Breakthrough coaching title a proud moment for Blackadder
Former All Blacks captain Todd Blackadder says it was a proud moment when he won his first coaching title in Japan and he believes he is a better coach now than when he left New Zealand.
Blackadder’s Toshiba Brave Lupus – starring All Blacks Richie Mo’unga and Shannon Frizell – edged out Robbie Deans’ Panasonic Saitama Wild Knights 24-20 before 57,000 fans at their Tokyo grand final last Sunday.
After coaching the Crusaders to two Super Rugby finals and having to settle for silver medals, it was a special moment for Blackadder to lead Toshiba to the trophy.
“I’m so pleased for the team, everyone has worked so hard for it, but on a personal level it’s nice to get that monkey off that dark cloud that hangs over you sometimes when you’ve been through the wringer.
“It was nice to get to the final and even nicer to win it.’’
Blackadder, who captained the Crusaders to three back-to-back titles from 1998 to 2000, said the final – which took the Japanese Rugby League One season attendance to more than 1.1 million – was “a special occasion regardless of the result’’.
“Panasonic are a great side, their record speaks for itself.
“I remember as a kid idolising Robbie when he played for Canterbury and I played club rugby with him and captained teams under him.
“He’s a great man and it was nice that our teams were in the final together.
“He was absolutely class throughout the whole occasion. After the game, he was the first to come up and congratulate me. All those little things mean a lot.’’
Blackadder took over from Deans as
Crusaders coach in 2009 and coached them to a second-place finishes in 2011 – the season where they had to play every game outside Christchurch because of the Canterbury earthquakes – and again in 2014 when they lost to a last-gasp penalty goal by the Waratahs.
The squad he helped build won seven straight Super crowns under Scott Robertson while Blackadder had two seasons with English Premiership club Bath before finding his niche in Japan in
2019.
Blackadder said Toshiba couldn’t compete financially with the richer Japanese clubs so he set out to create a rugby culture at the club and develop young Japanese players.
“The two years of Covid probably saved us. When the competition was cancelled, we put a lot of work into our skillset and developing our Japanese players.
“Of all the teams in the last couple of years we probably played the least foreigners because we haven’t had the resources to buy in a lot, and it paid dividends this year.
“We had a stronger, younger squad and it’s been our point of difference because we had trust in our younger guys.”
Blackadder acknowledged the huge importance of “bringing guys like [former Crusaders] Tom Taylor, Matt Todd, Tim Bateman and Jack Stratton to build a foundation’’ in his early tenure.
But he admitted the signings of Mo’unga and Frizell had been the icing on the cake.
“What you get with Richie, not only is he a great player, his record speaks for itself, he just knows how to win.
“He just brings so much confidence to the group. He’s a natural leader and I can see why he’s been so successful.
“How can you not learn from someone who walks the talk and leads by his actions?
“One of his greatest strengths is how he get the best out of others.
“He cares about the game and people,’’ Blackadder said.
“You wouldn’t know he’s one of the most successful rugby players in the world – he’s probably got more titles than anyone. He’s a great team man, and that makes him so relatable.”
Frizell, Toshiba’s top try-scorer, brought “a physicality to our game”, Blackadder said.
The former Highlanders flanker’s defence was exceptional and he strengthened Toshiba’s lineout, which had a major impact on the competition and put pressure on other teams. As for Blackadder’s own future, he has one more year at Toshiba, “and then I’ll have some decisions to make’’. ”But I love coaching and I really enjoy it here,’’ he said, citing the rising standards of the play through an influx of quality players and coaches. (Blackadder’s former Crusaders coaches Wayne Smith and Steve Hansen also lend their expertise to Japanese clubs.)
“Toshiba gave me an opportunity, they threw me a lifeline,” Blackadder said. “I really wanted to create a rugby culture here where the players enjoy what they are doing and play a great brand of rugby.” The 52-year-old feels he’s now a better coach than during his Crusaders stint. “When you have different experiences, winning, losing and going through the wringer, it moulds you a bit.’’
He said he had learned to “focus on the really important things ... to keep the team ticking away and playing with each other’’.
As much as he enjoys Japan, Blackadder is looking forward to “having a steak and cheese pie and going jetboating” when he returns to Canterbury this weekend with some silverware in his swag.
“When you have different experiences, winning, losing and going through the wringer, it moulds you a bit.’’ Todd Blackadder