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Rennie brings Sir Graham Henry into All Blacks brains trust
Stephen Foote • May 12th, 2026 9:42 am
Sir Graham Henry | Photo: Photosport
New head coach Dave Rennie has added another decorated figure to his All Blacks regime.
Former All Blacks head coach Sir Graham Henry will be on board as a selector, Rennie announced on Tuesday.
Regarded as one of the most highly respected rugby minds in New Zealand, World Cup winner Sir Graham will likely form a selection panel alongside Rennie and assistant coaches Neil Barnes, Tana Umaga, and Jason Ryan.
"Really excited to bring (Sir Graham Henry) in as a selector," Rennie told assembled media at NZ Rugby headquarters in Auckland.
"I've had a number of chats to him, even prior to applying for the job, just to get a head around the legacy and all the work he did around leadership, what he found, what he learnt in his time as the All Black coach."
Most recently, Henry worked as a technical advisor for Wayne Smith's victorious World Cup campaign with the Black Ferns in 2022.
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Henry's comments around his own experience of having a former coach as not only a selector, but also a mentor of sorts inspired Rennie to adopt a similar approach.
World Cup winner Sir Brian Lochore played that role with Henry back in 2004, joining Steve Hansen, Smith, and Henry on the selection panel through until the 2007 World Cup.
"He did talk about the impact that Sir Brian Lochore had when he was coaching the All Blacks as a selector and that got me thinking," Rennie added.
"He's very passionate, he loves the jersey, he watches a lot of rugby, he's got pretty strong opinions on players, so conversations we've had have been brilliant.
"So him coming in, someone from outside the group watching, we thought it was a really good fit."
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And as Rennie revealed, Henry has wasted no time embracing his new job, as exhibited in a recent follow-up call for the one of the aforementioned discussions with the man affectionately known as 'Ted'.
"When I rang I said 'what have you been seeing?' and he said 'I thought you might ask that question' and had about 60 players he wanted to talk about.
"That is very much Ted. He's an avid watcher of the game and that's important for us, so 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.
"He's such a good man. A lot of experience, wise. He's been in this position and so it would be great to have him to bounce things off."
Henry's first task will be helping select Rennie's maiden All Blacks squad for the inaugural Nations Championship Tests against France, Italy, and Ireland in July.
Watch the full press conference below:
