How All Blacks coach Dave Rennie has started the clock on a new era
Saturday, 4 July 2026
When Dave Rennie was named All Blacks coach on March 4, he looked to the past in a bid to construct a juggernaut team that can win trophies in the future.
Rennie, a former publican who has coached in New Zealand, Scotland, Australia and Japan in the last 25 years, has filled a contact book loaded with names and numbers during a career that has waned and surged amid adversity and triumph.
Each was a reminder of the highs and lows of professional rugby, and were to come in handy for the most high-profile job of his career.
When NZ Rugby confirmed Rennie was the man they wanted in charge of the All Blacks through to the end of the World Cup in Australia later next year, he went to work.
That meant securing the people he believed best complimented his skills.
In a country the size of New Zealand it can be difficult to lock rugby secrets in a vault, so when Rennie defeated Jamie Joseph in the race for the job it didn't take long for the rumours to start pinging around newrooms and on social media accounts.
Within hours of NZ Rugby announcing they had found their man to replace Scott Robertson, Neil Barnes and Mike Blair were touted as potential assistants for Rennie.
Barnes and Blair had ties with the new man on the All Blacks beat; Barnes had worked with the Chiefs as a forwards mentor when Rennie was the boss of the Super Rugby team, and Blair was his attack coach at the Kobe Kobelco Steelers club in Japan.
Former All Blacks captain Tana Umaga, a member of the Wellington squad when Rennie coached the team in the early 2000s, was also said to be on his hit list.
And Rennie got what he wanted.
Barnes has been employed to be the senior assistant coach, with a brief to work with the lineout, while Blair has the massive responsibility of making the attack rediscover its mojo.
Umaga agreed to be the minister of defence.
Jason Ryan, the only survivor from the Robertson era, was asked to continue to work the forwards and focus on the scrum and maul.
Rennie has also had a big surprise in store.
He named 80-year-old Graham Henry as an independent selector to work alongside himself and Barnes.
Henry, who coached the All Blacks between 2004 and 2011 and ended his reign on a high note when they beat France in the World Cup final in Auckland, has quickly got back into the swing of life on tour by donning a tracksuit and observing trainings ahead of the opening Nations Championship test against France in Christchurch on Saturday night.
A supporter of Rennie's from way back, Henry, was on the panel that appointed Ian Foster following the retirement of Steve Hansen after the All Blacks failed to defend their title at the 2019 World Cup in Japan.
Then Henry got himself into hot water. It didn't go down well with Foster. But it was an early indication of how much he rated Rennie.
Speaking at the Wairarapa Bush Rugby Sports Awards function in 2020, Henry said NZ Rugby had made a mistake in allowing Rugby Australia to sign Rennie to coach the Wallabies.
'Dave Rennie is a fabulous coach, no doubt,'' Henry said at the time.
'New Zealand Rugby c..ked that up. They should have been connecting with Dave and [Japan coach] Jamie Joseph and other people around the world to keep them involved in New Zealand Rugby. [But they] didn't contact Dave Rennie for three years, and Dave Rennie is fabulous, so he's going to do a great job with Australia.”
Now, finally, NZ Rugby has contracted Rennie to coach the All Blacks. This is his show. The pressure will be immense.
A number of reporters have asked Rennie about his emotions during the countdown to his first match in charge; he's been low-key, saying he's been happy with the preparation and keen to get things rolling.
This week he reflected on how he had only coached a limited number of players in the squad; Ardie Savea, Anton Lienert-Brown, Damian McKenzie, Luke Jacobson and Samisoni Taukei'aho had been under his guidance either at Kobe or the Chiefs.
'But outside of that I don't know the guys well, but it's been awesome,'' Rennie said. 'Really good men. A lot of strong rugby IQ, great work ethic and keen to learn. We are working hard, but we are having a lot of fun.
'I have really enjoyed the first seven days really.''
Rennie knows that if the All Blacks lose to the French, a side weakened by the absence of key players who were involved in the domestic Top 14 club last weekend, the mud will hit the fan.
