Dave Rennie has reportedly missed out on a top candidate for his All Blacks coaching team but won a \u2018little war\u2019 with New Zealand Rugby over another appointment.<\/p>\n
NZ Rugby announced on Tuesday that Tana Umaga, Neil Barnes, Jason Ryan and Mike Blair will be the new All Blacks assistant coaches, with Phil Healey leading the Health and Performance team.<\/p>\n
Former ABs captain Umaga will take charge of the defence, Barnes has been appointed as a senior assistant coach with the lineout being a major part of his remit, whilst Scotsman Blair will lead the attack, and Ryan will continue his work with the forwards, zoning in on the mauls and scrums.<\/p>\n
Coach rejects All Blacks\u2019 advances<\/p>\n
Ultimately, it\u2019s a clearing of the house from the assistants that Scott Robertson had last year with Ryan being the only exception, as the forwards guru is set to work under a third All Blacks<\/a> head coach.<\/p>\n Rennie<\/a> has seemingly got the men that he wants to work alongside as he begins his mission to get the team back on track for the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia but according to a report by The Post<\/a>, one respected coach turned down the opportunity to join his staff.<\/p>\n That man is Andrew Strawbridge, whose name was linked with a potential assistant coach position. Strawbridge is a renowned skills coach who worked with Rennie at the Chiefs and was part of Ian Foster\u2019s staff before leaving New Zealand to join England\u2019s set-up.<\/p>\n He worked as a consultant coach for the RFU and had a stint in Steve Borthwick\u2019s set-up during the 2024 tour of Japan and New Zealand. It is reported that he was lined up for a permanent position in England, but was reluctant to take on the role due to his daughter being in her final year of high school. He instead took up a role at Toyota Verblitz, linking up with Foster again.<\/p>\n According to the report by The Post, Strawbridge pulled his name from contention to join Rennie\u2019s team due to \u2018personal reasons\u2019, understood to relate to an unwillingness to work with Barnes, with whom he had teamed up for several years at the Chiefs. Barnes is well-known for his straight-shooting, but Strawbridge has a strong personality of his own.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat you see is what you get. There\u2019s no bull\u2026. around him, he just calls a spade a spade,\u201d said ex-Chiefs coach Clayton McMillan back in 2021. \u201cEven though he can come across sometimes as a bit abrasive, it\u2019s coming from a place of care.\u201d<\/p>\n Ex-All Black\u2019s verdict on Tana Umaga appointment and why he will be at the \u2018forefront\u2019 of World Cup charge<\/a><\/p>\n \u2018I thought he was joking\u2019 \u2013 New All Blacks coach details Dave Rennie call and his emphatic reply to World Cup chances<\/a><\/p>\n Rennie wins the mini war<\/p>\n Barnes\u2019 title of \u2018senior assistant coach\u2019 sends a clear message of the hierarchy under Rennie, which was problematic in Robertson\u2019s second season in particular. Scott Hansen was initially that man for Razor, operating as a defence coach initially, moving to the attack after Leon MacDonald and Jason Holland\u2019s departures and essentially running the team in the end, something Robertson noted. There is no suggestion that Rennie would be doing the same, but what is clear is that Barnes is going to be the new head coach\u2019s right-hand man.<\/p>\n