Many critics have spoken out about Crusaders coach Scott Robertson's interest in working with the British & Irish Lions on their tour of South Africa next year but, former Lion Jeremy Guscott isn't one of them.
Guscott, who toured New Zealand with the 1993 Lions side, said if coach Warren Gatland did choose Robertson as one of the specialist coaches in the side, it would be a left-field choice.
To complete those roles experience was vital and Robertson would struggle to have the time to know the Lions players well enough in that type of role.
But his value to the side could be as a consultant, Guscott said in his column in The Rugby Paper.
"The Lions need characters in the coaching staff and Robertson seems like a massive character. You see him breakdancing when Crusaders have won the championship and it seems he is hugely respected and well-liked by his players, coaching team and supporters.
"Robertson is a proven winner and I don't think the players would be fazed if he is selected by Gatland, although the other British and Irish coaches who miss out would be a bit peeved in the same way as some players are resentful when a player who qualifies for Test rugby through residential grounds is chosen ahead of them," he said.
If chosen by Gatland, Guscott said it would be interesting to see in what role. As a back-rower in his 22-Test career he was familiar with that area but coaching a Lions team, where the forwards play differently to a New Zealand pack, would be almost chalk and cheese.
While Robertson had dealt with plenty of All Blacks in the Crusaders, and while the Lions represented the best of their best, those forwards would not have the skills and game understanding of New Zealand players.
"That would be his big challenge, adjusting to what he has to work with," he said.
"Gatland will already have formulated a plan as to how to dismantle the defensive wall and set-piece machine that makes the South Africans but a New Zealand brain isn't a bad thing to have in reserve.
"Robertson will know South African rugby inside out as his side has beaten them all in Super Rugby and it would be a huge advantage to have that inside track on the Boks' players and team strategies. Ideally, you would also want to have the same knowledge about the players from Britain and Ireland," he said.
Guscott said the South African game plan might be simplistic, but they remained hard to beat on their soil.
"If I was Gatland I would try to get as much help and inside knowledge as possible and bring in Robertson as a consultant.
"I can see problems if he were to come in as a specialist coach as he doesn't know the players well enough or know what to expect on a tour like that – but giving him a consultancy role could hand the Lions a secret weapon and be a game-changer," he said.