Head coach or bust: Jamie Joseph and Dave Rennie won’t team up at All Blacks
Wednesday, 18 February 2026
Rennie and Joseph both see themselves as head coaches only.
Next All Blacks coach unlikely to known until the second week of March.
High-calibre and diverse assistants ready to work with either coach.
Neither Dave Rennie nor Jamie Joseph has the appetite to be anything other than the next All Blacks head coach, ending hopes of a coaching dream team.
Well-placed sources have told The Post that both candidates categorically regard themselves as head coaches only rather than assistants, creating a tight head-to-head contest for the top job.
It is understood that an announcement on the new coach is likely to take place in the second week of March.
That timeline - despite frenzied speculation to the contrary - reflects the thorough nature of the process being run by New Zealand Rugby, who currently have a delegation in Japan to speak to Rennie after spending time in Dunedin last week at Highlanders HQ with Joseph.
Read more:
The Highlanders head coach is likely the favourite in the minds of the New Zealand public because he is currently in front of them, but no one who knows both men is in any doubt that it is a “50-50“ race.
Rennie and Joseph’s shared desire to be the head coach rather than an assistant reflects their experience and standing rather than a clash of personalities, but it will also prevent any lack of alignment in a new All Blacks coaching team that will need to hit the ground running.
The Post has also been told that high-calibre candidates are ready to attach themselves to either Rennie or Joseph as assistants, preventing a repeat of the scenario that occurred under Scott Robertson when the broader team was relatively light on test experience and skewed towards the Crusaders.
For the time being, Jason Ryan, Scott Hansen and Tamati Ellison are still part of the All Blacks coaching setup but NZ Rugby has said from the outset that it would be up to the new head coach to decide on the make-up of his coaching panel.
Tony Brown, however, will not be part of the All Blacks coaching team, with the Springboks assistant coach rated as no chance of reneging on his contract with South Africa.
Regardless of NZ Rugby’s decision, if they want to get access to the new coach immediately there will need to be a negotiation with Rennie and Joseph’s respective clubs, Kobe and the Highlanders.
The Post understands that the Highlanders have told NZ Rugby they would like to keep Joseph until the end of the Super Rugby season if he gets the All Blacks job.
The Japan Rugby League One season finished in the first week of June, and Rennie’s Kobe side are currently third on the ladder and right in the mix as title contenders.
The Super Rugby Pacific grand final takes place on June 20, and the All Blacks will start their season with a test against France on July 4.