It’s been nine years since the All Blacks and Ireland last met in Chicago. In that time, rugby and elite sport as a whole has moved on significantly.
The athletes are stronger and more powerful. The game is faster, more physical, and more demanding. Across those years, the best teams have learned to use technology more effectively – not as a replacement for coaching judgement, but as a way to refine it.
Few environments demonstrate that balance better than the All Blacks, where data, experience, and instinct are all part of the same process.
Evolving with the game
Inside the setup is 2-time Rugby World Cup winning Head of Health & Performance, Nic Gill. He has seen first-hand how technology has become part of daily preparation and decision-making.
“We’re bigger, stronger, faster, fitter. The knowledge base is also significantly higher. Not only have the players become more professional, but all aspects of preparation and monitoring have gone through the roof.”
That rise in professionalism hasn’t just been cultural, it’s been technical. Over the past decade, the tools used to measure and manage performance have had to evolve to match the pace and precision of the modern player.
Every session in the All Blacks’ environment is monitored through GPS and heart rate data, giving staff a live picture of how players are tracking against the planned workload. Having that information available pitchside means coaches can adapt intensity or positional focus immediately, ensuring sessions stay aligned to their goals.
Gill says that’s where technology adds value – in supporting good coaching, not replacing it.
“Having that data live, on the field is massive. If we’re not quite where we need to be, we can adjust on the spot.”
Judging what the body does vs. what the body feels
A key development for the All Blacks in recent seasons has been connecting external and internal load – combining what players produce on the field with how their bodies respond to it.
“The GPS metrics show what the body’s doing, but they don’t tell us how much of a load that really is on the body. Heart rate gives us a measure of what’s happening inside,” says Gill.
This integration now informs every training block. GPS data from STATSports units captures running load (High Metabolic Load Distance, Distance per Minute), collisions (Collision Count and Collision Load), and speed outputs (Max Speed, High Speed Running, Accelerations, Decelerations).
Heart-rate data, collected through V2 conductive vests and HR monitors, reveals how each athlete is coping physiologically – all visible live on Sonra for coaches pitchside.
“It’s that blend that matters. For our fast backs, we look at top speed and recovery between efforts. For the forwards, it’s more about physiological stress and repeated contact work. You get two very different pictures, but both tell you how ready they are.”
Having those datasets live and aligned gives Gill’s staff a clear view of readiness – allowing them to tailor individual loads within the rhythm of team training.
Data influences decisions – not makes them
The All Blacks’ set up works because technology supports coaching judgement, rather than competes with it.
“We can measure and try to help influence decisions, not necessarily make them. That’s the balance. The data gives you confidence, but the coach still has to know the athlete.”
That principle defines how they use STATSports day to day. Live and post-session data is reviewed alongside positional demands, player feedback, and what coaches see live in front of them from player body language and performance. Coaches use it to confirm or challenge what they already see, not to override it.
“The goal isn’t to collect more data, it’s to make better decisions. When to push, when to back off, when to adjust the plan.”
At this level, the All Blacks show how data and instinct can work together – objective feedback meeting human experience in real time.
Smarter, Faster, Better Informed
As the All Blacks prepare to face Ireland again in Chicago, the contrast with nine years ago is clear. The game is faster, collisions are heavier, the level of insight available to coaches is far greater and most importantly, the understanding of how to use that data has grown.
“The physicality has gone through the roof, you can’t prepare for that without knowing what’s happening inside the body.”
Rugby, like all elite sport, now runs on so much detail – whether thats tactics, planning, studying opposition or in collecting data. The challenge isn’t collecting more information, it’s filtering it and applying it with purpose.
The All Blacks remain a benchmark for how to strike that balance: using live, accurate data to refine preparation without losing the feel and instinct that defines great coaching.
“Combine what you see with what you measure. Trust the data, trust your instincts, and keep evolving.”
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