Dave Rennie and Jamie Joseph go for All Blacks job as hunt moves to the interview stage
Sunday, 8 February 2026
- Dave Rennie and Jamie Joseph have both kept their counsel in recent weeks.
Process now moves to the interview stage - where All Blacks will be critiqued.
Separate announcement on new NZ Rugby chief executive could be imminent.
Former Chiefs coach Dave Rennie has applied for the All Blacks coaching job and Highlanders head coach Jamie Joseph has done likewise.
Several sources have confirmed to the Sunday Star-Times that Rennie, 62, and Joseph, 56, have put their names forward, ending weeks of speculation and assumptions about their intentions.
Both coaches, and New Zealand Rugby, have kept their counsel since the criteria for the job was announced, with the coaches likely keen to avoid the perception of public lobbying for the job - a charge that was laid against Scott Robertson in the previous process.
However, both men are now in the race, vindicating the confidence expressed by NZ Rugby that they could attract high-quality candidates even halfway through a Rugby World Cup cycle.
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NZ Rugby declined to comment on Rennie and Joseph when approached by the Star-Times, but a spokesman confirmed “there was more than one and less than five” applicants when the deadline for interested parties closed earlier this week.
That statement does not rule out the possibility of more than two coaches putting their names forward, but Rennie and Joseph both appear poised to put forward the strongest cases.
While former All Black Dane Coles has been added to the five-man coaching selection panel, NZ Rugby chair David Kirk and director Keven Mealamu look set to play pivotal roles after they were key inquisitors in the review that led to Robertson’s departure.
In-person interviews will be preferred, but it is unclear if that will be possible for the Japan-based Rennie.
The candidates’ ability to communicate well with community, media, and the All Blacks’ commercial partners will be a factor, but overwhelmingly the interview process will be rugby-related.
It is likely, therefore, that will be asked to critique the All Blacks - described by Kirk as not being “on track” for the Rugby World Cup - and to plot a strategy to get them firing for the two big years ahead.
Rennie and Joseph will both have their advocates, begging the question of whether they could even work together.
The pair are understood to have a relationship and share mutual respect, but history has shown they like to be head coaches.
Former All Blacks coach Ian Foster could be a more realistic option as a highly experienced assistant if Rennie gets the job, with the two men understood to enjoy a good relationship.
Whoever wins the job, Rennie and Joseph’s applications have reframed the process in a positive light after the early narrative was dominated by who wasn’t running for the job.
Joe Schmidt and Vern Cotter had made commitments to the Wallabies and the Queensland Reds, respectively, and there is also a view in Ireland that Schmidt would ultimately be open to a move back to Dublin.
NZ Rugby has always stated its intention to have the next coach named within weeks rather than months, but it now certain that it will overlap with the start of Super Rugby.
Joseph faces the difficult task of juggling the interview process with the Highlanders’ difficult start against the Crusaders, Chiefs and Reds in the opening three rounds.
The timing is also tricky for Rennie with tough fixtures coming up against Richie Mo’unga’s Toshiba Brave Lupus and the table-topping Saitama Wild Knights, but both outcomes are unavoidable.
Separately, NZ Rugby’s search for a new chief executive could be coming to an end.
That process has been overshadowed by the All Blacks coaching drama, but a decision is understood to be close and could even happen as early as next week.