Blackadder has eyes on the prize

Todd Blackadder

If Todd Blackadder has his way, he'll be spending more time in the less than salubrious Portakabin that serves as Edinburgh Rugby's office.

The 33-year-old former All Black captain has just signed a one-year extension on his contract with Edinburgh. But the ill-winds blowing through Scottish rugby could see him stay in the Scottish capital beyond May 2006.

Edinburgh's head coach Frank Hadden has been put temporarily in charge of the national side after the coach of the last two years, Matt Williams, was axed for steering Scotland to just four wins in 17 tests.

If things go well this month against the Barbarians and then Romania, Hadden is almost certain to be offered the post until the next World Cup. That promotion will leave Edinburgh looking for a new head coach and, despite there being no shortage of bampot administrators blighting the Scottish game, Blackadder will be offered the vacant job.

He has been Edinburgh assistant coach for the past two seasons, as well as one of their best forwards, and in five years no one in the capital has ever muttered a dissenting word about the quietly-spoken Cantabrian.

The only question is whether he actually wants the job? "Absolutely, I would love it," he said. "We'll have to wait and see what happens but I would grab the opportunity if it came up.

"I want to be more involved. I am just the same person as I always was - very competitive - but I think being here and coaching has opened my eyes. I have been involved with the analysis, defence and I coached the Scotland forwards last year with Matt Williams. I think I'm ready to be a head coach.

"Coaching is about moving people forward. It's about building an environment and managing egos."

It's very easy to see why Blackadder has won so many friends and admirers in Scotland. He is unassuming to his boot laces. Being an All Black left him humble. He makes the coffee in the office and last Friday spent the morning showing two random visitors from Canterbury round Murrayfield and chewing the fat about old times.

Tellingly, Scotland and British Lions prop, Tom Smith, dropped a hint he may not have retired if Blackadder was still involved in the national set-up.

"Todd was a good man to have around and the team missed him when he stepped down," said Smith.

Given the impact Blackadder has made both with Edinburgh and Scotland and given that he plans to come home in May next year unless he's offered the top job at Edinburgh, surely the New Zealand Rugby Union have been sounding him out?

"No," said Blackadder. "I keep in touch with friends back in New Zealand. Steve Hansen is a good mate and I spoke to him recently. I would like to go back to New Zealand and work as a coach. I'll see what is available at the time. I would love to be involved with Canterbury but I'm not so one-eyed that I wouldn't go anywhere else.

"I'm not sure that New Zealand recognises coaching over here to be on the same level. Without being derogatory about rugby here, in some ways it is harder to coach. You have to spend more time working on technique whereas in New Zealand you can safely work on the assumption players will be able to do basic things.

"I remember when I was All Black captain we always used to say the guys from the Northern Hemisphere were soft bastards. That was a big part of our motivation. But they are not. Rugby here is very set-piece dominated, very physical. It's not better or worse than Super 12, it's just very different."

That he is open to offers is good news for Nelson Bays/Marlborough. Blackadder made his NPC debut with Nelson Bays back in 1990 and was offered a playing contract for this year's NPC.

Blackadder liked the romance but not the practicality of just being a player. However, should Nelson Bays/Marlborough make the NPC Premier Division next year, it is just the sort of coaching job Blackadder will be happy to come home for.

Regardless of when, Blackadder will return to New Zealand with some interesting views. He was nodding in agreement with assistant All Black coach Wayne Smith's recent comments about the robotic nature of the rugby players in New Zealand.

"I think the academy system is valid and in one year players can be up-skilled quicker than if they played 50 NPC games. But I don't think we should kiss their arses and do everything for them.

"I would like to see academy players train in the morning and then go out and work in the afternoon. But they are promised the world and sometimes they have no work ethic or social skills. Look how many young guys have made the All Blacks in their first year of rugby, then get found out. I think we need a system where we can get more balance, so older guys can utilise their experience in the NPC and be paid for helping these young guys.

"The NPC is more traditional and a guy in his late 20s is still a valuable asset. He may not be wanted by a Super 12 team which is much more of an anaerobic competition but he could play a really important role for an NPC side. At the moment, though, these older guys can make a really good living overseas so the NZRU needs to look at how much it wants to invest in these players."

The NZRU should also be thinking about how much it wants to invest in Blackadder. Edinburgh and Scotland made a commitment which now looks cheap at the price.

- HERALD ON SUNDAY