Pacific post bonus out of the blue

Pat Lam is not sure to whom he owes the most thanks. It might be former Scotland coach Ian McGeechan who took Lam to Edinburgh for his first gig, knocking the Scottish forwards into shape. It might be the All Blacks for tumbling out of the 2003 World Cup and forcing a coaching change that led to Lam's appointment at Auckland. Or it might be that, as a devout Christian, Lam owes most thanks to God for a natural talent for this coaching business.

It's a talent that was almost sunk before it surfaced. Lam was all set to learn his craft as Graham Henry's assistant in 2004. But when Henry was suddenly elevated to the All Black job in December 2003, Auckland needed a new coach and Lam was chucked in at the deep end.

It really was the deep end. Auckland lost the Ranfurly Shield in their opening NPC game, were given a 50-point hiding by Waikato and finished seventh on the ladder.

The inevitable calls for Lam to be axed came mid-season but he survived, applied Neitszche's theory that what doesn't kill you makes you stronger and stormed back in 2005 by leading Auckland to the NPC title.

"It is definitely not a distant memory," Lam says of 2004. "It is something I am really thankful for. You have got to go through the valleys before you get anywhere near the peaks. You learn a lot from those times, your character grows. It made me more determined to get things done the way I wanted them done."

And it is the philosophy of Lam as much as his ability to deliver that led to the Pacific Island Rugby Alliance (PIRA) phoning him in early August. PIRA wanted Lam to coach the combined side on their November tour of Wales, Scotland and Ireland.

PIRA liked the way he had encouraged the natural flair in the Auckland team while building a more pragmatic structure. That thinking would benefit the Pacific Islanders, who have never struggled for talent but have been indifferent to set-piece work and discipline.

The fractious nature of Auckland rugby means Lam has not convinced everyone his team has hit on a winning formula by design. The critics suggest he tried a style in 2004, it failed so he simply didn't adopt a style in 2005.

Such criticism is harsh. Auckland couldn't possibly have succeeded without a rugged set-piece and clear understanding of what they are trying to achieve. The only difference Lam sees between 2004 and the last couple of years is that he now knows his players better.

"My vision is exactly the same. It is about knowing your players and knowing your environment. You have this philosophy all players are the same and you will treat them the same, but they are not all the same. They all have different needs. That was the real issue for me in 2004. I only met some of the All Blacks for the first time in round four or five.

"That is the challenge with this Pacific Islands team. I only have 10 or 11 days to get them all together.

"The two weeks at the start of the tour will be crucial. They have the flair, pace, the attacking ability... the real challenge is to get them structured as a team."

With such short preparation time, Lam insisted he hire his Auckland assistants Shane Howarth and Mike Casey. He also insisted only players who make themselves available for Fiji, Samoa or Tonga be selected.

"The big picture is to develop the elite players, which is why only players who are available to play for the three countries are available for selection. I had phone calls from guys who were keen to play even in the Auckland team.

"But if you are still trying to play for the All Blacks or if you have played for the All Blacks or Australia then you are not available for selection. It is important the players that come out of this tour, what we achieve and what we learn, they can take that away and go back to their national teams."

Given the squad's strength, three wins is achievable and would see Lam's career take another giant leap.

From a very shaky beginning, he is now one of New Zealand's hotter coaching properties and even Lam admits to being surprised at the speed of his elevation.

"To be able to coach on the international front is a huge bonus. It was something that came out of the blue. It wasn't something that I was aiming for or that I applied for.

"This year I was trucking along with Auckland, but to get this was a complete bonus."