All Blacks strength and conditioning coach Nic Gill talks through his regime with Beauden Barrett. Photo / Photosport
All Blacks strength and conditioning coach Nic Gill talks through his regime with Beauden Barrett. Photo / Photosport
Nic Gill is not ready to walk away from his dream job just yet. Like all those involved in All Blacks management, the renowned strength and conditioning coach knows his future beyond this year's World Cup will depend on who succeeds Steve Hansen at the helm.
Hansen won't be the only member of management moving on after the All Blacks attempt to create further history by claiming three successive World Cup crowns in Japan this year.
But as he enters his 12th season moulding many of world rugby's premier athletes into a team that, for a long period, were by far and away the fittest in the final quarter of gripping tests, Gill is keen to extend his stay.
"Like anyone, being part of the group is pretty special," said Gill, whose book Health Yourself has sold more than 6000 copies.
"If I'm wanted, I'd love to carry on. If it's time for a change, it's time for a change. If I had a choice, I'd love to be sticking around and trying to continue to enhance the legacy and history of the group.
"I remember when I interviewed for the job a wee while ago with Graham Henry. Every little boy's dream is to be an All Black, so to be able to help them perform it is a pretty special role that I love. It has been a huge part of my life.
"As long as the players and management group still see me as adding value, and I'm wanted, then I'd love to stay. If the opposite is true, and I'm not as effective as I once was, then, hey, maybe it's time to move on.
"Like any of us in the group, it's not about the individual, it's about the team, so whatever is best for the team, I'll be happy with."
If I had a choice, I'd love to be sticking around and trying to continue to enhance the legacy and history of the group.
All head coaches have preferences in terms of who they choose to surround themselves with. It is now common for successful, recruited mentors to take video analysts, assistant coaches and trainers with them to new positions.
With Hansen set to finish after eight years in charge, this leaves uncertainty for his trusted team about what the future holds.
The post-World Cup era also promises significant changes to the playing and leadership group, with several senior figures poised to sign lucrative offshore contracts.
Hansen's assistant, Ian Foster, is considered the front-runner to make the step up but with World Cup performance set to play a part, there are no guarantees.
If New Zealand Rugby opts for change, Gill knows he and others may no longer be required.
"Head coaches, assistant coaches and staff have relationships built on history and trust. And that goes with the players, too. They've got to trust the coach, or strength and conditioning coach, or the doctor.
"Trust is pretty important, and you don't get trust until you earn it, and that takes time.
"If there is going to be a new person steering the ship, well, there are going to be some relationships that are going to need to be formed pretty fast or existing ones that are going to need to be nurtured."
First and foremost, the focus is on what will be the most competitive World Cup of the professional era.
"All of us involved can't be thinking about post World Cup. We need to put our head down and do the best possible job to help the team perform.
"Will we try anything different? This will be the third World Cup I've been to. We know what it's about. It is unique. The challenge doesn't change. We're going to be offshore. We're going to be away from home a lot and there is going to be a bucketload of pressure.
"There seems to have been a levelling of the field, so it's going to be hugely tough. We just have to prepare as well as we can, which, to be fair, started three years ago leading into this pinnacle event.
"It's a matter of trusting what we've been doing and to keep improving everything around our preparation."
Four months on from the release of his book, meanwhile, Gill has been inundated with feedback about changes he helped evoke.
"I really enjoyed putting my thoughts on paper. What everyone knows is what they see on TV, which is all marketing crap. It annoys me, so I wanted to provide knowledge which isn't about you buying someone's product, or following a depressing diet for a quick fix.
"Some of the ideas are about people tweaking their own lifestyles to be a bit healthier and have more energy. I don't believe in telling people how to eat and exercise. It's more about knowledge so people can make their own adjustments."
