to not explore that you've got a guy like Dave Rennie who has also been in the All Blacks running at one point or another. He's now offshore in Japan. You've got a guy like Vancotta who's got test experience currently Blues, so there won't be a shortage of options with this. This is a job that any coach worth their salt will want, you know,
to coach the All Blacks. So it's just about making sure they get the process right. And that's the other thing is New Zealand Rugby would be really foolish to act and make this decision if they didn't have someone else lined up. But it would be a very unneeded on rugby like thing to do.
So we're not going to see an add out onseek or anything.
Maybe I mean search the pay bands and see what's playing the month.
But yeah, yeah, And of course you know by now who our new head coach for the All Blacks from twenty twenty four is Scott Robertson. So I want to congratulate Scott on his appointment. It's come following presentation to the board at our board meeting this morning and I confirm that the board was unanimous in supporting Scott as our incoming coach from twenty twenty four.
What kind of pressure will be on the shoulders of whoever comes in.
Next, I mean it's going to be huge, isn't it. You know you think of where the All Blacks have always been historically a team that wins ninety percent of the games, and they just haven't done that for you know, basically since twenty twenty. You know, that's six years of a team not at the level the fans expected them. I think that's really been interesting to see New Zealanders have to adjust to that, and a lot of them haven't. You know. You think of where South Africa are you
think of where Ireland have been wear England are. So the pressure on the next coach, whoever that is is, is going to be huge and it's going to have to be an immediate improvement because you know, the New Zealand rug beib sament says they don't have a coach, So that's really interesting to make this kind of move and not know what the next one is or do they well you'd think that has have a short list of course, you know, but now having to actually act on it, you know, are they going to have to
get someone out from an overseas contract to come and be an assistant. You know, if it is Jamie Jo's from Tiny Brown, Tiny Brown's currently with South Africa, that won't be cheap. A guy like Dave ENnie, he's in Japan, that won't be cheap. So yeah, I think there's going to be pressure not just on the airbacks but on Newzealand Rugby to really get this right.
Have you heard anything about those internal frustrations from player players and head starts.
I think that's probably going to be the most frustrating thing for Scott robertson. This isn't really new like we had the review that would have happened at the end of last year, which Liam Apim, my colleague wrote earlier this week that that did not reflect well on Scrubson. You had Ardie Savia, you know, reportedly considering his future if he still wanted to ben All Black, is it
worth going overseas? Because let's not forget being an All Black as a professional is not in your financial interest. You can make so much more money going overseas. You know, we saw it with Richie Moyng. I've seen it with Shanafrazell, Harry Plummer who was a fringe All Black and is now making exponentially more money in France. So for a guy like Ardie to actually have that up his sleeve, I think it really would have set a lone bells off at New Zealand Rugby.
And in terms of when we hear about it the public, I mean, and I say we because I'm the public when it comes to sports journalism. As you know, when I read something like that Ardia Savias stuff from the back end, when the information gets to you, how solid is it when it ends up on the site?
Do you know what I mean?
I mean, as a general rule, not just with rugby, but with all sort of sports him. If you can get it from sort of two places that don't have anything to do with each other, you've generally got something that you feel is worth going on. So, I mean, I can't speak for haw Liam goes about doing his stories, but he's not silly and now he does this.
Yes, So generally when you see Ardie Savier's looking overseas at other interests, he really actually probably is.
You know, he's already in Japan right now, He's been there a couple of years ago. Like the desire from both parties to continue that relationship would be very strong. You know, Japanese rugby would get one of the best players in the world playing in their league. Ardie Savia would have a much easier life. While let's not forget the physical demands of playing in Japan is so different to playing in New Zealands. You're playing for much less time.
By playing in Japan, he wouldn't be alible for the All Blacks, so they wouldn't have to worry about that. So if that's the sort of the way Ardie Savid would want to go, it would absolutely be open to him.
And in terms of Razor what next for him?
Yeah, I mean I imagine he won't jump straight into another job. He has always said he wanted to win the World Cup with two different countries, okay, which I mean fair play, Like I mean win it with one country first, Razor.
Yeah, has he?
