Does Dave Rennie’s Brodie Retallick plea signal shift in All Blacks selection policy?

Thursday, 5 March 2026

A throwaway remark, or a declaration of intent? New All Blacks coach Dave Rennie certainly put the cat amongst the pigeons at his introductory press conference when he raised the prospect of a shock return to the test arena for veteran lock Brodie Retallick.

Quite how serious the newly anointed All Blacks boss is to push selection boundaries remains to be seen – and his hands are tied by a New Zealand Rugby policy that seems written in stone – but Rennie, who won a two-horse race for the vacant job ahead of Jamie Joseph, is not a man to throw trifling suggestions to the wind for the sake of a headline or two.

It is at the very least a matter he has given some serious thought to, and which might well get raised again around the boardrooms of the national organisation over coming weeks and months.

It’s not the first time a newly appointed All Blacks coach has gone down this road – Scott Robertson couldn’t stop talking about Richie Mo’unga when he first got named – but from a fellow as considered and measured as Rennie, it is a situation that at least bears watching.

Rennie’s surprising plug for the 34-year-old 109-test lock, who plays for him at the Kobelco Kobe Steelers club in Japan, came in the midst of a busy introductory media standup at New Zealand Rugby’s Auckland HQ.

Rennie will assume full control of the All Blacks once he finishes his commitments with the Steelers in June, but will in the meantime be as involved in planning and preparation as best he can from Japan, with the odd visit to New Zealand thrown in.

Amongst a litany of questions about the state of the All Blacks and his intentions for them, came the usual probe about the well-chewed-over regulation of not picking All Blacks from offshore, bar those on approved, short-term “sabbatical” contracts.

Rennie’s response surprised almost everyone in the room.

“I’ll comment on Brodie Retallick as I get to see him train and play every week,” said the first All Blacks head coach with Pasifika heritage. “He’s stronger than he’s ever been, fitter than he’s ever been and he’s top try-scorer in Japan at the moment with 11.”

Asked if he could “lure” the big second-rower back, Rennie responded: “I’m not sure if I’m allowed to yet.”

But he made his most salient point when he added: “If you want to win a World Cup, ideally you’ve got your best players available. Richie [Mo’unga] is coming back, and he’s been in great form in Japan. Certainly if you have a Brodie Retallick coming into the environment, I reckon it would grow the whole group.

“He’s done a phenomenal job around leadership at Kobe. That competition has gone through the roof. There are a lot of experienced coaches up there, some of the best players in the world play there and the quality is really strong. There are sides there who would beat Super Rugby sides. He (Retallick) is phenomenal, and if I had a chance to get him back I would certainly jump at it.”

For what it’s worth Retallick told Newstalk ZB post Rennie’s comments he had “given no consideration to it” because the rules simply did not allow it. “If it changes, maybe it’s a conversation, but right now it’s all hearsay.”

There is plenty of water to flow under this bridge yet, and the All Blacks are not exactly in crisis mode in the second row with the likes of Scott Barrett, Fabian Holland, Tupou Vaa’i, Sam Darry, Patrick Tuipoulotu and Josh Lord throwing up plenty of options for the new head coach.

But injuries happen – Tuipulotu and Holland are both out nursing longish-term afflictions at the moment – and Rennie’s point about having the best of the best in the All Blacks is a valid one. Maybe exceptions could be made for proven, long-term All Blacks. Maybe a Japan clause could come into play, given its proximity and the relative shortness of their season.

It’s all food for thought at present.

It was interesting, too, that Rennie chose his words carefully when asked about his “conversations” with veteran All Black Ardie Savea, also playing for him at Kobe on sabbatical.

It’s thought Rennie’s relationship with Savea may have been a key factor in his appointment, with the great loose forward seen as being a key driver in the need for change in the All Blacks environment.

“I’m not going to divulge conversations we’ve had,” said Rennie. “He’s a proud All Black, he’s in Kobe at the moment, getting his body right, and playing good footy for us. I know he is really excited about the future. Our job is to make sure he returns mentally refreshed, but also in better condition than when arrived.”

Rennie also sent a clear message around the new landscape in play when he said: “Players are going to have to earn their right to wear the jersey. I’ve got no loyalties.”

And he made it clear that extended to the captaincy: “You’ve got to work through those things. I’m keen to have chats with the players. Scott Barrett is a fantastic player and the current captain. I’ll have a chat to him about going forward.”