Scott Robertson Reflects on Formative Northern Ireland Stint Ahead of Ireland Match

New Zealand’s head coach, Scott Robertson, stated that his period in Northern Ireland during his teenage years was instrumental in his personal development. Robertson, aged 50, is set to guide the All Blacks against Ireland at the Aviva Stadium on Friday night. He previously played for Ards RFC in county Down for one season as a teenager between 1993 and 1994. This upcoming match will mark his first time coaching against Ireland since he succeeded Ian Foster as the All Blacks’ head coach following the 2023 World Cup. Robertson himself earned one of his 23 Test caps in Dublin. Regarding his return as the head coach of his home country, Robertson commented, “A bit emotional, actually.” He elaborated, “There’s a family, the Herons, that I lived with when I was a young fella and came over here and played a bit of footy. It was a great moment for me growing up and now [to have] the chance to publicly thank them for what they did. They helped shape me, it was a great time in my life. It’ll be great to see them.” Robertson highlighted that his period in Newtownards was crucial for his development as both a player and an individual. It also instilled in him the importance of pursuing education concurrently with his rugby career. He mentioned attending lectures at Queen’s University Belfast with his Ards team-mates. Subsequently, his initial playing contract with Crusaders included a clause for them to fund his degree from Lincoln University. He stated, “It was a great chance for me. It brought a lot of belief in how I could play. Going home, it really set me off to make sure I could get an education and that I wanted to play rugby at the highest level. It gave me a lot of confidence. It helped me grow up a little bit, get away from mum’s dinners, look after myself and I made some really good friends. It was a great time in my life.” While Robertson gained significant experience during his season with Ards, the past 12 months have also provided valuable lessons. Despite his numerous prior achievements with Crusaders in Super Rugby, he acknowledged that coaching an international team, particularly the All Blacks, presents a unique challenge. He confessed that “nothing really prepares you” for leading the three-time World Cup champions. He further explained, “You’ve got to be pretty confident, keep the course as a person, understand your tight, inner circle. That’s the biggest one where I stand. Who do you listen to? Who can be really objective? But that comes as part of the job. Nothing really prepares you for that until you do it. You learn the majority of the time by doing stuff. I’m learning.” The dynamic between Ireland and New Zealand has significantly evolved since Robertson’s playing career to the present day. Historically, Ireland did not defeat the All Blacks in their first 111 years of matches. However, they have now secured victories in five of their last 10 encounters, which includes an away series win in 2022. Robertson commented on this shift, stating, “I think it is a great narrative, a great story. It’s a great narrative. Two countries that are similar in lots of ways, small island off a big island. We enjoy each other’s company, but there is a fierce rivalry on the field, a lot of respect [between] two smart teams that go at it. That is a big part of the storyline, that little bit of history recently. They’ve had a bit of success in our backyard and we’ve had some as well.”