Graham Henry has been appointed as an All Blacks selector under head coach Dave Rennie, with the 79-year-old World Cup-winning coach set to bring a third voice to a panel that also includes senior assistant Neil Barnes.
Rennie, who replaced Scott Robertson in March, said Henry had arrived at their first conversation with a list of roughly 60 players to discuss. "He is very passionate and he loves the jersey. He watches a lot of rugby. He has some pretty strong opinions on players, so the conversations we have had have been brilliant," Rennie said in Auckland on Tuesday.
Henry won 88 of his 103 tests in charge of New Zealand, including the 2011 World Cup. Rennie said the appointment was driven partly by Henry's ability to offer a fresh eye on player assessment. "We are hoping that with his eye he may see something a little different to us which will help people within the squad."
The All Blacks open Rennie's tenure against France in Christchurch on 4 July, followed by home tests against Italy and Ireland, before an eight-match tour of South Africa in August and September that includes four tests against the Springboks.
The tour is, however, set to proceed without Richie Mo'unga. Rennie confirmed on Tuesday that the fly-half is unlikely to feature despite his Toshiba Brave Lupus contract ending next month, because Mo'unga has not committed to a new New Zealand Rugby deal and therefore remains ineligible under overseas-player selection rules. Rennie said he had specifically envisaged playing Mo'unga in the tour opener against the Stormers in Cape Town as a pathway back to test rugby. Lock Brodie Retallick, also based in Japan, is similarly excluded. Both last wore the black jersey in the 2023 World Cup final.
Rennie indicated Mo'unga may still join the squad for training during the July home series even if he cannot be selected to play.