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The '14 seconds' of All Blacks attack inspiring Mike Blair's game plan
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New All Blacks attack coach Mike Blair has described how the first 14 seconds of his first Test against the All Blacks became a formative experience that has shaped his understanding of the team’s DNA.
The 85-Test Scotland halfback was announced as Dave Rennie’s attack lead last week, but having never coached in New Zealand, his philosophies remain somewhat mysterious to the nation whose prized team he will now help direct.
A former head coach of the URC outfit Edinburgh, assistant coach under Gregor Townsend with Scotland, and under Rennie at Glasgow and now Kobe, Blair brings a more intimate knowledge of the European game to the All Blacks set-up.
Speaking on the Aotearoa Rugby Pod this week, the 44-year-old offered some insights into his experiences and views on the game of rugby, and what they mean for the All Blacks.
He was asked whether taking on the role of All Blacks attack coach came with additional expectations, given the team’s legacy as a prolific attacking outfit.
“It’s not really been at the forefront of my mind, to be honest,” Blair replied.
“Since I’ve got the job, I’ve been watching old games, I’ve been watching Super Rugby games, trying to find some form players, looking at how the individual teams are playing, and what might suit our personnel.
“The great thing about the quality and depth of players in New Zealand is that you can select a team to play in a particular way. So all we need to try and find out is exactly how we’re going to try and play the game, have that cohesion amongst the coaching team, and then choose a team that’s capable of playing that way, and execute the plan to the best of our ability.
“I’m conscious that the New Zealand attack has been a lot about ball movement. I remember in 2005, I think it was my first game against New Zealand, and it was pissing with rain. It had been pissing with rain for a couple of days before the game at Murrayfield.
“We’d been previewing the fact that they move the ball from the kick-off, and we thought, well, it’s pissing with rain, so they’re not going to do that. They’re just going to tuck it up the jumper and then kick for touch.
“And I swear, the crispness of this wide attack — we went from being in their 22 to being in our 22 within about 14 seconds.
“So, that ability to move the ball is something that is traditionally big amongst the New Zealand attack because there are so many good individuals. If you’re moving the ball, you’re more likely to get one-on-ones, and that’s what we want with our big, powerful players in the outside channel.
“But something I’m really interested in, as well, is looking at the game as a head coach. Sometimes, there might be things here in Japan that might be a detriment to our attack because I believe it’s potentially a better way for our team to win.
“So, I’m conscious of that as well; in terms of game strategy, how do you use your kicking game to turn a team, to get them to kick back to you to break the game up again, so that you get these one-on-ones in wide channels.
“If you stagnate your attack, and you keep playing, you’re going to lose the ball eventually. So, that balance between the ball movement, the ability to get one-v-ones, but also using the kicking game to break the game up, to get these unstructured defences, is really critical.”
You can find the full interview with Mike Blair on RugbyPass TV.
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