All Blacks candidate Jamie Joseph maintains focus is on Highlanders after ‘tough season’
Wednesday, 11 February 2026
Joseph is one of the leading contenders to replace Scott Robertson.
Highlanders open Super Rugby with clash against Crusaders.
Southerners finished with the wooden spoon last year.
Jamie Joseph says the axing of Scott Robertson was “totally unexpected” but is putting thoughts about the All Blacks head coaching role to one side as the Highlanders prepare for the visit of the Crusaders on Friday.
Joseph and Dave Rennie are the leading candidates to replace Robertson, but with Rennie currently coaching in Japan only Joseph is in the firing line to answer questions about the All Blacks role on the eve of Super Rugby Pacific.
Asked if the All Blacks role was simply too big not to pursue despite the awkward timing, Joseph said: “Well, it was totally unexpected and you’ve got your head down thinking about your own team.
“For me, that is the Highlanders. That has been really my focus.
“The publicity around the job has, has been surprisingly simple for the players. There hasn't been a lot said.
“This is my first game in this season after a really tough season [last year], and I’m really focused on the Highlanders.”
Joseph declined to confirm that he has applied for the role, but his desire to coach the All Blacks has never been in question since he returned to New Zealand after two Rugby World Cups with Japan.
That international experience - Joseph’s Japan side came close to beating the All Blacks in 2022 - means that the 56-year-old meets the criteria set out by New Zealand Rugby for the head coaching role, and Joseph guided the All Blacks XV to a successful tour of Europe last year despite limited preparation time.
Yet, he also in the middle of an important turnaround project at the Highlanders, with Super Rugby Pacific as a competition and New Zealand rugby as a whole poorly served by having two dominant clubs in the Crusaders and Chiefs.
Meanwhile, hopes are growing that Fabian Holland’s shoulder injury isn’t as bad as first feared.
Highlanders assistant coach Ben Smith confirmed on Monday there were no breaks involved, and The Post understands the big lock could be targeting a return within weeks rather than months.
Holland is also due to have two or three weeks off during Super Rugby Pacific due to All Blacks protocols, and those could be used up while he is rehabilitating his shoulder injury, further reducing the number of Highlanders games that he misses.
However, Smith acknowledged on Monday that it would take a miraculous recovery for Holland to play against the Crusaders on Friday.