Blair was named as captain of the New Zealand Kiwis squad for the World Cup. Two days later, Blair openly criticised Jason Taumalolo's shock defection to play for Tonga, Blair commenting that Taumalolo is not "man enough" and that he betrayed the "black jersey". Blair played in all of the 4 matches at lock in the Kiwis disappointing campaign after losses to second-tier teams Tonga and Fiji. After the Kiwis 4–2 loss to Fiji at Westpac Stadium in Wellington, Blair was heavily criticised after a post-match interview, with him chewing gum and describing the loss as a "great game to watch" and "not a negative".