Dave Rennie brings Sir Graham Henry into All Blacks set-up as selector

Henry, who led the All Blacks to their 2011 Rugby World Cup triumph on home soil, will join senior assistant coach Neil Barnes and Rennie in forming the three-man selection panel for the three-time world champions.

Rennie announced Henry's appointment at a press conference in Auckland on Tuesday, revealing he had held several discussions with the 79-year-old in the lead-up to the decision.

"We are really excited to bring 'Ted' in as a selector," he said. "I've had a number of chats to him even prior to applying for the job, just to get ahead around the legacy and all the work he did around leadership, what he found and what he learnt during his time as All Black coach.

"He did talk about the impact that Sir Brian Lochore had when he (Henry) was coaching the All Blacks as a selector and that sort of got me thinking.

"He is very passionate, he loves the jersey. He watches a lot of rugby.

"He has some pretty strong opinions on players and so on, so conversations we have had have been brilliant. Him coming in from outside the group, watching, I think has been a really good fit.

"I'm really excited."

Rennie, who succeeded Scott Robertson as All Blacks head coach in March, is currently in New Zealand during a break for his Japanese club side Kobe Steelers.

Having guided Kobe to top spot in the regular season, he is honouring his contract and will only shift to full-time All Blacks duties after their playoff campaign ends in early June.

Rennie said Henry remains deeply engaged with the game and follows it closely, noting that when they spoke on Monday the veteran coach had around 60 players he wanted to discuss.

"Which is very much Ted. He is an avid watcher of the game, and that's important for us. We are hoping that with his eye he may see something a little different to us which will help people within the squad," Rennie said.

"He's such a good man, a lot of experience, wise, he's been in this position so it will be great to have him bounce things off."

Henry coached the All Blacks between 2004 and 2011, winning 88 of his 103 Tests in charge.

His tenure culminated in New Zealand winning the World Cup in 2011, ending a 24-year wait for their second Webb Ellis Cup. Henry's assistant Steve Hansen then took over and guided the team to another World Cup trophy four years later in 2015.

The All Blacks will begin their 2026 international season in July with Tests against France, Italy and Ireland on home soil, before traveling to South Africa for the start of the Rugby's Greatest Rivalry tour.

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