Blair has WhatsApp group to thank for Steelers job

Japan-bound Mike Blair has revealed he received his provide to be Dave Rennie’s attack coach at Kobe Steelers through a web based WhatsApp chat group.

The previous Scotland scrum-half labored underneath Rennie when the New Zealander was Glasgow Warriors head coach.

“We have nonetheless received a WhatsApp group with that teaching workforce,” mentioned Blair, 42.

“Dave was getting some abuse for shedding his job with Australia and one of many guys, John Manson, mentioned, ‘you may be off to Japan then’. And I jokingly mentioned, ‘in the event you fancy taking an assault coach, I am in’.

“He really messaged me individually and mentioned, ‘Mike, are you really ?’ So I mentioned, ‘oh geez, yeah!'”

Blair will start work in August as Kobe Steelers look to regain the Japanese title after Saitama Wild Knights took the crown final 12 months.

The Scot insists he had no concept the place he can be heading subsequent when he defined in February that he wished to grow to be “a world class assault coach”.

“The choice I made again in February to not proceed the job with Edinburgh as head coach opened up just a few alternatives, so it wasn’t massively deliberate as such,” he informed BBC Scotland’s Sportsound when explaining how the brand new job happened.

“I did not actually go searching for alternatives. I did not need to rush into doing something after which this fell in our lap.

“And, when the household began fascinated by it, we thought what a fantastic alternative for us as a household and pushing my teaching profession as nicely.”

Blair is “excited” to workforce up with Rennie, who he regards as the very best coach he has labored with together with Scotland’s Gregor Townsend, and in addition “get out of my consolation zone”, contemplating he has solely spent three years of his profession outdoors of his homeland.

“We’re going to have a very sturdy squad and it is a sensible degree,” he added. “In all probability about 5 or 6 years in the past, you noticed loads of New Zealanders, South Africans and Australians going over there within the twilight of their profession and choosing up good cash and never taking part in an enormous quantity.

“However now you might be seeing world class gamers taking part in there and growing. There’s an incredible pool of gamers there and, as an assault coach, the way in which that they play the sport there – ball in play quite a bit, actually thrilling – is one thing I’m actually trying ahead to as nicely.”