Rennie said he was excited to have Henry as a selector and believes he will be a good fit for the team.
“I’ve had a number of chats with him even prior to applying for the job and just to get our head around the legacy and all the work he did around leadership, what he found, what he learned in his time as the All Black coach.
“He talked about the impact that Sir Brian Lochore had when he was coaching the All Blacks as a selector.
“He watches a lot of rugby, he’s got pretty strong opinions on players and so on. The conversations we’ve had have been brilliant.”
Rennie said he plans to catch up with Henry on Wednesday, and he already has a shortlist of 60 players he’s keen to discuss.
“He’s an avid watcher of the game and that’s important for us.
“We’re hoping that with his eye, he may see something a little bit different to us, which will help get the right people in the squad.”
Dave Rennie has appointed Sir Graham Henry as an All Blacks selector. NZ Herald photo by Michael Craig.
Rennie has also overhauled the assistant coaching line-up with only Jason Ryan surviving the axe from the Robertson regime.
Neil Barnes will serve as Rennie’s right-hand man, with Tana Umaga (defence), Mike Blair (attack) and Ryan (forwards) also part of the coaching staff.
The first All Blacks test of the Rennie era takes place on July 4 against France in Christchurch.
More to come
Ben Francis is an Auckland-based reporter for the New Zealand Herald who covers breaking sports news.