Scott McLeod admits he was tested on the All Blacks' northern tour and has plenty to work on. Photo / Photosport
Scott McLeod admits he was tested on the All Blacks' northern tour and has plenty to work on. Photo / Photosport
Attention to detail impresses defence coach in first year, writes Liam Napier.
The first thing that struck Scott McLeod was the level of engagement and feedback from senior players. All made time to get to know him away from rugby; all offered areas of self-improvement without prompting.
Nineteen years after the last of his 10 tests in the midfield for the All Blacks, how times have changed. And now, back in a defensive coaching capacity, how much more involved across the board players are than even Super Rugby.
"Everybody is driving for the performance," McLeod says. "Not everyone in Super Rugby does that. That's just the nature of the two environments. Those are the clear differences I saw."
After five years with the Highlanders in Dunedin, McLeod takes a break from moving back to Hamilton with his wife and four children to reflect with the Herald on Sunday on his first tour in the All Blacks management.
Next year McLeod's eldest son will follow in his footsteps by attending Hamilton Boys' High School, and the 44-year-old just graduated from a brief induction to the Wayne Smith school of coaching.
Just as any rookie finds promotion from Super Rugby to the All Blacks a major leap, so too did McLeod.
The big difference is he had time to adjust. Coming in after guiding the Highlanders to a memorable victory over the British and Irish Lions helped but it still took time to get his head around every meticulous structure.
Initially taken back by the accuracy, detail and standards within the All Blacks' inner sanctum, McLeod spent the Rugby Championship shadowing Smith and fostering relationships with players, before assuming the defensive reins on the northern tour.
"He was great in terms of helping my transition and making time for me. He was superb as you'd expect. I was really grateful for that.
"Because I'd spent time in there I found that transition a lot easier than going in cold. We assembled on the Friday and I was coaching on the Monday. I really enjoyed being on tour and having that time to talk to the players about how I wanted to drive things."
It helped, too, McLeod slotted into established systems most players were familiar with. His own flavour will come. This tour was more about focusing on technical and tactical aspects rather than reinventing the wheel as such.
McLeod's first task was to meet with captain Kieran Read but the All Blacks' weekly defensive strategy is as much devised by Codie Taylor, TJ Perenara, Sam Whitelock, Jerome Kaino and Ryan Crotty as it is management.
"I loved every second of the whole tour. To be involved with players who all want to be the best in the world ... to work with athletes like that every single day, I get goosebumps from that stuff. And to work with staff who are like-minded it's very inspiring and motivating.
Scott McLeod, right, has worked closely with Wayne Smith.
"Coaching can be pretty fickle and short-lived. I'm not someone who has set out certain goals as to where I wanted to be at a certain time.
"It's pretty special to be involved with this team."
From a defensive point of view, well on the whole, really, the northern tour produced mixed results.
Largely starved of possession, Sam Cane led the defensive resolve in Cardiff, and the midweek team showed their test counterparts a thing or two about attitude and collisions in the gritty win over the French XV in Lyon.
"We finished off really strongly against Wales. The attitude was great given it was the last game of the year and in the past that performance can be challenging."
In between times, though, Scotland in particular exposed the All Blacks with width, depth, deception and pace.
"Scotland played some really smart footy. Some of our decision-making and execution put us under pressure in terms of playing with 14 men for 20 minutes. It wasn't the performance we wanted but we held on and survived.
"I got tested a few times on tour and that's given me some really good fodder to hopefully improve our systems and drive it over the next couple of years."
Taking those steps, and adding his imprint, should be easier with the return of several senior figures next season.
"For the next two years, barring injury, there's going to be a lot of competition for places. That's going to help our game in New Zealand — it will drive Super Rugby. Everyone wants to be involved in a World Cup so I'm really looking forward to building towards that."
