The All Blacks backroom team is set to undergo a significant overhaul following New Zealand Rugby’s decision to appoint Dave Rennie as head coach.
That is providing the governing body accepts Rennie’s wishlist as the 62-year-old looks to fresh coaching staff heading into the Rugby World Cup.
At least one position needs to be realistically filled anyway with the departures of Leon MacDonald and Jason Holland during Scott Robertson’s tenure, but a number of the previous boss’ lieutenants may also depart over the next few weeks and months.
Jamie Joseph asks big names
According to the New Zealand Herald, Rennie’s direct rival for the All Blacks role, Jamie Joseph, was in favour of keeping Robertson’s assistants, but only after his ambitious plan did not come to fruition.
It is understood that Joseph asked Joe Schmidt, Ian Foster, Tony Brown and current Argentina attack coach Kendrick Lynn to join him, but all four of those declined.
The current Highlanders coach was therefore likely to keep the status quo as All Blacks boss if appointed, while Rennie is hopeful of getting his targets on board.
At the top of the list, the Herald claims, is Neil Barnes, who worked with the New Zealand head coach at the Chiefs.
He also has international experience and became the unwitting star of the Netflix documentary Six Nations: Full Contact while Italy coach.
An one of Kieran Crowley’s assistants, Barnes was rather direct and brusque in his approach, so it will be interesting to see how it goes down in the All Blacks environment should he join Rennie.
Elsewhere, Phil Healey could well arrive as the strength and conditioning coach following Nic Gill’s exit having worked with Rennie at the Chiefs, Glasgow Warriors and Kobelco Kobe Steelers.
All Blacks’ foreign influence
The new All Blacks head honcho is also open to appointing from abroad having spent the last nine years of his career overseas.
Rennie has worked with former scrum-half Mike Blair at Glasgow and Kobe, and the ex-Scotland assistant coach is favoured to join his backroom team.
The final name mentioned is Andrew Strawbridge, a highly rated skills coach who was also at the Chiefs and most recently with England, but according to the Herald, “his confrontational style doesn’t gel with everyone”.
It is also possible some of Robertson’s assistants remain on board with forwards guru Jason Ryan still a popular member of the coaching team.
Legendary New Zealand wing Sir John Kirwan claimed Ryan “came through the review process positively” and is contracted through to the next Rugby World Cup.
Scott Hansen is another on a four-year deal and NZ Rugby may not want to have too many payouts having already negotiated compensation following Robertson’s departure.