New All Blacks head coach Dave Rennie on Tuesday named his backroom team to take New Zealand through to next year's Rugby World Cup, retaining one old face but turning mostly to former assistants from his successful club coaching career.
Jason Ryan, who was an assistant to previous head coaches Scott Robertson and Ian Foster, keeps his role as forwards coach.
Neil Barnes, who worked with Rennie at Waikato Chiefs up to 2017, comes in as senior assistant coach.
Former All Blacks captain Tana Umaga is the new defence coach, while former Scotland captain and British and Irish Lion Mike Blair was named attack coach.
"This is a very experienced and highly skilled coaching team," said Rennie.
"Each of these men has a track record of getting the best out of the players and teams they coach, and they are each hugely motivated to get stuck in and deliver the same success with the All Blacks." Blair was an assistant to Rennie at a successful Glasgow Warriors side in the Pro 14 league in 2018-19 and has been alongside Rennie at Kobe Steelers in Japan since 2023.
"Tana (Umaga) brings immense 'mana' (power) and defensive insight and Mike (Blair) will bring his innovative approach and attention to detail to our....
