The colour scheme of Roy Keane's summer has been red and white and All Black. As Sunderland manager, he has always been willing to seek inspiration outside the insular world of football and a spell training with the New Zealand rugby union team has proved rewarding. At this rate, the haka may soon replace the pre-match huddle at the Stadium of Light.

During his first two seasons in the dugout, Keane has dispatched his squad on team-building exercises involving other disciplines, from mountain biking to orienteering, aimed at bolstering trust and challenging them to step out of their “comfort zones” - a favourite phrase. They have also been addressed by Steve Smith, the former Olympic high jumper.

The Irishman's trek across the globe was undertaken as part of his Uefa Pro Licence coaching course, but he admitted that it was also “more of a holiday, a treat to myself”. As a longstanding admirer of the All Black legend, he was eager to “plug into” their methods. As it transpired, the process was reciprocal; Keane delivered a motivational speech to his hosts.

The timing of last month's visit was fortuitous. New Zealand were preparing for their first match since their defeat by France in the World Cup quarter-finals last year and their opponents were Keane's compatriots (he watched the game “in a box, eating prawn sandwiches”). Whether Sunderland benefit from the episode is questionable, but their manager's eyes have been opened.

“It was a brilliant experience and I loved every minute of it,” Keane said. “What I found with the All Blacks, like I expected, was a well-organised, brilliant coaching staff, brilliant players and down-to-earth lads who trained extremely hard and long and had a good spirit among them.

“In some ways, I didn't know what I was letting myself in for, or whether I should keep my distance when I got there. But I flew in on the Sunday, they had a team meeting at 9 o'clock in the morning, when they were naming the team for the Ireland match, I got there at five to and was brought straight into it. They could not have been nicer to me.”

An abundance of coaches, but none on the touchline; Keane is unsure whether football could follow rugby's example. “Maybe when I'm more confident about having a settled team I could watch from the stands, but rugby is a different game and the players are different animals,” he said. “They seem to trust their players a lot more. They were allowed to do what they wanted during the week.”

Keane was more than simply a passive observer. “Obviously a few of their players are well into football and would have read my book,” he said. “I had a good chat with them and the coaches. There were some questions and answers at the end. It was a really good experience.

“I was a bit nervous how the talk was going to pan out, but they seemed to listen and they seemed to be interested. I spoke for about half an hour or 40 minutes about my experiences in my own sport. The expectation with the All Blacks is that they have to win every game and at the clubs I've played for, I've had something similar.

“After that it was questions. There were some good questions, too - not like 'who is your favourite player' or anything like that. I think some of them have the potential to go into the media. It was intriguing.”

What was his most taxing subject? “One of the coaching staff asked me about Alf Inge Haaland, my tackle on him, the whys, wheres and the history behind it,” Keane said. “So that tested me. The last time I was asked that question was by an FA lawyer.”

What Roy Keane told the All Blacks

It's tough at the top. Manchester United and Celtic were expected to win every game. So are the All Blacks.

Love sport, hate officials. “Roy is great to talk to, very bubbly,” Graham Henry, the New Zealand coach, said. “We have probably got similar views on referees.”

The root of all evil. “Rugby has changed because a lot of players are getting their heads turned by money, offers and agents,”Keane said. “You get a lot of that in football. They asked me about that.”

With a stare like that, who needs the haka?