Why Scott Robertson is 'exactly' the coach England 'need' to succeed Jones

Former international fullback Mike Brown believes Scott Robertson is “exactly the person” England “need” to succeed head coach Eddie Jones after next year’s Rugby World Cup.

Six-time Super Rugby winning coach Robertson is a fan favourite in New Zealand, but he was famously overlooked for the All Blacks’ top job, which went to Ian Foster instead.

The rugby guru known as ‘Razor’ has won trophies every where he’s plyed his trade, since embarking on his coaching journey as an assistant coach with Canterbury in 2008.

But the former All Blacks backrower etched his name into New Zealand Rugby history, and arguably made his name as a world class coach, by guiding the Crusaders to an unparalleled Super Rugby dynasty.

While he won trophy after trophy, year after year, Robertson was never able to make that step up to the national team setup – and New Zealand Rugby may now pay the price.

As reported earlier in the week by the Daily Mail, Robertson has reportedly spoken with England about replacing Jones after next year’s World Cup in France.

While the 48-year-old would rather replace Foster at the All Blacks, it’s believed that he’s one of a few candidates on the Rugby Football Union’s shortlist.

Speaking on SENZ Breakfast, 72-Test veteran Mike Brown reflected on what it was like to play under Razor at the Barbarians.

“For me to do the Barbarians it was a big draw that Razor was involved. Obviously watching the Crusaders from over here, (I) was a big fan of his and what he’s doing there so wanted to see it up close and it exceeded my expectations to be honest,” Brown said.

“In terms of England, (he) would be exactly the person that they kind of need I think to kind of lift that environment and get them out of playing with a bit of fear.

“In terms of him, the way he’s just such a good people person, I’ve not really experienced to that level before with any coaches that I’ve had.

“The way he connects with people, the way he understands personalities, the way he just makes you feel so comfortable like you’ve known him for years, I just loved every minute of it.”

England have played three Test matches during the Autumn Internationals so far, including a historic 30-29 loss against Argentina.

While they were able to bounce back with an emphatic win over Japan the week after, England had to dig deep to salvage an incredible draw against the All Blacks last weekend.

Down by 19-poitns with less than 10 minutes to play, England ran in three rapid tries to level the Test at 25-all.

But with the chance to control possession and potentially win the Test, flyhalf Marcus Smith settled for the draw and kicked the ball into touch – they didn’t lose, but they didn’t win either.

Expanding on why Robertson was the coach England “need” after the 2023 World Cup, Brown said England appear to be playing with “a bit of fear” at the moment.

“I honestly feel like he’s the sort of people they kind of need to make the step up. I just feel like they’re playing within themselves,” he said.

“People like Marcus Smith, they’re playing one way for their club and then you see that mentality shift when they’re playing. The example on the weekend when he’s kicking the ball out to take the draw, if he’s in a Quins shirt… they’d never kick the ball out ever.

“So why he’s doing that in an England jersey, for me, just points to the environment and maybe they’re playing within themselves, a bit of fear.

“They haven’t played their best rugby until 10 minutes of that New Zealand game and they suddenly had to push the envelope and do some stuff.

“Just speaking to him, he seems to have a great awareness of himself and what sort of people he would need around him to fill in the gaps that maybe he’s not so good at.”

England have one more Test match to play this year and it’s another mouth-watering blockbuster between two nations with a point to prove less than a year out from the World Cup.

The two finalists from the last World Cup in Japan, South Africa and England, will run out to Twickenham this weekend for a crunch clash between two top teams.

Following the thrilling Test against the All Blacks last weekend, Brown said the Springboks will be “a different beast.”

“We know what the South Africans are like; physical, set piece, kicking game. I just hope that nine, 10 minutes hasn’t just papered over some of the cracks in terms of the way they’re playing.

“Let people like Marcus Smith run the game and play the way we know he and others can, and really push the envelope in terms of their attack especially.

“It could be a big old physical battle but it’ll be a long day if they don’t start the way they finished against the All Blacks.”