Next All Blacks coach must have Test experience
NZ Rugby has confirmed that international head coaching experience will be a non-negotiable requirement for the next All Blacks coach, as it formally begins the process to replace Scott Robertson.
NZ Rugby announced on Monday that a five-person appointment panel will oversee the selection, effectively ruling out Test-level rookies and foreign candidates.
The panel will be chaired by NZ Rugby board chair David Kirk and includes board member Kevin Mealamu, high-performance specialist Don Tricker, interim CEO Steve Lancaster, and a recently retired All Blacks player, whose identity is yet to be confirmed.
Robertson was axed earlier this month amid growing concerns over the All Blacks’ direction and progress midway through the current World Cup cycle. While he finished with a record of 20 wins and seven losses, his tenure was defined by inconsistency – most notably the All Blacks’ heaviest-ever defeat, a 43-10 loss to the Springboks in Wellington last September.
Despite being appointed in 2024 after guiding the Crusaders to full five Super Rugby titles and two Super Rugby Aotearoa titles in seven seasons, Robertson had no prior Test head coaching experience – a gap NZ Rugby has now openly acknowledged.
In a statement, NZ Rugby confirmed it will invite New Zealand-based coaches with international head coaching experience to apply, narrowing the field significantly.
“We’re midway through a World Cup cycle, two years out from the next World Cup, and we simply don’t have time for someone to find their feet in international rugby,” Lancaster said. “We need someone who can hit the ground running and know exactly what they’re going into.”
The criteria immediately places experienced Test coaches such as Jamie Joseph (Japan), Dave Rennie (Australia) and Vern Cotter (Scotland, Fiji) among the leading contenders.
Other high-profile New Zealand coaches who meet the requirement include Robbie Deans, Warren Gatland and former All Blacks head coaches Ian Foster and Steve Hansen.
However, the field has already narrowed. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, current Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt has ruled himself out, while Springboks assistant Tony Brown remains committed to the Boks through to the 2027 World Cup.
An update on the All Blacks Head Coach process 👇🏽 pic.twitter.com/UDVcL6Qaiu
— All Blacks (@AllBlacks) January 25, 2026
Photo: David Rogers/Getty Images