While Scotland awaits at Murrayfield, the All Blacks’ biggest challenge this week seems likely to be of the off-field variety.
By Stephen Foote
The sudden death of head of security Logan Cadwallader – a "much-loved and respected'' veteran of the group – at the team hotel on Sunday has had reverberating effects, and assistant coach Mike Blair admits players and the wider staff are still coming to grips with the tragic event.
It creates a delicate balancing act for Blair and his coaching colleagues, who must somehow ready the squad for a Test match while many are still navigating the grief process.
"It's been a tough couple of days,'' Blair said on Wednesday.
"Logan was a big part of the All Blacks for 10 years and very close to players and management.
"Obviously, a huge shock and it's taking time to deal with.''
An ominous tone
But when push comes to ruck, there’s a sense – come the opening whistle – the All Blacks will ultimately channel that shared grief to the pitch and, as an outlet, which may well spell danger for the hosts.
As fellow assistant coach Jason Ryan said with an ominous tone on Tuesday: “We’ll be ready to go.”
The tour opener carries another sense of sentimentality for Blair, who will make a homecoming to a ground on which he made the majority of his 85 international appearances.
He spent a combined 16 years representing his native Scotland as both a player and a coach, but the Edinburgh product will be on the opposite side of the haka at his iconic local ground this weekend.
Having had a couple of lighter hit-outs since their arrival on Friday (local time), the All Blacks had their first full training yesterday, as they prepare for the first of what they hope will be four Tests in Europe this month, with a place in the inaugural Nations Championship final casting an ever-present shadow over proceedings.
Fresh from twice avoiding the wrong side of history with both their emphatic Bledisloe Cup and Eden Park defence against the Wallabies, Dave Rennie’s side will try to dodge becoming another unwelcome footnote against Scotland, against whom they’re yet to taste defeat.
'These guys seem to enjoy that pressure'
Blair said it’s the kind of pressure the team leans into.
"It is really important,'' Blair stated.
"Those records are something you are conscious of because they are such long-standing ones and that motivation about not wanting to be that team to break that record.
“We are very mindful of it and it puts a bit of pressure on, but these guys seem to enjoy the pressure and raise the game for that.
“It’s definitely a huge motivation and we’re very proud of that record.”
The hosts are riding a four-Test unbeaten streak at their rugby headquarters and impressed during the Nations Championship window in July, when they recorded wins over Fiji and Argentina – in Cordoba, no less.
Reason to expect an expansive game
They currently face a similar predicament as the All Blacks do with Southern Hemisphere pool leaders South Africa, separated only by a nominal points differential from first-placed England.
Both teams’ respective bids to advance to the competition finale at Twickenham on November 30 (NZT) could be determined by their output of tries, which all bodes well for some expansive rugby.
Much of that responsibility falls under Blair’s remit, whose early impressions as attacking coach since being recruited from Japan’s Kobelco Steelers has been undeniable.
As Blair points out, the All Blacks’ approach to a match against Scotland Test differs dramatically from his days as a player, when the tourists would use the match as an opportunity to blood the younger talent on the fringes of the squad.
With an average of seven points separating the sides in their past three encounters, expect Rennie to call upon his elite when the gameday squad is announced on Friday.
“Times have changed. We are fully loaded. We are ready to go. We know we need to bring out our best to beat this Scottish team.”
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