Richie Mo'unga insists Scott Robertson 'hasn't changed' as ex-All ...

Richie Mo’unga has opened up on exactly what Scott Robertson told him in the now famous conversation from just over a decade ago.

The 30-year-old was still playing high school rugby for Linwood when the current All Blacks head coach went to watch one of his matches from the sidelines.

Mo’unga had a stunning game in front of Robertson and the duo would go on to enjoy remarkable success at the Crusaders.

However, the playmaker might not have succeeded in the sport had he not taken on Robertson’s rather forthright advice from that day.

“It was 2013, we played High School Old Boys just down the road. Linwood were a struggling team. We had some good players but we could never beat any good sides,” Mo’unga told The Good, The Bad & The Rugby Australia & New Zealand podcast.

“I ended up having this unreal match; a couple of tries, try-saving tackles, kicked some goals and we beat High School Old Boys, who were such a good team. I walk off the field with my chest puffed out and my head high.

“Razor was at the game and pulled me aside and told me to come over. I thought, ‘man, this is going to be good’, and boy was I wrong!

“I missed a tackle, five-metre scrum out and Rob Thompson bowled me over and scored, and he said: ‘You know that tackle you missed, you better f*****g make those tackles. You’re not going to make my team if you do that.’

“I’ve just gone from up here [to down there]. He’s telling me this and I’m looking down. I will always remember it so clearly, he said: ‘Look at me when I talk to you!’

“My head’s down and the distance between us felt miles, with me having to look up and into his eyes as he said that to me. He just said: ‘You need to be brave, put your head in a hard place.’”

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Although Mo’unga was rather brutally taken down a peg by Robertson on that day, it had the desired effect according to the fly-half.

The playmaker’s record speaks for itself, with the 30-year-old going on to enjoy a remarkable career, but it was potentially only possible because of the influence of the new All Blacks head coach.

“It always stuck with me. Even now, I play and you’ve just got to do it. You’ve got to put your head in there,” he added.

“If he knows that you’ve given it your all, you’ve done everything you can… but he won’t settle for a weak arm or you ushering someone to the try-line, and that’s what I did that day, which was pretty humbling.

“It was an awesome experience, Razor hasn’t changed since then. Who he is, is who he’s been forever. He hasn’t changed with whatever team he’s coached.

“What you see is what you get, but he demands a lot from his players. In return, he will give you a lot, he will give you everything you need to succeed as a player.”

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