The Crusaders have named Scott Robertson's former All Blacks assistant Scott Hansen as their new coach, despite reports he was the subject of some of the negative feedback that eventually led to Robertson's sacking.
Hansen was unveiled as defending Super Rugby champion's next coach on Wednesday morning, with current boss Rob Penney expressing his disappointment that the news had leaked before the end of the season.
The Crusaders can still earn a home qualifying final in the first week of the playoffs with a win over an understrength Hurricanes side on Friday, with Penney hoping to avoid all distractions as he looks to wind up his three-year tenure with a second title.
Hansen, meanwhile, will join the Crusaders just over six months after he was dumped as an All Blacks assistant following Robertson's sacking, with Dave Rennie retaining only Jason Ryan from Robertson's former team.
Confusion over who was actually coaching the All Blacks was reported to be among the negative feedback that led to Robertson's axing, but speaking on Wednesday morning, Crusaders chief executive Colin Mansbridge said he had no doubt Hansen was the right man to lead the 13-time Super Rugby champions going forward.
"I know personally that the player feedback, and feedback from some of the other management, about Scott is he's an exceptional coach. He's world leading, is sort of the unanimous feedback coming through from players," he said.
"I think the non-retention in the All Blacks job, a bit of a narrative can emerge, and people can put two and two together and get seven. I can assure you there are players now that still speak to Scott about coaching. Exceptional feedback."
While Hansen did not address the All Blacks chaos from earlier in the year directly, he did speak to a challenging few months since he was shown the door. "Adversity, struggle, build you, So, I just took the stance where players go through adversity, they miss out on things," Hansen told reporters. "So you make sure you handle it well, too, to represent what you'd expect from your players. No different really for me, it's been a good learning opportunity.
"There'll be some more currents or waves in the future. It's just footy, that's life, it's a struggle. It's tough times out there, and I'm understanding of that, I'm excited for the future.
"I've had some outstanding care around me and we learn and we grow."
Hansen also previously worked as a Crusaders assistant under Robertson, before moving onto the All Blacks alongside his boss at the start of 2024.
