Mike Blair: 'We've got so much growth in us, there's more we can do'

All Blacks assistant coach and former Scotland halfback Mike Blair believes his side are yet to reach full potential, insisting they have more to give with ball in hand.

Blair’s admission follows the All Blacks’ impressive five-tries-to-one victory in front of 60 thousand fans at Ellis Park in Johannesburg, where Dave Rennie’s side came from behind at halftime to clinch the first Test match of Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series for 2026.

The 45-year-old, who joined the All Blacks coaching staff as an attack coach, has been in the role for only five months, but has clearly made an impact with a new attacking blueprint on display.

Rennie’s men are using their counter-attacking approach to put their opposition under pressure in a variety of ways, including spreading the ball wide to hurt teams on the edge.

Discussing the first Test with former All Black Justin Marshall, Blair detailed a conversation with Jordie Barrett.

“We’re really pleased with five tries. I was just speaking to Jordie Barrett there, and I was saying to him like, there’s so much good stuff there, but the exciting bit is we’ve got so much growth in us,” Blair said on Sky Sport.

“There’s more we can do. So we’re delighted to get five tries and get the win, but there’s plenty more out there.”

Despite not finishing all of their chances, Blair’s confident that they can find opportunities in the Springboks’ rush defence.

“I mean, they’re a really good defensive team, aren’t they?

“I think probably a shame for them that Jesse Kriel moved out to the wing quite early because he’s an exceptional defender at 13.

“But we saw some opportunities in preview during the week, and we took some of them. The thing that a blitz defence does to you is it puts your skills under pressure.

“We got some guys who’ve got great skills. We’ve worked hard, and we unlocked the defence at times tonight.”

The aerial contest, an area the All Blacks have historically struggled in, still left plenty to be desired, but the All Blacks assistant said they made slight improvements.

“I mean, South Africa-they’re the best in the world, aren’t they? Statistically speaking, they get a huge amount of contestables back, and they’ve probably got their lion’s share tonight [first Test].

“We got a couple of crucial ones back, which just changed the flow of the game a little bit. So it’s definitely an area to keep working on, but it’s a super strength there. So we’ve got to appreciate that and do what we can to take that out of the game.”