2026-07-26 09:32:49
Mike Blair was “quite apprehensive” about taking on the job of All Blacks’ attack coach.
The 45-year-old Scotsman has become the first foreign assistant coach of the New Zealand side and he’s thankful everyone around him has been “normal” and welcoming.
He told The Times: “As you can imagine, I was quite apprehensive about coming over but each and every experience I’ve had has made me feel more comfortable.
“Meeting all the management, it was great to realise how normal everyone is. It was the exact same meeting the players: everyone’s normal and everyone’s working towards the same goal, which is to get better and to win.”
Mike – who previously worked with All Blacks coach Dave Rennie at Glasgow Warriors and Kobe Steelers in Japan – admitted there are people doing his job that are “better” but he’s determined to do the best he can for the side.
He said: “Rens knows me really well and he trusts me. He knows what he’s going to get from me.
“There will be much better attack coaches than me out there, but I’m the one that’s been given this opportunity, so now I want to really take it.
“My experience with the Lions in 2009 was that I got selected and probably didn’t push hard enough to be the No1 [scrum half]. That was a missed opportunity, so my mindset now is that I don’t want to just be happy that I can write on my Instagram that I’m attack coach for the All Blacks. I want to write that I’m a World Cup-winning attack coach for the All Blacks.
“It’s easier said than done sometimes, but in general I feel I’ve been able to disconnect the magnitude of the job from just trying to actually do it.”
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