Mike Blair explains 'cagey' dynamic with Scotland coach Gregor Townsend

After spending several years by each other’s side, All Blacks assistant Mike Blair and current Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend share a close friendship, but this week their relationship will take a slight turn.

Blair knows the usual coffee catch-ups will have a different feel to them in Edinburgh as his All Blacks side take on Scotland at Murrayfield this weekend in the fourth round of the Nations Championship.

The All Blacks assistant coach joined Dave Rennie’s coaching staff at the start of 2026, taking up the attacking coach role on a two-year contract until the conclusion of the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia.

Blair, who explained to media that he scored a famous try in his career at the All Blacks’ Merchiston Castle School base, admitted this week had a slightly weird feeling to it.

The 45-year-old former halfback spent four years as an assistant with the Scotland national team between 2017 and 2021, during which he formed a strong relationship with Townsend.

“Yeah, it’s been good fun [chatting with Townsend],” Blair said on a wet and soggy Tuesday in Edinburgh.

“We’ve been in touch this week. When I was over after the fourth Test [against South Africa], I was over for a couple of weeks and caught up with him.

“I always make a point to do that, and like, it’s just we have good conversation about rugby, about everything, what’s going on, what direction the game’s moving.

“But we’re just a little bit more cagey around certain things, like how we believe the game’s developing now and what we can do, because obviously we’re up against each other now, and then I think we play each other before the World Cup as well.”

The 84-Test former Scotland halfback admitted the All Blacks are well aware of the upcoming challenge, especially with the “cohesive” nature of this Scottish side under Townsend.

“We’re also aware that playing at Scotland at Murrayfield is a really big challenge. We talked about this morning the tightness of the games.

“The last four games have all been within eight points, so these games mean really competitive. It’s another good opportunity to show the growth in our game.

“We’ve been together four and a half months. This team under Gregor has been kind of seven or eight years in the making, very cohesive; they know their game well, so it’s been a big challenge for us.”

Rennie’s assistant joked he probably contributed too much to the long-standing 120-year unbeaten streak the All Blacks have against Scotland, and looked back at one of his funniest memories of the matchup.

“I contributed to quite a lot of the New Zealand victories in the 2000s to 2010s, but it’s different. Like it’s different now,” Blair told reporters in Edinburgh.

“When I played for Scotland, they played their second–string team. They gave guys opportunity against us, and I remember Isaia Toeava played his first game with the All Blacks against us as an 18-year-old in 2005.

“I thought, oh God, we’re going to pepper him; we’re going to make his life miserable. The first play he climbs, takes it above everyone else, makes a 20–meter break, and we went, slight change of plan.

“So times have changed from that. We’re fully loaded, and we’re ready to go; we know we need to do our best to beat this Scottish team.”