In the whirlwind of New Zealand Rugby's latest shake-up, Tupou Vaa'i has gracefully sidestepped questions about his involvement in the Scott Robertson review before expressing his heartfelt thanks to the ousted coach. The Chiefs powerhouse credits Robertson, affectionately known as 'Razor', for turbocharging his international career during a crucial two-year period.
Vaa'i, who has been sidelined by injury since last August, reflected on his time under Robertson's guidance. “My international career really lifted when Razor was the coach for those two years," Vaa'i conveyed. His appreciation was palpable as he added,
“Funny enough, I messaged and told him thank you for the last two years. I feel like those two years were really important to me and my footy career, probably the most important.”
Despite the curiosity surrounding the player consultations that led to Robertson’s dismissal, Vaa'i remained tight-lipped. When probed during a DSPN interview with Martin Devlin, the forward chose to commend the board's handling of the situation.
“That’s something that I’m not going to really touch on,”
he stated, adding,
“I felt like the board really nailed that situation, and it’s kind of above my pay grade that I could answer that question. I’m sorry, I can’t really talk about it.”
As Vaa'i gears up for a return to the field in a pre-season friendly against the Fijian Drua, his focus is clear. Despite the coaching turbulence, his commitment remains unwavering: “The board will take care of that sort of stuff [who the next coach will be], and we’ll just turn up each day and work hard for the jersey, putting the team and country first,” he assured.
With Jamie Joseph and Dave Rennie tipped as frontrunners to succeed Robertson, the saga continues. However, for players like Vaa'i, the game goes on, and the drive to excel for the All Blacks overshadows the surrounding uncertainty.
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In the whirlwind of New Zealand Rugby's latest shake-up, Tupou Vaa'i has gracefully sidestepped questions about his involvement in the Scott Robertson review before expressing his heartfelt thanks to the ousted coach. The Chiefs powerhouse credits Robertson, affectionately known as 'Razor', for turbocharging his international career during a crucial two-year period.
Vaa'i, who has been sidelined by injury since last August, reflected on his time under Robertson's guidance. “My international career really lifted when Razor was the coach for those two years," Vaa'i conveyed. His appreciation was palpable as he added,
“Funny enough, I messaged and told him thank you for the last two years. I feel like those two years were really important to me and my footy career, probably the most important.”
Despite the curiosity surrounding the player consultations that led to Robertson’s dismissal, Vaa'i remained tight-lipped. When probed during a DSPN interview with Martin Devlin, the forward chose to commend the board's handling of the situation.
“That’s something that I’m not going to really touch on,”
he stated, adding,“I felt like the board really nailed that situation, and it’s kind of above my pay grade that I could answer that question. I’m sorry, I can’t really talk about it.”
As Vaa'i gears up for a return to the field in a pre-season friendly against the Fijian Drua, his focus is clear. Despite the coaching turbulence, his commitment remains unwavering: “The board will take care of that sort of stuff [who the next coach will be], and we’ll just turn up each day and work hard for the jersey, putting the team and country first,” he assured.
With Jamie Joseph and Dave Rennie tipped as frontrunners to succeed Robertson, the saga continues. However, for players like Vaa'i, the game goes on, and the drive to excel for the All Blacks overshadows the surrounding uncertainty.