Steve Hansen and Joe Schmidt in the frame to take ‘hands-on’ role alongside new All Blacks boss amid NZ Rugby’s ‘major structural revamp’
Joe Schmidt and Steve Hansen, who are both in the frame for NZ Rugby role.
Three frontrunners have emerged to fill the new role of high-performance director at New Zealand Rugby, according to a report.
This comes after Wayne Smith left the union after serving as the NZR performance coach, taking up an opportunity abroad, following Scott Robertson out the door.
Additionally, the new hire’s remit will also encompass much of Chris Lendrum’s duties with NZ Rugby who announced on Tuesday that NZ Rugby’s general manager, professional rugby and performance, will step down at the end of May after more than 20 years of service.
While the search for Robertson’s successor is ongoing, NZ Rugby will also begin recruitment ‘immediately’ for Lendrum’s successor to become the new high-performance director.
Big names the frontrunners
According to a report by The Post, Steve Hansen, Joe Schmidt and Don Tricker are the early frontrunners as the overhaul of the organisation continues.
Part of the “major structural revamp” will see the All Blacks coach work closely with the high-performance director, rather than report directly to the NZ Rugby chief executive officer.
While Schmidt ruled himself out of contention for the All Blacks head coaching job, he may still be considered for the position that does not need to be filled by the end of May, according to the publication.
Hansen is currently working alongside Ian Foster at Toyota Verblitz in Japan and despite the club’s struggles, his strong understanding of New Zealand Rugby’s structures and the pressures that face an All Blacks head coach makes him a leading candidate for the position.
As for Tricker, he was the high-performance manager for NZ Rugby from 2010 to 2018 and is currently being used as a consultant by the union and is on the five-man panel that will choose the next All Blacks coach.
It is a thought that should either Hansen or Schmidt get the nod, they would represent a more “hands-on” approach and would “challenge or support” the new All Blacks boss.
Hansen and Schmidt were invited to apply when Robertson was sacked, but it appears as though that race has become a two-horse race between Jamie Joseph and Dave Rennie.
NZ Rugby are evidently desperate to bring back the IP that have Hansen and Schmidt offer having seen them go overseas after their respective departures from the New Zealand set-up.
Change in NZR structures
Following an underwhelming couple of years, which followed no Rugby World Cup success in 2019 and 2023, the governing body have re-evaluated their rugby structures.
Interim chief executive Steve Lancaster will move into a newly-created chief rugby officer role when they have appointed a CEO, while Lendrum will continue as a consultant until the end of 2026.
“It’s been a huge privilege to be involved in New Zealand Rugby and our national teams for this long, and work alongside some incredible people across the game,” Lendrum said in a statement.
“Together, we’ve seen plenty of success, although sometimes we haven’t achieved goals that we and the country all wanted so dearly.
“There are too many highlights but I’m particularly proud of leading the organisation through the Black Ferns culture and environment review in 2021 which set the foundation for the incredible Rugby World Cup win a year later.
“As international rugby becomes increasingly competitive and complex, NZR now requires a singular focus on driving the success of our Teams in Black. I’m excited for their future.”
