Crusaders head coach Scott Robertson could get his first taste of Test rugby at the Rugby World Cup with Fiji.
Robertson has won six Super Rugby titles in his six years at the helm of the Crusaders and will be looking to make it seven from seven in 2023.
However, the 48-year-old is eager to tackle the challenge of Test rugby, openly admitting that he wants to win the Rugby World Cup with two different countries.
Robertson offered Fiji role
Although he is being heavily linked with the All Blacks job post the 2023 Rugby World Cup, he could get his first crack at the William Webb Ellis Cup with Fiji.
Acting Fijian Rugby Union chief executive Tevita Tuiloa revealed that he has reached out to Robertson over the vacant head coach role following Vern Cotter’s resignation.
Tuiloa said that he would love to have the Crusaders mentor as head coach or technical advisor for the Flying Fijians in this year’s global tournament.
Tuiloa says he’s trying to entice Robertson, an avid surfer, to Fiji by offering him free accommodation to test out his surfing skills in Tavarua.
“I know he’s a surfer, so I told him, ‘look, you can come to cloud break in Tavarua and come and surf some clouds, some barrels, some big waves there and come and coach the Flying Fijians; we’ll give that to you for free, and you can help our boys reach the quarter-finals,’” Tuiloa told FBC News.
The search for Cotter’s replacement
Fiji are on the hunt for a new head coach ahead of the World Cup after Vern Cotter resigned with Midi Olympique reporting that the Fijian Rugby Union wanted Cotter to be based in Europe throughout 2023, while the coach wished to be with his family in New Zealand.
Despite the short turnaround before the World Cup, Tuiloa revealed that there were several interested parties in the head coach role for the Flying Fijians.
The candidates have been narrowed down to four, and the new coach will be named this week.
He added that Fiji’s goal is to reach the quarter-finals of the World Cup, a challenging task as they are in Pool C along with Australia, Georgia, Portugal and Wales.
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