Mike Blair sat down with reporters this week carrying the easy confidence of a coach who has settled fast into one of rugby’s biggest jobs. Three months into his role as Dave Rennie’s attack coach with the All Blacks, the former Scotland captain is already looking ahead to a fixture with real personal weight: New Zealand’s November trip to Murrayfield.
The headline from Blair’s session was not controversy but candour. Asked how it will feel to walk back into the stadium where he won 85 caps for his country, he offered an honest, unpolished answer rather than a rehearsed line. That openness has become a hallmark of his short spell in the role, and it comes just weeks after our report on Mike Blair on All Blacks attack first flagged his growing influence on New Zealand’s game plan.
Blair’s tone throughout was reflective rather than combative. He spoke warmly about his new environment, about the players he now coaches, and about a Scotland side he no longer recognises from his own playing days. There was no edge to his comments, only the sense of a coach still adjusting to the scale of what he has taken on.
Press Conference Summary & Headline Reaction
Blair’s press conference centred on the emotional pull of returning to Murrayfield with an opposing team. Journalists pressed him on what the occasion might mean, given his history as a Scotland international and captain before he moved into coaching.
He kept his answer measured, choosing not to overstate the moment before it arrives.
I don’t know how it’ll feel,
Blair said, before adding a lighter note about the strangeness of the situation.
I’ll tell you once we’re there, but it’ll definitely be weird and cool. I’m looking forward to it.
That mixture of anticipation and uncertainty set the tone for the rest of the session. Blair did not pretend to have all the answers, but he made clear the fixture matters to him personally, not just professionally.
Manager Transcript & Dissection (Mike Blair)
Pushed further on what has changed since his playing days, Blair pointed to a shift in how All Blacks players now view Scottish rugby. He recalled conversations with current squad members who have faced Scotland in recent seasons.
You know, it might have been a different thing if it had been 15 years ago, when I was playing. I’ve spoken to the guys about Scotland and New Zealand games in recent years and each player I’ve spoken to said, ‘Geez, that was a hell of a game’.
He went a step further when asked about individual respect for Scotland’s players, contrasting the current dressing room with attitudes he remembers from his own era.
The respect for Scotland’s attacking game is huge. Previously, when I played, there’s an interview, and I can’t remember who it was [an All Black], but they basically couldn’t name any of the Scotland players. Now you speak to Jordie and he’s naming everyone in the Scotland backline.
That comment is worth pausing on. Blair earned 85 caps and captained Scotland during a period when the side was rarely spoken about with awe by the southern hemisphere’s top nations. His remarks suggest a genuine change in stature rather than polite diplomacy before a big match. It also reflects well on his own coaching brief, since an attack coach who rates the opposition’s back line highly is unlikely to take the fixture lightly. Nothing in his answers hinted at complacency, and every quote pointed toward respect built on recent results rather than reputation alone.
Manager Transcript & Reaction (Dave Rennie)
Blair was equally open when asked about his working relationship with Dave Rennie, the head coach who succeeded Scott Robertson and brought Blair into the All Blacks setup. The pair worked together for three years in Japan before Blair made the switch this summer.
I went straight from finishing in Japan [he coached alongside Rennie in Kobe for three years] on 14 June to starting the job with New Zealand on 17 June. It’s been non-stop from there. Eye-opening. Different. Challenging. And a lot of fun as well.
Asked to describe Rennie’s style day to day, Blair gave a picture of a head coach who leads by trust rather than control.
He’s good company. He’s got lots of stories. The way he manages is not suffocating. He offers opinion when he feels that it’s necessary, but otherwise he trusts you to do a job because he’s chosen you for a reason.
That description matters for supporters trying to read how New Zealand’s coaching group actually functions. Rennie’s approach, as Blair frames it, leaves specialists like himself free to build the attacking game plan without constant oversight. Seven Tests into the Rennie era, that structure has already produced results against some of the toughest sides in world rugby, and Blair’s account suggests the working relationship is a settled one rather than a new pairing still finding its feet.
Incident & Rulebook Context
Blair’s tenure so far gives useful context for how much weight to put on his Murrayfield comments. He has been involved in seven Tests since joining midway through June, recording wins over France, Ireland, Italy and South Africa, alongside three defeats to South Africa. That record shows a coaching group already tested against the strongest opposition available, rather than easing in against weaker sides.
Our earlier coverage of the All Blacks team named for recent fixtures showed a squad still being shaped under Rennie, and the piece on All Blacks new tactics outlined some of the attacking principles Blair has helped introduce. Both fit with his own account of a demanding but productive start to the job.
Scotland’s November meeting with New Zealand at Murrayfield will be Blair’s first return to the ground since his playing career ended. There is no suggestion from Blair or New Zealand Rugby of any injury concerns or selection decisions being confirmed at this stage, and his comments were limited strictly to his own feelings about the occasion and his read on the current playing group.
For the full exchange, supporters can read the BBC Sport interview with Mike Blair, which carries his complete comments on both the Murrayfield fixture and his working relationship with Rennie. Between now and November, Blair’s remarks give Scotland supporters a clear sense of how seriously their attacking game is regarded within the current All Blacks camp, and how much the fixture means to a coach who once wore the thistle himself.
