Different to his regular life juggling rugby matches, training, travel, events and meetings, he has been finding ways to stay grounded at home in Sumner with his wife, Jane Robertson and his three young boys.
Exercise, Zoom meetings, family downtime and staying up to date with the latest Covid-19 updates are some activities which have become part of his “daily ritual” on top of work from home.
“I’ve got a tendency to get pretty bored, so I’ve had to be pretty disciplined with my days to ensure I get the best out of them. We’ve been keeping a good structure and really focussing on still keeping up with our physical and mental well-being, trying to make it as fun and stress-free as we possibly can.”
Robertson said it has been tough not being able to get out into the water, where he does a lot of his thinking, but has accepted and adapted to the rules.
“Instead I’ve been getting on my bike and keeping it local and using the old yoga mat has been great.”
He said reaching out to people in similar career positions has helped maintain his mental stimulation.
“There’s been a lot of online Zoom meetings with rugby teams in Europe and different sports around Australia and America, so you’re connecting to them and looking at how they’ve been innovative. You think of questions you probably never would’ve before and dig quite deep.”
“For me it was pretty extraordinary really, I made blueberry scones with some coconut glaze.
"It was a pretty weird moment in my career to be fair,” he joked.
Robertson said the team has various layers covered for when they are able to resume playing, but at this stage, there was no more information as to when that would be.
"It's reliant on how many cases we have and how disciplined we are as a nation."
Roberston said he is looking forward to getting back into it as he has been missing the social connections with the team and having something to look forward to every weekend.
However, he said missing it has made him realise he is "extremely grateful" for what he has got.