But Scott Robinson finished his playing career in France. You know he speaks fluent French like there has always been a French connection, if you pardon the pun. So I can see him getting a nice club job over there, like club sides will not hesitate to get Scott Robertson in. You know, as soon as anyone is made or any possison is made available, they'll go for Scorobson. He'll be
at the top of a lot of clubs. I remember before he got the All Blacks job, there was talk England wanted them, Fiji put in a bid for him, and he came out and said buller at the start of a pressure was just to sort of give ins at Irishov and say if you don't hire me, someone else will. Whether or not what's happened with the All Blacks has scarred him, it doesn't change the fact that he's a very good motivator. Of a group.
You know.
You hear about his time at the Crusaders, you know, and what he was able to do there, Like, they hadn't won a title for years.
Well, it was legendary to say the least.
Yeah, I mean, they hadn't won a title for a decade when he turned up, and then they only won when he was there.
Well, I moved to christ Church originally, and I thought, well, and that was around his time at the Helm, and I thought, oh, amazing, I'm going to go for.
The Crusaders because they obviously win all the time. But I've come in at the point where Razor turned it around.
I think there was a stat so the first year Raiser wasn't at the Crusaders, and the Crusaders struggled under Rob Penny. There were children in year three in christ Church who had never lived in an era where the Crusaders weren't super rugby champions.
Yeah, you know what I mean.
The medals for the twenty twenty six Winter Olympic Games have now been revealed.
Today, organizers unveiled the medals for the Milan Courtina Winter Games. The big reveal comes about two hundred days before the start of the games. The medals designed by the Italian state Mint and Polograph against Jude are made from recycled medals using renewable energy. Each one features a split design to symbolize both Olympic Paralympic values. The game start February sixth Paralympic Games, so follow in March.
Anyway, if we move on, twenty twenty six is going to be a massive year for sports anyway. You look at it Winter Olympics, Alex, do you think we will likely get our best medal count ever?
We're hoping for it.
New Zealand's still relatively quite young in terms of the Winter Olympics. So you remember the last one out in Beijing was you know, as the benchmarking now because you had you know, Zoysidowski, Senter and Nikols both win gold. So I don't think it's realistic to come out before a Winter the mix and say we need to be doing this, this and this and we'll have our best every games. Like it's just not really Hell's obviously Za
Sadowski Senate is going to be there again. Alice Robinson does loom as a metal hopeful this time of maybe even a medal favorite. So it's you can never really say this is what should happen at any Olympic Games or winter all summer. But I mean it's always the hope, isn't it?
And what about COMM Games in Glasgow?
The Comm Games is weird?
Does anyone watch it anymore? Or is that naughty to say?
It's probably as naughty to say, but you're saying it on the grounds like no one wants to host it. You know, you remember all the drama with everyone dropping out and now you know they've they've found somewhere to host it. But it does feel as though we're moving into an era where the Commonwealth Games just might not carry any sort of weight. But I mean saying that I can't watch set the civil furns too after all.
That last year exactly, Hey, they'll be the one to watch, especially in the COMM Games.
How do you think that they'll go around?
I think if they can get to the gold medal match against Australia, you know, let's be honest, I think that's sort of the bare minimum of where the side should be. I mean, obviously all the fallout from last year as we're still yet to see how that'll all be resolved, but I think that is always the expectation
where a silver Fern side into a Commonwealth Games. And I've just said we can't go into an Olympics and think for expectations, but silver ferns Commonwealth Games like it is an event that New Zealand have historically performed in.
Another one football World Cup. It'll be a big one this year given the all Whites will be there and we'll be able to cheer them on on the world stage.
What are their chances overall.
Though, that's another interesting one. Like the last time they were there in twenty ten, the New Zealand got out with three drawers. It wasn't enough to advance, but that was such a huge moment to you know, they were the only unbeaten team in the whole tournament. You know Spain, who won, had lost the game. This time. Around New Zealand football, you would say probably stronger position, like there are so many more players playing and good overseas leagues
than there were in twenty ten. Football at home is obviously a lot stronger now with the Phoenix and Auckland FC having two teams in the Australian League. But World Cups are just so special like this isn't just the pinnacle penny down. This is the pinnacle for maybe even all the sport. Like I don't think there's a bigger sporting event on the planey bar the Olympics then the Football World Cup. They're going to have a tough time of it with the group. You know, it seems like Belgium will.
Be, you know, very difficult.
