Thursday 2 November 2017 12:26, UK
Canterbury clinched their ninth New Zealand NPC title in 10 years with Mitre 10 success last month, while the Crusaders sealed their eighth Super Rugby title in July. So how is it clubs from Christchurch have so much success?
Current Crusaders boss Scott Robertson played for Canterbury, the Crusaders and the All Blacks in his own career before venturing into the world of coaching.
From 2008 he spent five years as assistant coach of Canterbury where they won a domestic trophy every season, before he took the top job in 2013 and won more silverware that year and in 2015.
After another title in 2016, Robertson replaced current Bath head coach Todd Blackadder as Crusaders head coach from 2017 onwards and in his first campaign they lifted the Super Rugby title for the first time since 2008.
So what does Robertson put such incredible success down to?
"It's a good question and I get asked that a lot," Robertson told the Offload on Sky Sports. "The big thing for us is that there's a lot of sequence to what we do.
"A lot of our players have come back and coached, so there's a lot of loyalty. We've got a great culture, it's a culture we learn when we grow. No-one is better than anybody else.
"What I'm really proud of is I've been part of the organisation for a really long time. It's a big part of my life, I love it and when there's a day off I actually wonder what I'm going to do, I love going in to work.
"But we've got a great academy. We've got a 90 per cent success rate from our guys, where they go on to become professional rugby players. So we have great scouts, good talent ID and the big thing is our guys take a lot of pride."
That word 'culture' is bandied around in coaching circles pretty regularly in this day and age, but what does Robertson take it to mean for the Crusaders and Canterbury Rugby?
"Culture is how you behave, how it looks and the language you use," he added. "It's your ability to have emotional empathy with other people.
"It's an ability to add to the culture, it's like your family and you come in and you can have tough conversations, don't get me wrong, which you've got to have and there's got to be a forum to do it but it's about behaviour."
Robertson has become synonymous with his break-dancing on the pitch after title successes with Canterbury in 2016 and the Crusaders after their Super Rugby triumph in the summer
How does he immerse himself in the dressing room in such a manner but then also separate himself enough so that he holds onto his authority?
"I think I've got a good natural respect from the players," Robertson said. "I've got a real big thing about being myself but being myself skilfully.
"I can be myself and be pretty average but if I can be myself skilfully: I know my rugby, I'm good at building relationships, I've got a pretty good way of cutting a vision for our whole team to know where we're going, but I want the boys to be themselves.
"I want Richie Mo'unga to step off both feet and throw a dummy and score under the posts and get up and express himself like I do and just love coming in.
"Look I don't select Crusaders, I select All Blacks, and then the All Blacks play for the Crusaders and that's my mindset and mentality.
"The All Blacks pride themselves on getting the next Crusader ready to be an All Black and take over so there's a lot of sequence in our culture which has been there for a long time."
