The Sir Graham Henry verdict on All Blacks squad selections

Sir Graham Henry says he is “delighted” to be involved in the All Blacks again after returning to the environment as selector, even if the selection process for Dave Rennie’s first squad was “boring.”

Still as quick-witted and direct as ever at age 80, the 2011 Rugby World Cup-winner was brought on board by the head coach in early May and wasted no time in delivering his opinions on the players in contention for higher honours.

Rennie opted for a selection panel of himself, Henry and 2IC Neil Barnes, with influence from the wider coaching group of Jason Ryan, Tana Uamga and Mike Blair, embracing Henry as an outside voice who can challenge the coaching group’s thinking.

The result is four uncapped players in the first All Blacks squad of 2026, and some high-profile omissions. But while the selections were tight calls, Henry, in his familiar tongue-in-cheek manner, said he was a little unimpressed by the lack of disagreement involved in finalising the squad.

“(It was) boring, actually. We all agreed, most of the time,” he told reporters at the squad announcement.

“It’s changed my life over the last two months. I was sleeping well, totally relaxed and catching a lot of fish. That’s all changed. I’m not sleeping well, I’m dreaming about the team, waking up thinking about selection.

“We’ve looked at a huge amount of footage, a lot of stats — but I think you’ve got to select guys from what you see, and the stats back that up.

“I’m excited by the team that we’ve picked. I was surprised at the depth. The depth of player in Super Rugby at the moment is pretty special. I didn’t think we had that depth before I got involved in this.

“I feel like it’s the biggest year in All Blacks rugby. I’ve been involved a wee while, but to play a tour of South Africa, three Tests before we go, then two against Aussie, and another three Tests at the end of the year, it’s the biggest All Black Test program in the history of the game. And that brings a real edge to the whole thing, doesn’t it?

“It’s going to be a massive year, and at the end of this year, we’re going to know where we are. Then we’ve got the big one next year.”

Head-to-Head

Last 5 Meetings

Wins

3

Draws

0

Wins

2

Average Points scored

29

24

First try wins

20%

Home team wins

100%

The feeling of alignment was felt across the selection panel, with Rennie sharing a very similar sentiment, and Barnes also throwing in his two cents, crediting Henry (Ted) for his experience and input.

“At the end of the day, Ted, myself and Jason, all of the coaches have done a lot of work. There’s been a huge amount of work done watching the players and looking for consistency of performance and the skill sets involved.

“The awesome thing about having Ted in the room is he’s a person that will challenge us, have his own views, and he’s comfortable in that position.

“So it’s been robust, but it’s been unbelievably aligned. So it gives you confidence that we’re making good calls.”