Dave Rennie and Jamie Joseph lead potential candidates for All Blacks job
Tuesday, 27 January 2026
ANALYSIS: In an ideal world Dave Rennie and Jamie Joseph would get together over a few beers, knock out an arrangement between themselves to run the All Blacks to the next Rugby World Cup and beyond and spare New Zealand Rugby the prospect of a beauty contest over the next six weeks.
They’re the top two potential candidates for a role that clearly needs the input of two test-calibre head coaches, with the Joe Schmidt-Ian Foster axis clearly delivering an immediate improvement from mid-2022 onwards.
It’s not known how the two men relate to each other, but superficially at least they would seem to a reasonable fit, with each having different areas of expertise on the field as well as contrasting management styles.
If that isn’t possible, they could end up going head-to-head - especially with Schmidt now out of the running.
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The Post understands that NZ Rugby tipped in a bit of extra coin when Joseph returned to the Highlanders on the basis that he would help make All Blacks, a process that is well under way with the development and recruitment of Fabian Holland, Caleb Tangitau and Josh Jacomb (from 2027 onwards).
Blues coach Vern Cotter is the other current New Zealand Rugby employee that fits the All Blacks job description issued on Monday, with test experience now viewed as a non-negotiable.
But Joseph’s role with the All Blacks XV last year - having previously coached the Māori All Blacks - would appear to give him the inside running among New Zealand-based coaches.
Rennie has his own strong claims. The former Chiefs coach who now works in Japan is a bit “out of sight, out of mind” judging by the amount of coverage he had received so far, but he was Graham Henry’s first choice in 2019 and there would be a long queue of former players and coaches - New Zealanders and Australians - willingly to vouch for him if and when due diligence needs to be done.
We are assuming, of course, that both Joseph and Rennie pursue the role, something that can’t be taken for granted.
The process has already been deflated somewhat by the unavailability of first Tony Brown and now Schmidt, which removes a significant amount of capability from the equation.
With the next NZ Rugby chief executive still not in place and uncertainty about the new high-performance director, NZ Rugby is asking potential coaches to take something of a leap of faith.
However, Brown did indicate that he would have been prepared to jump ship from the Springboks if he had a clean exit in his contract, and ultimately New Zealanders still want to coach the All Blacks even if the circumstances are less than perfect.
The presence of the highly regarded Don Tricker on the appointment panel announced by NZ Rugby on Monday also adds to the credibility of the current process, and Joseph and Rennie must now be sorely tempted to put themselves forward for a job that genuinely looks to be open.