That's Total Nonsense

The sacking of All Blacks coach, Scott Robertson, hasn't ended the saga of the team. After the announcement, there were reports of blackmail that led to the sacking of Robertson. As a result, there have been valiant calls for the ringleader to also get kicked to the curb. However, those claims have been dismissed by the board's chairman

https://www.nicklieberthal.com/blog/razor-gets-the-axe

Ardie Savea didn't lead a player revolt, resulting in Scott Robertson’s dismissal as the All Blacks head coach, New Zealand Rugby chairman, David Kirk, claims.

Reports on Wednesday stated that the loose forward was weighing up his options and could remain in Kobe beyond the current Japan Rugby League One season or link up with a team in the northern hemisphere, like Leinster. This would make him ineligible for the All Blacks at the 2027 Rugby World Cup.

It was reported that Savea was ‘seriously unhappy’ with the coaching staff and could put his international career on ice if major changes weren’t made.

On Thursday, New Zealand Rugby made the first major change with the confirmation that Robertson will be vacating his position with immediate effect as the union begins its search for his successor.

NZ Rugby chairman Kirk claims that a player revolt against the now former head coach didn't take place but the board and high-performance management did 'canvas' around 20 players as they reviewed the side’s 2025 season.

He states that there was certainly no revolt from the players to get Robertson removed from his position but a consistent theme did emerge from the investigations; which led NZ Rugby to make the decision to part ways with the head coach.

"It's a real red herring to think of Ardie as somehow being influential in this decision,'' Kirk said. "He absolutely was not.''

During the post-season review held after the 2025 season, Kirk said he appreciated the players' honesty. He said Savea didn't spearhead a contingent of players to overthrow the coach. "Definitely not a revolt. I can be absolutely definitive that there was no revolt by the players at all,'' Kirk said.

"Not every player was canvased but a large number of players were canvased, close to 20 players were canvased, a little under and the management, the most senior management and all of the coaches, including the head coach,”"Kirk told reporters shortly after the decision was made public. There was a consistent theme, there was a consistent direction delivered to us, which was what we then followed up on and investigated further."

Kirk hit back at the suggestion that Savea somehow led the charge for Robertson to be dismissed and dispelled rumours of a player revolt. "There was definitely no revolt. The players were very measured and thoughtful in their responses. It’s very unfair to say that Ardie somehow led something, not at all," he said.

"He expressed public opinions. Some of those opinions were not agreed with by other players. Others would have been somewhat aligned with them. All of the players are individuals, make their own decisions, and analyse things in ways that are appropriate for them and the team. It’s a real red herring to think of Ardie having been influential in this decision. He absolutely was not. [Savea’s] contracted to us until the end of 2027. I would definitely expect to see him in a black jersey."

Kirk said each individual expressed their own opinions for themselves and for the good of the team. A former All Blacks captain who led the team to success at the inaugural World Cup in New Zealand in 1987, Kirk is no stranger to turmoil when it comes to being involved with the national team.

In 1985, he refused to tour South Africa with a rebel team comprising All Blacks, called the Cavaliers. The following year, he captained the All Blacks while those players who had toured South Africa served out a two-match ban issued by the NZ Rugby Football Union, as it was then known.

Kirk, having led the All Blacks to a 2-1 series loss to the Wallabies (Australia) in New Zealand, was later dumped as skipper and replaced by Jock Hobbs.

When the current crop of All Blacks players were asked for their insights during the review, which was led by NZ Rugby board member, Keven Mealamu and Kirk, with input from former NZ Rugby high performance boss, Don Tricker, Kirk said he was impressed by their honest and carefully worded statements.

"No, it's not player power but it's mature and appropriate to listen to players,'' Kirk stated. "Players in the end are the people that have to deliver on the field for us, they need to be in the environment and they need to have coaching and the way the environment is managed set up in a way that helps them perform on the field.''

"The players were thoughtful in the feedback during the review. There was no bitterness,'' Kirk stated. "They just tried to truthfully and honestly tell us what they were feeling and what was in the best interests of the team.''

Kirk also said he wasn't worried about a split between players in the All Blacks, given some - especially those from the Crusaders - would have formed a tight bond with Robertson. He said from personal experience that players will just get on with it, and want to play well and do their best to be selected.

"I am not concerned at all,'' Kirk said. "I think all the group had respect and liked Scott in many ways. Obviously some people know him better than others do, but all players respect their coaches and want to play for them and work for them.''

Robertson, despite being contracted to NZ Rugby through to 2027, won't receive two years pay upon his exit.

During his two years in charge of the All Blacks, Robertson oversaw 27 Test matches, winning 20 in total. However, the side produced inconsistent performances and failed to win the Rugby Championship in both 2024 and 2025, a tournament that they have dominated over the years.

There was much fanfare for his appointment as Ian Foster’s successor after the 2023 Rugby World Cup but the former Crusaders boss was unable to translate his success at Super Rugby, where he won eight titles, to the international stage.

Kirk, who captained the All Blacks to World Cup glory in 1987, stated that the side wasn’t on the 'right trajectory' for the 2027 tournament in Australia but believes that the players will take the decision in their stride regardless of who takes over.

"We’ve spoken to the leadership group before the announcement,” Kirk said. "Their reaction was, they just absorbed it. I know this from personal experience: players are players, you get on with it. You want to impress the coach, you want to be seen to be someone seen to be contributing. I think the players, all players, just get on with whatever environment they’re in."

Ardie Savea should follow Scott Robertson out the door at New Zealand Rugby. That is the view of outspoken pundit, Mark Watson, who has slammed the All Blacks star who reportedly "blackmailed" the union.

