Pat Lam on the All Blacks: Why New Zealand Rugby Needs a Reality Check
Pat Lam doesn’t talk like someone trying to make headlines. He talks like someone who’s lived inside New Zealand rugby, stepped away from it, and now sees things more clearly from the outside.
Speaking on the Develin Sports Podcast Network, the Bristol Bears director of rugby delivered a calm but confronting message about the state of the All Blacks and the wider system around them. It wasn’t emotional. It wasn’t personal. But it was blunt.
“We’re not the best in the world. We know that,” Lam said. “We want to be the best in the world. So how do we fix our development? How do we fix our competitions?”
That question sits at the heart of Pat Lam on the All Blacks — and why he believes New Zealand rugby has reached a moment that demands honesty rather than nostalgia.
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“We’re not the best” — and that’s not the insult people think it is
Lam’s central point is simple, but uncomfortable for a rugby nation used to dominance.
“I think there needs to be a reality check,” he said. “New Zealand’s biggest advantage right now is that they’re not the best in the world.”
He doesn’t say it to diminish the All Blacks. In fact, he argues the opposite. For years, New Zealand set the benchmark. Other countries had to chase, adapt, innovate, and invest just to keep up. Now, that work has paid off — particularly in South Africa.
“South Africa is clearly the best team in the world,” Lam said plainly.
From Lam’s perspective, the danger isn’t losing matches. It’s behaving like the old standards still apply while the rest of the rugby world has moved on. That’s where he believes New Zealand rugby problems really begin.
Empty seats, quiet grounds, and warning signs closer to home
Lam’s concerns don’t stop at Test level. He points to something far more visible — and harder to ignore.
“When I come back, I don’t see full stands,” he said. “I don’t see it in NPC games. I don’t see it in Super Rugby.”
For someone who grew up in the system, that’s alarming. Even traditional strongholds aren’t immune.
“I think even the Crusaders now don’t have many people coming through,” he added. “That tells me something’s seriously wrong with the game.”
This isn’t about one bad season or a temporary dip. In Lam’s view, it’s a sign the domestic product — the foundation of the All Blacks — is losing its pull. And once that connection weakens, everything above it becomes harder to sustain.
Fundamentals over flash: where Lam thinks NZ Rugby is slipping
Lam is careful not to question New Zealand’s talent. He’s clear: the players are still there. What worries him is how they’re being prepared.
Watching NPC, he says the problem isn’t flair or ambition — it’s basics.
“Scrummaging, lineout, mauling, catch and pass, breakdown work,” Lam said. “I saw too many players who were fundamentally poor.”
There are still highlights. There’s still skill. But Lam sees those as bonuses, not the base.
“If I look at NPC and Super Rugby now, it’s not the preparation ground it was anymore for the next level,” he said.
That observation cuts deep because it links directly to the All Blacks’ recent inconsistencies. In Lam’s view, this All Blacks reality check doesn’t start in the coaches’ box — it starts years earlier, in how players are taught to play and compete week after week.
Super Rugby, money, and Lam’s controversial solution
Lam doesn’t just diagnose problems. He offers a solution — one he knows won’t be popular.
His idea: a 50-cap rule.
Players who reach 50 Tests for the All Blacks should be allowed to play overseas and remain eligible. Everyone below that stays tied to Super Rugby.
Why? Money.
“Look at the wage bill for those players,” Lam said. “That money could go straight back into grassroots, NPC, and development.”
Rather than trying to financially compete with France or Japan, Lam believes New Zealand should let those leagues pay veteran stars — and reinvest NZ Rugby resources where they matter most.
“You need money to grow the game again,” he said. “Without that, what we’re seeing now will just continue.”
In his view, this approach would also create leadership opportunities for the next generation — strengthening provinces instead of hollowing them out.
Coaching structures and lessons not learned
Lam also questioned how New Zealand builds coaching teams, describing some processes as outdated.
He pointed to the loss of Tony Brown — now thriving with South Africa — as an example of how rigid systems can backfire.
“Tony Brown is doing a brilliant job,” Lam said. “You can see his influence straight away.”
For Lam, the issue isn’t one appointment. It’s whether NZ Rugby is willing to modernise how it identifies, recruits, and supports coaching talent — something he believes other countries now do better.
Pat Lam Praised Scott Robertson – Not panic — but honesty
Importantly, Pat Lam on the All Blacks isn’t a doom story. He praised Scott Robertson, calling him an outstanding coach, and spoke positively about the depth coming through ahead of the next World Cup.
But optimism, Lam argues, has to be built on truth.
New Zealand rugby doesn’t need slogans. It doesn’t need reminders of what it used to be. It needs to accept where it is — and make decisions that reflect that reality.
Because only then, in Lam’s view, does the All Blacks’ next rise actually begin.
