SPECIAL: All Blacks' future looks sharp

NZR name Scott 'Razor' Robertson for 2024 and beyond.

Wouldn’t you know it, just when you commit to taking a bit of time off, something reasonably germane to the idea of a New Zealand-focused sports newsletter pops up.

Scott Robertson, the man they call Razor, has won the job many people think he should already be in. Ian Foster clung on last year and without wanting to rehash the rights and wrongs of that call, the awkwardness of the situation could explain why Robertson gave such a subdued performance when announced as coach today while flanked by chief executive Mark Robinson and chair Dame Patsy Reddy.

“Yes! He has the job,” is tempered immediately by the fact that, “Well actually, we’ve got a Super Rugby campaign, a Rugby Championship/ Bledisloe Cup and an infernal World Cup to seethe through yet.”

Or it could be a very specific type of announcement fatigue, which I’ve alluded to in the past. We’ve known it was coming, we’ve known it was either Robertson or Jamie Joseph and unless you were related to either, you were probably comfortable in the thought that either would be preferable to the status quo.

There’s also the not-to-small fact that it is understood that Robertson’s application for the job hinged on his ability to make a top-to-bottom clean-out of personnel surrounding the All Blacks. Of the current coaching and management team, there’s a chance few if any will be there in 2024 beyond forwards coach Jason Ryan.