Rennie appointed Robertson's successor as All Blacks coach

March 3 : Dave Rennie was named as replacement for Scott Robertson as coach of the All Blacks on Wednesday and charged with taking New Zealand to a fourth World Cup triumph in Australia next year. 

The 62-year-old former Wallabies coach beat out Jamie Joseph for one of the biggest jobs in world rugby after an extensive recruitment process that started when Robertson made the surprise decision to step down halfway through his contract in mid January.

Rennie, the first All Blacks coach with Pacific islander heritage, was handed a contract through to the end of next year's World Cup but will honour his commitment to Japan's Kobe Steelers before preparing New Zealand for the July tests.

"Coaching the All Blacks is an incredible honour," Rennie said in a New Zealand Rugby statement. 

"I'm extremely proud to have been entrusted with this role and understand the expectations that come with it."

Robertson stepped down in the wake of a critical review of his stewardship of the team last season, when the All Blacks won 10 of 13 tests but were humbled at home by the Springboks and also lost to Argentina and England.

New Zealand Rugby chairman David Kirk made it clear that there were high expectations about the type of rugby the All Blacks would play.

"He is a world-class coach who has consistently shown he can build strong performance environments and win," the former All Blacks skipper said.

"Dave understands what it means to coach the All Blacks and play a style of rugby that reflects who we are as New Zealanders. 

"Dave has a clear direction for the team that gives us confidence the team will be well positioned to perform as we head into the 2027 Rugby World Cup."

TWO SUPER RUGBY TITLES 

Rennie, who has Cook Islands heritage through his