Report: Scott Robertson makes call on his future
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Crusaders head coach Scott Robertson is likely to sign a new deal with the Crusaders and New Zealand Rugby after claiming a fourth straight Super Rugby title with the Christchurch club, according to a report by the New Zealand Herald.
According to the report Robertson “is expected to announce his decision soon” with arguably the rugby coach in hottest demand globally staying on in Christchurch.
Robertson, 45, is off-contract at the end of the 2021 season and according to the Herald, he is looking to extend his deal with the Crusaders through to the end of the 2023 season. The Crusaders boss won Super Rugby at his first attempt after successful stints with New Zealand u20s and Canterbury and went on to complete a Super Rugby three-peat in 2019.
Robertson last year missed out to Ian Foster in the race to become Steve Hansen’s successor as head coach of the All Blacks, with Foster signing a two-year deal with NZR to take the helm of the national side. And having led the Crusaders to the inaugural Super Rugby Aotearoa crown with a 32-22 victory over the Highlanders at Orangetheory Stadium on Sunday and is now planning on staying in Christchurch until the end of the 2023 season which will coincide with the 2023 World Cup in France, after which the top All Black job could be up for grabs.
After being snubbed for the top job in New Zealand, offshore suitors would have been lining up to swoop for the Crusaders' coach, however, the Herald reports that the “relative safety and security” of working and living in Christchurch amid the COVID-19 pandemic, which possesses the potential to radically alter the global rugby landscape, could play a key role in Robertson’s decision to stay.
Robertson has expressed his desire to coach abroad and admitted last year that he could leave New Zealand to coach in France, should the opportunity present itself.
"I've got some stuff I want to finish off with the Crusaders first, but I would also love to coach overseas, to go to another environment, and test yourself and your philosophy - that would be a really great challenge," he told Newshub.
However, it looks as if the Crusaders have managed to hold onto their coach for the time being.
