All Blacks coach announcement live updates: Dave Rennie named as Scott Robertson’s replacement

Dave Rennie is the new All Blacks coach, following the departure of Scott Robertson in January.

Rennie, who is of Cook Islands descent through his mother (Titikaveka, Rarotonga), becomes the first All Blacks head coach with Pasifika heritage.

New Zealand Rugby (NZR) chair David Kirk said Rennie has a proven track record as a successful head coach.

“On behalf of the board, I’d like to congratulate Dave on his appointment as All Blacks head coach. He is a world-class coach who has consistently shown he can build strong performance environments and win.

“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 bringing communities together.”

‘Clear on the way I want the All Blacks to play’

Rennie said it was a privilege to be appointed head coach of the All Blacks.

“Coaching the All Blacks is an incredible honour. I’m extremely proud to have been entrusted with this role and understand the expectations that come with it.

“I’m really clear on the way I want the All Blacks to play and I look forward to working with the players, management team and the rugby community. We have a lot of talent here and we will be working extremely hard to make the country proud.”

Kirk said he believed the appointment process had been the most thorough the organisation has undertaken for an All Blacks head coach.

“The All Blacks are set for a challenging and exciting two seasons ahead and it’s critical we followed a thorough process to find the right head coach. Dave has a clear direction for the team that gives us confidence the team will be well-positioned to perform as we head into the 2027 Rugby World Cup.”

Rennie has coached grassroots club rugby, NPC, Super Rugby, Under-20s, European club rugby and the Wallabies – now he’ll take over their Bledisloe Cup rivals.

Rennie played more than 50 games for Wellington as a midfield back from 1986 through to 1991 but his coaching path began in 1999 at Upper Hutt Rugby Football Club. A year later, he replaced Graham Mourie as Wellington Lions coach, leading them to an NPC title beating Canterbury in the final.

He coached the New Zealand Under-20s to three straight World Championship titles and spent six seasons with Manawatū before taking on the head coaching role at the Chiefs. Rennie coached the Chiefs to back-to-back championships in his first two years in charge, and made the Super Rugby playoffs in every year of his reign.

In 2016, he announced he was leaving the Chiefs for a head coaching role with the Glasgow Warriors before he replaced Michael Cheika as Wallabies coach in 2020. In 2023, with a World Cup less than nine months away, Rugby Australia replaced Rennie with Eddie Jones. Rennie has since been coaching Japanese side Kobe Steelers.

Robertson stood down as All Blacks coach in mid-January, two years into what was supposed to be a four-year contract running through to the next Rugby World Cup.

Speculation about a likely replacement had quickly centred on Rennie and Jamie Joseph. The selection process was overseen by a five-man panel of former All Blacks hookers Dane Coles and Keven Mealamu, NZR chair Kirk (another former All Black), interim chief executive Steve Lancaster and high-performance expert Don Tricker.

Before interviewing the two candidates this week, panel members travelled to see Rennie coaching in Japan and Joseph at work with the Highlanders in Dunedin.

Robertson’s time in charge of the side was marked by a run of poor results against major nations, including a record defeat to the Springboks in Wellington last year. Defeat to England at Twickenham in November ended a rare shot at landing a Grand Slam tour.

While Robertson was in charge, assistant coaches Leon MacDonald and Jason Holland both stood down from their roles in the set up.

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