Mike Blair sees the All Blacks coaching job as an opportunity to ‘fix’ his disappointing position with the British and Irish Lions as a player.
The 44-year-old former Scotland scrum-half was left out of the 2009 Lions squad to tour South Africa but was called up following an injury to Tomas O’Leary – the only player to cap the famous tour group during his 15-year career.
He went on to represent the Lions in games against the Royal XV, Sharks and Southern Kings, but was unable to twist Ian McGeechan’s arm and earn a Test appearance, with the head coach selecting Mike Phillips and Harry Ellis in his place.
Playing down Rennie’s proposal
Blair, who was Scotland captain during his career, was overlooked for future Lions selections and says he regrets his time with the touring side.
Despite having first international coaching experience with Scotland, he sees his new role as assistant to new All Blacks coach Dave Rennie as an opportunity to take advantage of a big opportunity, which he was unable to do during his playing career.
He revealed that after detailing how Rennie started talks about him being part of his coaching team, and his wife’s reaction.
“So, he said, ‘Do you want to do what you want?’ And most of the time you have Rens, there’s a reason why you meet,” Blair told Aotearoa Rugby Podcast.
“So my mind was worried about how this could happen.” I met him, and we made small talk along the way. He said, ‘I’m not 100% going to go to this stage, but I’m looking at what it would look like and how you would feel about being an attack coach?’
“It was one of those things that I thought he might be asking about, but he hadn’t planned an answer at all.” So, I just smiled and said, ‘Let me think about it.’
“You want to play it cool, don’t you, at first? So he played it cool, saying ‘let’s not think about it.’ My wife and daughter were planning to return to Edinburgh later this year. My son is already in Scotland, so it was a big deal, but it didn’t take long to think about it.
The new All Blacks coach has worked for three years to ‘get rid’ of Wayne Smith’s ‘mantra’.
Mrs Blair’s views and Lions’ sorrow
While Kobe’s offensive coach downplayed the possibility when he spoke to Rennie, his wife had a completely different opinion.
“Well, when I told my wife before I finished saying what I was asked to do, she said, ‘You have to do it, you have to do it, you do it, we will do it,'” Blair continued.
“So, I don’t know if he was happy to take a little break from me. But, no, he was also happy about that. One of the best points for me was being able to tell other people. The comments I got from family and friends. But I also remember that this is a good job that I have to do, but my job starts as soon as we enter.”
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He concluded by saying: “I really regretted being selected for the British and Irish Lions team, and I was happy to have been selected for it, but I didn’t make the most of the opportunity.
“I regret my time with the British and Irish Lions. So, I see this as an opportunity to fix this issue, where I was given this big role and a big title, but my job starts as soon as we come in, and the results start happening, and I see what we can achieve in attack.”
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Blair has signed on as Rennie’s attack coach until the 2027 Rugby World Cup. New Zealand Rugby is expected to decide between now and then whether the current staff should continue beyond the Australian competition.
If they decide to extend the contracts of the coaching staff, Blair will get the chance to coach against the Lions and the tourists who arrive in New Zealand in 2029.
READ MORE: Justin Marshall’s ‘load of b*lock’ decision on Will Jordan in picking the All Blacks squad to face France.
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