WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — The successful candidate who replaces Scott Robertson as All Blacks head coach will have to have coached already at test level, New Zealand Rugby has announced.
Robertson was fired in January two years into his four-year contract after a damning internal report in the All Blacks' 2025 season.
New Zealand Rugby chairman David Kirk, former All Black Keven Mealamu, former NZR head of high performance Don Tricker, acting NZR chief executive Steve Lancaster and another former All Black yet to be named will make up the panel that chooses the next coach.
Kirk, Mealamu and Tricker participated in the review which led to Robertson's removal and Kirk and Mealamu interviewed current players who are said to have been critical of Robertson's methods.
Former Japan coach Jamie Joseph, who coached the Dunedin-based Highlanders, former Wallabies coach Dave Rennie, who coached the Hamilton-based Chiefs and Auckland Blues coach Vern Cotter, who has coached Scotland and Fiji, would meet the stipulation of having coached at test level. Only New Zealanders can apply.
Current Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt has ruled himself out of consideration.
“The All Blacks head coach is an incredibly important appointment,” Lancaster said. “We’ve started the process and are giving it the care and urgency it deserves to set the team up for success. We’ll provide further updates as soon as we can.”
AP rugby: https://apnews.com/hub/rugby
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
Only subscribers can view and post comments on articles.
Already a subscriber? Login Here
What the Constitution Means to Me Read moreWhat The Constitution Means To Me
Join us for community fun! Free antique and collectible appraisals by Clars Auction. Over 30… Read moreMillbrae Senior Showcase
Imagine the rock and roll of Jimi Hendrix, the wild abandon of Janis Joplin’s vocals, and th… Read morePacifica Performances presents…Dirty Cello
Kick off 2026 with movement, confidence, and FUN! Join us for our Last Chance to Dance Studi… Read moreLast Chance to Dance Open House- Free Dance Demos, Food, Face Painting & More!
Join the Belmont Parks and Recreation Department as we host our annual Sweetheart Dance for … Read moreSweetheart Dance
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.