Northern | US

'Strong opinions': Dave Rennie appoints Sir Graham Henry as All Blacks selector

reporting from Auckland
YOKOHAMA, JAPAN - SEPTEMBER 21: Former All Blacks coach Sir Graham Henry looks on before the Rugby World Cup 2019 Group B game between New Zealand and South Africa at International Stadium Yokohama on September 21, 2019 in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan. (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)
Comments
1 Comment
New All Blacks head coach Dave Rennie has appointed Sir Graham Henry as a selector, providing expertise and experience to the new coaching group.

Henry will return to the fold after coaching the All Blacks from 2004 to 2011, leading the team to the Rugby World Cup glory over France in Auckland.

Rennie has brought in the 79-year-old to oversee the selection process and has already begun planning with the new head coach, with over 60 players from Super Rugby Pacific being accessed by the duo.

Speaking to media in Auckland on Tuesday, the new All Blacks head coach explained that the conversations with Henry have been promising.

“I’ve had a number of chats with him even prior to applying for the job and just to get our head around the legacy and all the work he did around leadership, what he found, what he learned in his time as the All Black coach,” Rennie said.

Related

“He talked about the impact that Sir Brian Lochore had when he was coaching the All Blacks as a selector.

Rennie, who’s in Auckland as his Kobelco Kobe Steelers side have two weeks off, said Henry is well-aware of the current form of players in New Zealand.

“He watches a lot of rugby, he’s got pretty strong opinions on players and so on. The conversations we’ve had have been brilliant.”

The former All Blacks head coach was involved with Argentina as an assistant since leaving New Zealand Rugby, while also having experience with Wales, the British and Irish Lions, and Leinster.

ADVERTISEMENT

Rennie told media in Auckland that having Henry as a selector will help Rennie and his coaching staff have challenging conversations around selections.

“He’s an avid watcher of the game and that’s important for us.

“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.”

VIDEO

RugbyPass App Download

News, stats, live rugby and more! Download the new RugbyPass app on the App Store (iOS) and Google Play (Android) now!


Whether you’re looking for somewhere to track upcoming fixtures, a place to watch live rugby or an app that shows you all of the latest news and analysis, the RugbyPass rugby app is perfect.

ADVERTISEMENT
Play Video
LIVE

{{item.title}}

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

1 Comment
J
JW 45 mins ago

Omg this is a disaster. NZR is going so backwards recently. FU Razor!

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Long Reads

Comments on RugbyPass

Close Panel
Close Panel

Edition & Time Zone

{{current.name}}
Set time zone automatically
{{selectedTimezoneTitle}} (auto)
Choose a different time zone
Close Panel

Editions

Close Panel

Change Time Zone

Close
ADVERTISEMENT
Copied to clipboard

Share Article close