Kobelco Kobe Steelers Head Coach Dave Rennie Lands All Blacks Head Coach Job

On the 4th March 2026, New Zealand Rugby (NZR) announced the appointment of JRLO Kobe Steelers Head Coach Dave Rennie as All Blacks Head Coach through to the 2027 Rugby World Cup.

Photo Credit – NZRU

Rennie will become the first All Blacks Head Coach with Pasifika heritage (he is of Cook Islands descent through his mother, who is from Titikaveka, Rarotonga), and he will take up the mantle after the conclusion of the current Japan Rugby League One 2025-2026 campaign, in which his side is currently in play-off contention after ten rounds.

An official statement from the Japanese club on Rennie’s appointment was made the day following the news. Rennie already works with All Blacks eligible players such as Ardie Savea and Anton Leinert-Brown (both on sabbaticals), Brodie Retallick (who leads the JRLO Division 1 try-scoring charts with 11), as well as Bryn Gatland.

Japan Rugby League One chairman Genichi Tamatsuka congratulated Dave Rennie on his appointment, saying, “It [the appointment] is a great vindication of the excellence of the programme being run at Kobelco Kobe Steelers, but also of the impact of Japan Rugby League One, and Japanese rugby as a whole, on the global game.

If you had said a decade ago that the All Blacks coach would be appointed from a Japanese club, and the other main candidate would also have strong affiliations with rugby in Japan (Jamie Joseph) you would have been quickly dismissed.” said the JRLO Chairman

Wales have also secured the services of Kobelco Kobe Steelers, Peter Murchie, as their next defence coach, and he will depart the Japanese club after the 2025/2026 season.

NZR Chair David Kirk said, “On behalf of the Board, I’d like to congratulate Dave on his appointment as All Blacks Head Coach. He is a world-class coach who has consistently shown he can build strong performance environments and win.

Dave understands what it means to coach the All Blacks and play a style of rugby that reflects who we are as New Zealanders. He has a deep understanding of rugby in New Zealand and the role the All Blacks play in shaping our national identity and bringing communities together.”

Rennie said; “Coaching the All Blacks is an incredible honour. I’m extremely proud to have been entrusted with this role and understand the expectations that come with it. I’m really clear on the way I want the All Blacks to play and I look forward to working with the players, management team, and the rugby community. We have a lot of talent here, and we will be working extremely hard to make the country proud.”

Dave Rennie Coaching Career

Dave Rennie led the New Zealand Under-20 team to three consecutive Junior World Championships between 2008 and 2010, took the Chiefs to back-to-back Super Rugby titles in 2012 and 2013 and took the Glasgow Warriors to a Pro14 Final in 2019.

He has also been involved with the Wellington Lions and Manawatu Turbos in the NZ National Provincial Championship and was Head Coach of the Wallabies between 2020 and 2023.

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