Rennie rules out Blair as Scotland head coach while praising All Blacks assistant

Dave Rennie has firmly, if light-heartedly, closed the door on assistant coach Mike Blair ever becoming Scotland’s head coach, telling reporters at the All Blacks’ Edinburgh hotel: “No, no chance” — before going on to lavish praise on the man he has followed across three continents.

Blair, an 84-Test former Scotland halfback, is part of Rennie’s coaching staff for Saturday’s Test at Murrayfield, a venue where he spent the bulk of his playing career. Blair acknowledged earlier in the week that the occasion carries personal significance, having trained at the side’s Edinburgh base ahead of the match.

Rennie has worked alongside Blair since their time together at Glasgow Warriors, a partnership that continued in Japan with the Kobelco Kobe Steelers before both men joined the All Blacks set-up in 2026. The head coach was unequivocal about what Blair brings to the group.

“He’s a top man, Mike. There’s a reason I brought him to New Zealand,” Rennie said at his team-naming press conference. “His ability to micro-skill things from a decision-making perspective, and really innovative around how he delivers that, whether it’s at a meeting or on the grass. He’s been excellent. Made a really big impression with the boys as well, and you’re seeing evidence of that on the park.”

Blair’s influence has been most visible in the All Blacks’ attacking output. New Zealand put on a commanding display with ball in hand against Australia in the Bledisloe Cup, a performance that came after a difficult run in the Rugby Championship against South Africa.

Rennie also outlined how his squad’s physical conditioning and playing style have developed significantly since the coaching staff’s first Test in July against France in Christchurch, when they had just eight days to prepare. Having now used more than 50 players across the tour, the head coach pointed to measurable shifts in how the team plays.

“The average ball-in-play time last year was around 37 seconds, and ours are now 45-plus,” Rennie explained. “Doesn’t seem like much difference, but when you add 50-odd of those on top of each other, the ball-in-play time is a lot higher. There were six plays over 100 seconds in the Wallabies matches alone. There are a lot more physical demands in how we want to play.”

Rennie believes the cumulative time together has accelerated the squad’s understanding of his system. “We’re in much better condition. We’ve put a lot of time into our skill set and an understanding of our game. I think we still have a lot more in us, but we’ve made good strides recently.”