The All Blacks continue to reshape their staff. Thus, a former world champion as coach will bring his experience to New Zealand.
Making something new out of something old seems to be the policy of the New Zealand Federation. This Tuesday, facing local media, the new coach Dave Rennie announced the arrival of Graham Henry in his staff. The exact role has not been specified. Now 79 years old, he led the All Blacks from 2004 to 2011, the year they won the World Cup against France (8-7).
“I am really thrilled to welcome ‘Ted’ to the selection committee,” said Rennie. “I had several discussions with him before applying for this position, and he talked to me about the influence Sir Brian Lochore had as a member of the selection committee when he was a coach, which gave me food for thought. He is very passionate and loves the jersey. He watches a lot of rugby and has strong opinions about the players, so our conversations have been great. We hope that, thanks to his keen eye, he will see things that we might not, which will help us select the right people for the team.”
Furthermore, on March 4, Dave Rennie was named coach of New Zealand following the dismissal of Scott Robertson on January 15. In office until the 2027 World Cup, he will be assisted, in addition to Graham Henry, by Neil Barnes (assistant coach), Mike Blair (attack coach), Tana Umaga (defense coach), Jase Ryan (forwards coach), Gilbert Enoka (mental conditioner), and Phil Healey (performance manager).
