Robertson was effectively sacked, in the early hours of Thursday South African time, after an internal review left his position untenable.

It appears that player power ended the two-year tenure of All Blacks coach Scott Robertson, who stepped down before being formally fired amid senior player unhappiness and poor results.

New Zealand Rugby (NZR) effectively sacked the 51-year-old, although officially Robertson had "departed his role" as All Blacks coach.

"The mid-point in the Rugby World Cup cycle is the right time to look at the All Blacks' progress over the first two seasons. The team is set to play a significant 2026 schedule and the tournament in 2027 remains the key goal," a statement from NZR confirmed.

"We've taken an extensive look at the team's progress on and off the field and have subsequently had discussions with Scott on the way forward. Both NZR and Scott agree it is in the best interests of the team that he depart his role as head coach."

But as the hours passed after the official announcement, it became clearer that if Robertson stayed on, a senior players revolt could follow - and the players won out.

"I think trajectory is a good word to apply, we just weren't seeing the trajectory," NZR chairperson and former World Cup-winning captain David Kirk told the media...