Crusaders head coach Scott Robertson would love to work with Ronan O’Gara again after their time together in Christchurch.
O’Gara worked as an assistant coach with the Crusaders for two years with Robertson at the helm, and his time in New Zealand clearly helped him, as he has gone on to win the Heineken Champions Cup as La Rochelle’s director of rugby.
Robertson has also continued to improve his CV, as the Crusaders won yet another Super Rugby title under his watch this year, although he has stated his intention to eventually coach an international team.
The Crusaders boss will get a small taste of international rugby when he coaches the Barbarians alongside O’Gara against an All Blacks XV this November, although he will be aiming for more in the future.
Robertson was speaking on The Big Jim Show with Jim Hamilton and indicated that he would like to work with O’Gara on a more permanent basis again.
Scott Robertson on Ronan O’Gara.
“We have got quite a cool relationship actually. I needed someone like him, someone who had been in Europe and understood the kicking game really well, as the Crusaders wanted to work with Richie [Mo’unga] on it,” Robertson explained.
“He was a little bit cynical about life really when he first arrived. There was a bit of scepticism, ‘I don’t think it’s going to work out that way’. I was, ‘Mate, what if it does?’ I am really optimistic and he just saw things differently.
“I need that, I need people with risk management. It wasn’t quite there but on the balance of it all we ended up coming in as a combination, he built great relationships with the players and he has talked openly about how his time down here helped him.
“I’m coaching the Baa-Baas with him. We talk regularly, he talks about how to shape a season, and what you have to do in the off-season. We talk about a lot of those things.
“He has a great rugby mind but he needs good people around him which he is starting to get right – it is really, really critical. Would I coach with him again? Yeah, I would. I love that he has become a head coach.
“He has got a little bit of charisma and for whatever reason, players trust him and that is hard.”
Loved my chat with Scott Robertson. @crusadersrugby head coach.
We chatted about getting the very best out of people. His dream job and his dream coaching team. Legend of a human. Enjoy. https://t.co/26g3ooZURO pic.twitter.com/rLBtOEILW5— Jim Hamilton (@jimhamilton4) July 26, 2022
Bright futures lie ahead for both coaches.
Both Robertson and O’Gara will remain in charge of the Crusaders and La Rochelle respectively for the time being, although they have also both stated their intention to coach an international team.
For Robertson, you would have to assume that the All Blacks would be his first choice, while O’Gara would surely prefer the Ireland job, although neither have closed the door on other international opportunities.
A number of positions in international rugby will open up after next year’s Rugby World Cup, although there has been no strong indication of who could fill any of the top jobs as of yet.
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