All Blacks coach Ian Foster believes mental health has always been an important focus in his team's high-pressure environment.
The wellbeing of professional athletes has been a well-discussed topic this year following the recent actions of of tennis star Naomi Osaka and Olympic champion Simone Biles.
However, there has also been a grim reminder closer to home following the sudden death of New Zealand cyclist Olivia Podmore earlier this week.
While calls for cultural change have come up for some parts of New Zealand's sporting landscape, Foster said today he believes focus on player welfare has been part of the All Blacks' environment for years.
"We've always had a concern," Foster said today.
"Part of this job is making sure people deal with the pressure of the environment in the right way so that side of it isn't new."
The All Blacks coach admitted the focus had changed "dramatically" since he first joined.
"I think it's certainly talked about more now outside of the environment which is great and making sure that we've got avenues to give players the help they need has always been part of our mantra.
"But I think now we've got a new layer of environmental pressure around us, when you look at Covid and life where nothing is going to plan, and that creates anxiety.
"So we've just got to make sure we've got an open, honest environment and we deal with that in the right way."
Earlier this year, the All Blacks revealed they had an "emotional" session ahead of their first Test of 2021 after recalled players were given a chance to talk about their experience of missing selection and fighting their way back into the team.
Foster said today selections are always one of the tougher parts of the game.
"Ultimately, if everyone's focus is purely on selection then there's a sense of success or failure every week," he said.
"But we try to make sure we're giving huge value to the squad to the work that goes on from the players who aren't playing and I think part of the mental health thing is allowing people to control what they can control.
"What they can control is their performance and how they go about that."
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