Dave Rennie, New All Blacks Coach
Dave Rennie has been confirmed as the new All Blacks coach by the New Zealand Rugby Federation (NZR). Rennie, who was previously the Wallabies coach, has signed a contract that extends until the end of the 2027 Rugby World Cup. Rennie beat Jamie Joseph in the race for the position, following Scott Robertson’s departure in January, after a review of the All Blacks’ test season in 2025. The coach, currently managing Kobe in Japan, will return home at the end of the League One season to prepare the All Blacks for the Rugby Championship matches against France, Ireland, and Italy.David Kirk, NZR chairman, highlighted Rennie’s career and stated that his playing style will resonate with the New Zealand rugby community.Coaching the All Blacks is an incredible honor. I am extremely proud to have been entrusted with this role and I understand the expectations that come with it. I am very clear about the way I want the All Blacks to play and I look forward to working with the players, the management team, and the rugby community. We have a lot of talent here and we will work very hard to make the country proud.
Dave Rennie
One of Rennie’s first tasks will be to unite a fractured group of players who had lost faith in Robertson during a 2026 season with a 10-3 record, in which the All Blacks suffered a record defeat to the Springboks and lost to the Pumas for the first time in Argentina. The defeat against England at Twickenham was the last straw for Robertson. Around 20 players were interviewed as part of a season review. Star flanker Ardie Savea was one of those who provided unfavorable comments about Robertson’s methods; Savea now plays under Rennie in Kobe. The possibility of Rennie extending his contract beyond 2027 will depend on the performance of the All Blacks in next year’s World Cup, where they will face Australia in a key Group A clash. A victory in that match will almost certainly lead them to a quarter-final clash against the Springboks, two-time defending champions. Rennie will first face Rassie Erasmus’ team in four tests as part of the “Greatest Rugby Rivalry” tour later this year, with the All Blacks facing the Springboks in three matches in South Africa and a fourth and final match in Baltimore, United States. Subsequently, Rennie will face the Wallabies, whom he coached between 2020 and 2023, for the first time as All Blacks coach, after being fired by Eddie Jones in an unfortunate decision by Rugby Australia in January 2023. Jones subsequently left the Wallabies in October of that year, after Australia exited a Rugby World Cup before the quarter-finals for the first time. Joseph, for his part, has been overlooked for the position for the second time. It was understood that his chances of succeeding Robertson were harmed by the fact that his close ally and likely attack coach, Tony Brown, would not seek release from his current position with the Springboks. Rennie’s 18-month contract duration leaves the door open for Joseph to have another chance with the All Blacks if Rennie is unsuccessful at next year’s World Cup, as Brown’s agreement with SA Rugby also ends at that time.On behalf of the Board, I would like to congratulate Dave on his appointment as head coach of the All Blacks. He is a world-class coach who has consistently demonstrated that he can build high-performance and winning environments. Dave understands what it means to coach the All Blacks and play a style of rugby that reflects who we are as New Zealanders. He has a deep understanding of rugby in New Zealand and the role the All Blacks play in shaping our national identity and uniting communities.
David Kirk, Chairman of the NZR
