Former All Black Coles joins panel to pick new head coach

Feb 4 : Former New Zealand hooker Dane Coles has been added to the panel selecting the All Blacks' new head coach, bringing a recent player's voice to the process.

Coles, who played the last of his 90 tests at the 2023 World Cup in France under Ian Foster, joins New Zealand Rugby (NZR) chair David Kirk, board member and former All Black Keven Mealamu, high performance expert Don Tricker and interim CEO Steve Lancaster on the panel, NZR said on Wednesday.

Jamie Joseph and Dave Rennie are seen as clear frontrunners to succeed former All Blacks coach Scott Robertson, who was sacked last month after an internal review of the 2025 season which included poor feedback from some players.

NZR have confirmed the window for applications has closed but have not set a timeframe on naming Robertson's replacement.

The governing body said it would not take applications from non-New Zealanders or coaches without international experience.