Nick Mallett isn’t buying the idea that Scott Robertson has something to prove this weekend as head coach of the Barbarians. The former Springboks boss made that clear on the Talking Boks podcast, and he’s not alone in wondering what a one-off exhibition match against the world champion Springboks can really tell us about a man who just got fired from the toughest job in rugby.
Robertson’s stint as All Blacks head coach ended abruptly earlier this year, two years into a four-year deal. New Zealand Rugby pulled the plug despite a record that most coaches would kill for. Something like a 74 percent win rate. That’s not a typo. He won nearly three out of every four Tests and still got the boot.
Now he’s in Gqeberha, South Africa, running a Barbarians side that’s more of a pickup team than a program. His coaching ticket is stacked — Argentina’s Felipe Contepomi, Racing 92’s Patrice Collazo, and Los Pumas assistant Kenny Lynn are all on board — but that doesn’t change the basic math. The Barbarians fly in from all over the world, have a few training sessions, and then get thrown at a fully loaded Springboks team preparing for Nations Championship Tests against England, Scotland, and Wales.
‘Everyone’s got an opinion’
Mallett, who knows a thing or two about the pressure cooker of international coaching, said on the podcast that the All Blacks microscope is unlike anything else in the sport. “Every single radio station, every WhatsApp, every social media is commenting, and everyone’s got an opinion on how good you are, how bad you are,” he said. “It can be a very lonely place. And so I know it’s a horrible feeling when your country decides that they don’t feel you are required anymore.”
But the 69-year-old Mallett was blunt about what this weekend can and cannot do for Robertson. “I a hundred percent don’t think that the Barbarians is a game where you’re going to reinvent yourself as a coach,” he said. “It’s more to give him some breathing space than to say, ‘Listen, we respect you and you’ve done a good job.’”
That record, though
Mallett pointed out the absurdity of Robertson’s firing given his results. “Didn’t he have a 76 percent win record (it’s actually 74 percent) or something like that? It’s not a bad record. Not many coaches get fired for that.”
The match itself is at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, and Mallett sees it as a straightforward mismatch. “This is going to be a tough game. It’s going to be very tough. You play South Africa in South Africa with the Barbarians team. It’s a really hard gig that, so good luck to him. But I certainly don’t see a surprise this Saturday.”
Robertson might not need to prove anything. But beating the world champs on their home turf with a squad that’s barely practiced together would be one hell of a way to make a point anyway.
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