NZ Rugby conducted a comprehensive review of the 2025 international season before reaching the verdict that head coach Robertson should be ushered out, as the team is not on track for the 2027 Rugby World Cup.

During the review, the board and the high-performance department consulted several players, one of whom was understood to have been centurion, Savea.

A report by the New Zealand Herald a day before the announcement of Robertson’s sacking, stated that Savea was one of the players who was ‘seriously unhappy’ with the current coaching set-up.

It further stated that Savea was considering his future in New Zealand if changes weren’t made, with the loose forward supposedly looking at potentially remaining in Japan beyond the current season or even moving to Leinster – which would make him ineligible for All Blacks’ selection ahead of and during the 2027 Rugby World Cup.

Watson, who has been calling for Robertson to be axed for some time now, has accused Savea of blackmailing New Zealand Rugby and believes that new chairman David Kirk should lay down the law and show the All Blacks star the door.

"Let’s say they have decided that 70 or 80% of the All Blacks’ failings go down to the coaching, it lands on Scott Robertson and his other coaches," Watson said on The DSPN live show with Martin Devlin.

"Well, some of it also needs to fall on the players. Now, do a review, ask the hard questions. In that review, as a player, you answer those questions, and you’re honest and if you want to be brutally honest, be brutal. But do not have a caveat on the end of it where you then go, 'Oh, by the way, if you don’t get rid of him, I’m gone, and I’m going to stay overseas'."

“Now, that’s sort of what has been reported, and that’s what I’ve sort of heard, pretty much how it sort of played out with some of the senior players or one particular senior player, Ardie Savea, and that’s actually been reported and documented that he wasn’t prepared to play under this coaching group going forward. I don’t like that. And for those reasons, I would also sack Ardie Savea. I think you make a statement to the players."

"Feel free to give us all the feedback in the world, but then do not go and blackmail us, which is technically what I’m saying. It’s him or me."

While New Zealand Rugby chairman David Kirk has denied that the players and particularly, Ardie Savea, had a key role in the 51-year-old’s sacking, there is no doubt that the head coach was not given backing by a number of the team.

Savea was supposedly ‘seriously unhappy’ with the culture under Robertson, but it is not as though the All Blacks were not struggling before the Crusaders legend took charge.

Ian Foster’s time in charge was equally turbulent after making unwanted history on several occasions, and Marshall has suggested that the players need to take more responsibility.

Former All Blacks scrum-half, James Marshall, said, "Grenade-lobbing time, is there a little bit of rot in that changing shed? There are a lot of experienced All Blacks within that team."

"Ian Foster didn’t have a smooth run, and there was a lot of rocky road in there with coaches leaving – pretty much the same group of players, experienced All Blacks I’m talking about. Is there a slight problem with the fact that if things get a little bit too hard and a little bit too difficult, and the coach starts leaning on them, that they throw their toys out of the cot?"

"We as players, and we know this, at some stage have to take responsibility for what’s happening on the field. Those things a coach can’t control – when you kick the ball when you should have passed it, and when you drop it for no reason. A coach can’t do anything about that within the game."

Jeff Wilson, disagreed with his fellow ex-All Black, however, insisting that it is the coach’s job to make sure the players are confident in what they are trying to achieve.

"When you’re making errors, sometimes it’s because you don’t have 100% trust and faith in the game plan. I think there are a lot of times players are second-guessing themselves," Wilson said.

"In terms of that collaboration, understanding and responsibility – accountability is a word we use in sport all the time – I think you’re a 100% right that there are some players who have to put their hand up and go, 'could I have been better?' It’s whether or not you can build and allow those players to lead better."

"I don’t think Scott Robertson is a bad rugby coach, sometimes things just don’t work out for whatever reason, and this is one of those reasons. This is not the first time this has happened in the All Blacks; it just hasn’t worked out at the right time."

Dual code star, Sonny Bill Williams, has added his voice to the current All Black discussion, saying that the changes to the team shouldn't end with the firing of coach Scott Robertson. In a video posted to Instagram, the multiple World Cup and NRL Premiership winner called for Ardie Savea to take over as captain.

"I love Scott Barrett. He's one of the best players in the world, but I think we need to give the captaincy to Ardie,” said Williams. "He's our guy moving forward, just because of the mana he brings. He's got the runs on the board, look at what he's done with Moana this year."

Sydney-based Williams, who played 58 tests between 2010-19, including several seasons alongside both Savea and Barrett, also said that the incoming coaching group should be focused on team culture.

"This is just my honest thoughts and opinion, but I think we need a coaching group that knows how to connect before correcting. Because these players know how to play and we do have the squad," he said.

Williams name-dropped Jamie Joseph, Tony Brown, Dave Rennie and Tana Umaga as potential heirs to Robertson, as the All Blacks embark on an incredibly challenging 2026 season. They begin in July with tests against France and Ireland, before heading away for a four Test tour against the world champions, Springboks.

In his last press conference as an All Black, after their semi-final exit at the 2019 World Cup, Williams took an unprompted opportunity to call for “more brown faces” in the All Black coaching set up and NZ Rugby administration. It was a point he stands by, saying in his post that "we need more flavour."

There are always two sides to every story. I think we all need to a hear from the players to determine a final decision on the matter. Pundits can draw their own conclusion but's unfair to declare a universal one.

As for me, it's hard to make a decision. I will have hear from the players, particularly, Ardie Savea, to make a final judgement. Contrasting views can be difficult to focus on the key issue at hand.