They got the chief of but Belgium aren't as strong as they were, you know, four eight years ago with the last couple of World Cups. So I mean, you never know that these things we've seen, like you remember Morocco at the last World Cup noms, especially them, and then they got as far as they did.
Yeah that's right.
Yeah, so who knows.
And it's the Cup, the first Cup to be held by three nations. You've got the United States, Mexico and Canada. And I've seen some stuff online, especially about there's apparently going to be the first halftime show and people talking about this americanization of football and people are not really into it. The fact that they're probably going to be calling it soccer the entire time, we'll probably get.
On people's nerves. What are your feelings about.
That I'm definitely in the against camp there, like are you. That's the whole point of football is that it's not America's thing. Yeah, like I know that, Like the US has such high representation in football at all levels because you know, there's such a big influx of immigrants and second generation.
So it's not we had David Beckham at LA Galaxy.
Look at some of the the players playing and there domestically. Now the women's team is incredible. Oh yeah, you know they they win everything, but it still just feels a bit wrong. Yeah, like you have your own sports America. This is our thing.
It'll bring him big money though, and if the Super Bowl was anything to go by, AKA, the.
Super Bowl is always a misnomer of people saying, oh it's super bowldruin this many viewers and brings them as much. It's there are so many like for America. Sure, because you're only really comparing it to the NBA, Major League Baseball hockey. But when you compare American football with football football, it's chalk and cheese.
Let's talk cricket. The black Caps will perform in England, Ozzie and the T twenty World Cap. How do you reckon they'll go.
The England tour is really interesting because it'll be the first one post the Ashes for England. Obviously a lot of pressure on the captain and coach Ben Stokes and Brenda mccllum.
And I was in Australia over Christmas, so I know a lot about that.
I think that the World Cup comes before that, so there might even be a scenario where McCullum gets fired.
Yeah.
In terms of New Zealand, look, there are so many tournaments crack it now. There's one a year until twenty thirty one out the Earls at least one a year, so the ability to come in and perform on that stage isn't really anything new to any of the teams. This will be the first one under Rob Walter, the new coach. He was impointed last year, so I have
high hopes for the team. Walter with South Africa took his team to the final and they'd only been together for three days before that, so you never know what can happen. But it's just such an interesting time with the amount of tournaments and credit now the Australia too. At the end of the year, like you remember than twenty nineteen I'm sure you do. You're a huge cricket fan, Shiel. New Zealand went to Australian in twenty nineteen with high hopes that was the best New Zealand team in a
long time and they got absolutely smashed. Yeah, there'll be similar things this year, not just that. But this is a very old Australian side. Like I think there's only one player in the starting eleven under thirty, maybe two if the start a well to go to Australia and when is about so much more than being better than that cricket. You have to have so many things go your way and everything go against them. But if there's no real better time than now, and last.
But not least, the controversial enhanced games will be this year. That's the one which permits performance enhancing drugs.
Encourages it, doesn't it encourages it? First off, what are your thoughts on I don't know.
It's one of those things that I want to see what it looks like.
You want to see what it looks like. You're intrigued or you're completely outraged.
Yeah, if someone's you know, lining up on the one hundred meters start line, they're hard explodes from all the drugs they've taken. Then, I'm sure that'll be bad, but you just want to see records broken, and that's their whole rationale for doing it in the first place.
Alex, give me your wildest prediction.
Of the year.
Oh, I mean, I can't say Scott Robinson's No, I don't know, silver ferns when Commonwealth Games gold?
Right? Is it that that's the wildest?
Well, I mean you've put me on the spot, hedge else I was not warned. I mean, well, okay, what's your thing?
I would say our cares sinner in a majority, if not all Grand Slam finals.
The two of them against each other. Yeah, okay, yeah, I like it.
Yeah, they're the next crop, the cream of the crop, right, yeah.
I mean, tennis is in a really interesting place now in the post Nadal Federer, I mean, Jokovic is still there, murray, So it really is rife for the next generation to come through. I mean here, So.
Thanks for joining us, Alex, Thanks having me. That's it for this episode of the Front Page.
You can read more about today's stories and extensive news coverage at enzidherld dot co dot nz. The Front Page is produced by Jane Ye and Richard Martin, who is also our editor. I'm Chelsea Daniels. Subscribe to the front page on iHeartRadio or wherever you get your podcasts, and tune in tomorrow for another look behind the headlines.