All Blacks now
ENTHUSIASM radiates from Nic Gill, the strength and conditioning coach for the All Blacks.
Working with him recently on a chapter for a book on men’s health it’s easy to see why he can persuade All Blacks to train so hard that Kieran Read sent a text to Gill during the week saying he was looking forward to the 11 hour 40 minute flight to Buenos Aires because it meant Read ‘‘could sleep’’.
A coach with a similar compelling nature was the late Arthur Lydiard, who took Peter Snell and Murray Halberg to Olympic gold medals.
It’s a comparison that makes Gill deeply uncomfortable, given that he’s part of a large management group with the All Blacks, not an individual coach, but having known Lydiard too, I swear it’s apt.
Gill makes anything seem possible, even logical.
There’s an almost evangelical enthusiasm, whether he’s talking about an office worker parking his car a few blocks away from his workplace to get in a morning walk, or taking the All Blacks to new levels of fitness.
Another thing Gill has in common with Lydiard is not offering any alternative to hard work.
Lydiard’s guidelines included running 160km a week, a regime that reduced Snell to tears the first time he finished the 35km run through the rugged Waiatarua ranges that was a regular Sunday treat for Lydiard’s athletes.
When Gill took over the conditioning of the All Blacks eight years ago he had a perfect subject in captain Richie McCaw.
‘‘Richie was interesting because he just had a big diesel engine. He could just go all day at a reasonable pace.
‘‘He wasn’t fast, but he never slowed down. When and if he chooses to, he could be a very good long distance runner.
‘‘He just has this big aerobic engine.
‘‘Most people will slow down under effort. He was almost unique in that he didn’t. Why he