New Zealand’s bid to win a fifth title at the Junior World Championship will be led by three former All Blacks with Scott Robertson named head coach and Leon MacDonald and Tana Umaga as his assistants.
Robertson and MacDonald were assistant coaches in 2014 when New Zealand finished third on home soil and will hope to guide the team back to the domination they enjoyed in the first four years of the tournament when they won every title without losing a match.
“Scott brings some fantastic experience to this role having been a selector and assistant to the Under 20 coaching team for several years,” said New Zealand Rugby General Manager Neil Sorensen.
“He also brings with him the experience of having been head coach of Canterbury for the past two [ITM Cup] seasons.
“He was a passionate and highly motivated member of the Under 20 management last year, and we’re delighted he now steps into this key role. He will be joined by two exciting coaching talents in Leon and Tana.
“All three bring a unique perspective to coaching, having played at the highest level. As ITM Cup coaches, they have also developed a keen eye for identifying and working with young and emerging talent in their respective provinces.”
Excited by the challenge ahead
Robertson, who played 23 Tests for New Zealand, is excited to be working with Tasman assistant coach MacDonald and Counties Manukau head coach and former All Blacks captain Tana Umaga as they build towards the Championship in Italy next June.
“Those two bring a huge amount of experience with them,” he said of MacDonald and Umage who boast more than 120 All Blacks Tests between them. “Both are highly respected by players and they bring great knowledge to their areas of expertise – Leon with attack, Tana with defence and in particular counter-attack.
“Working with this age group is a real honour for us. We know how much it means to pull on a black jersey and we are keen to ensure the legacy and the heritage of the jersey continues to be represented well by the young men we select.
“For that reason, critical for us right now, is to get the selection right – and that work is already under way as we prepare to name players for our first development camp later this month.
“There is some great talent out there and we got to see some of that on display at the Jock Hobbs Memorial National Under 19 tournament in Taupo last month.
“That was an invaluable way to see boys playing in an environment similar to a JWC tournament – six games in a condensed window and playing against others of a similar age and playing experience. That was a great platform for identifying potential talent.”
“Our campaign planning is well progressed and I’m very excited about the challenge ahead for us.”