It won't be news to him, or his paymasters at NZ Rugby.
Or, for that matter, new captain Ardie Savea, who has been named to start at No 8 against the French at One NZ Stadium.
Savea was determined to share the leadership load with other senior squad members.
'Iron sharpens iron,'' Savea said. 'So does one brother sharpen another, so we will definitely be sharpening each other's axe.''
NZ Rugby can be ruthless. Just ask Robertson. He fell short of expectations during a post-season review and by January he was toast.
Rennie needs no reminding that this industry can be a dangerous animal; Rugby Australia quickly turned on him when he was coaching the Wallabies when it gave him the boot in early 2023.
Having replaced Michael Cheika after the 2019 World Cup, Rennie was supposed to coach the Wallabies through to the next global event in France but that plan was blown to bits when he was dumped by Rugby Australia and replaced by Eddie Jones.
That decision cost the Wallabies dearly - they failed to qualify for the playoffs for the first time in history - and when Jones departed he was replaced by New Zealander Joe Schmidt, the latter having assisted Foster with the All Blacks at the tournament in France.
NZ Rugby, having confirmed Robertson was their choice to coach the All Blacks beyond 2023, was about to undergo a significant governance overhaul and that was to set off a chain of events that led to him losing his job.
With former All Blacks captain David Kirk as the chair of a refreshed board, NZ Rugby began to look at things through a fresh lens. Things happened in a hurry.
Chief executive officer Mark Robinson announced in June last year he would depart at the end of 2025. After a fruitless search for a replacement home and abroad, NZ Rugby announced that interim CEO Steve Lancaster has been promoted.
High performance boss Mike Anthony has departed for English Premier League football club Brighton, and general manager professional rugby and performance Chris Lendrum completed his executive role in May but is still contracted to work on 'key professional rugby projects'' until the end of the year.
All Blacks head of high performance Nic Gill has joined NFL side the Baltimore Ravens in the United States; having been approached in late 2024, he departed in April. Phil Healey, who worked under Rennie when he coached in Japan, has been named as head of high performance.
The changes kept on coming.
Gilbert Enoka, who had worked with the All Blacks for two decades prior to departing following the transition from Foster to Robertson, has returned as leadership and mental performance coach.
The arrival of Enoka coincided with the departure of Dr Ceri Evans.
Dr James McGarvey has also returned to the team, replacing Dr Martin Swan.
Another important piece of the NZ Rugby jigsaw was put in place when it was announced Don Tricker, who had previously worked for the organisation in a high performance role, would return after he had completed his job with the San Diego Padres in the United States.
The return of Henry, Enoka, McGarvey and Tricker is another indication that NZ Rugby believes it must be prepared to go back to the well if it's to build a powerful legacy for future teams.
The revelation that Tony Brown will be an All Blacks assistant coach - despite not knowing who will be the head coach - when he has finished working under Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus after the World Cup was another clue that NZ Rugby is prepared to play the long game.
One of the most highly regarded coaches in recent history, however, has cut his ties with NZ Rugby.
Former All Blacks coach Wayne Smith, who was employed as a performance coach, departed late last year.
He issued a statement after NZ Rugby sacked Robertson, saying he wasn't given enough time to bed in his vision and to overcome many of the challenges new All Blacks coaches face.
'Disaffected players speak behind your back and get to rubbish you, incognito, during end-of-campaign reviews,' Smith said in a statement. 'Social media, hidden behind nicknames and alter egos, can tear you apart without remorse.'
Another member of the old gang, however, was on the sidelines when the All Blacks trained in Christchurch this week.
Hansen, who coached the All Blacks between 2012 and 2019 and masterminded their defence of the Webb Ellis Cup in Britain in 2015, was in the Garden City after finishing up with his job at Toyota Verblitz in Japan.
'I spoke to Steve when we were in Japan, we obviously played them a little bit, and I said when he played in Christchurch it would be great to see him,'' Rennie said.
'I definitely spoke to him a number of times during the process prior to applying, as did with others such as Ted [Henry] and Bert [Enoka]. So it's good to have him in.''