NZ Rugby high performance boss Mike Anthony departs for English Premier League club
Tuesday, 13 January 2026
New Zealand Rugby’s head of high performance chief Mike Anthony is set to make a shock switch to football and join English Premier League side Brighton.
Anthony will join Brighton next month as the club's first head of player development and high performance.
His departure follows that of NZ Rugby chief executive Mark Robinson, who left the role late last year.
Anthony was charged with reviewing the Scott Robertson-coached All Blacks’ campaign for 2025 after they failed to win the Grand Slam on the northern tour. The All Blacks also failed to win the Rugby Championship, and suffered a first-ever loss to the Pumas in Argentina.
The heavy defeat to the Springboks in Wellington was also a significant blemish on the All Blacks’ record.
In his LinkedIn profile, Anthony says he has “a strong affinity and passion for sport, am driven by enabling and supporting others to achieve at the highest level and providing world leading systems and people to enable this.
“My own commitment to personal excellence is closely aligned with this and is supported by my desire to build strong relationships with those I work with.’’
Anthony states he has 26 years of experience working across a range of high performance sporting environments both within high performing teams and leading high performance programmes.
During that period he was employed by the Crusaders and English club Gloucester as a strength and conditioning coach.
Anthony was at the Crusaders between 1996 and 2001, before working at NZ Rugby. He later joined Gloucester between 2004 and 2008.
Upon his return he re-joined NZ Rugby and following the departure of Don Tricker, who was the boss of high performance between 2010 and 2018 and later joined MLB San Diego Padres, Anthony was promoted to a more senior role and was heavily involved in reviewing the All Blacks after each campaign.
Brighton stated on its website that Anthony’s appointment remains subject to the granting of a work permit.
His remit, once in place, will encompass driving individual player development, and enhancing an aligned high-performance culture across key departments.
Anthony will work with Brighton’s sporting director Jason Ayto, technical director Mike Cave and men's head coach Fabian Hurzeler with the aim of improving and sustaining performance in the men's first team.
Brighton are currently in their ninth consecutive top-flight season.
'Mike's track record within one of world sport's most successful high‑performance systems speaks for itself,' said Brighton sporting director Jason Ayto.
'He has an exceptional ability to build environments where players, coaches and teams can thrive, and his expertise will strengthen every part of our performance structure.
“We're excited for him to get started.
Brighton technical director Mike Cave added, “Mike’s experience in developing players and high‑performing teams at the very top level is rare. He has spent decades shaping elite cultures and helping athletes maximise their potential.
“His arrival is another important step in our strategy to build sustainable success across the club. We’re very pleased to have him on board.”
During his time with New Zealand Rugby, Mike served as head of high performance, high performance player development manager and high performance sports science manager; working across the national pathway and contributing to one of the most consistently successful programmes in global sport.