Dave Rennie reveals assistant coaches that will help him lead the All Blacks
Tana Umaga headlines a group of four assistant coaches that Dave Rennie has announced as part of his New Zealand leadership group.
Wallabies land former All Blacks assistant as defence coach
McLeod becomes the first addition to incoming Wallabies head coach Les Kiss' backroom staff. He takes over from Laurie Fisher, who will move into a consultancy role.
An experienced coach, McLeod is currently an assistant with Japan Rugby League side Kubota Spears and spent over six years with the All Blacks, including roles at the 2019 and 2023 Rugby World Cups.
"I am very excited to return to international rugby, especially to join up with Les and the team to build on the foundations that have been put in place," McLeod said. "There is a lot of excitement building within Rugby Australia, and I am really committed to doing my part. I'm looking forward to connecting with RA, the players, and everyone invested in this team."
The 53-year-old enjoyed a distinguished playing career, earning 10 Test caps for the All Blacks between 1996 and 1998 and representing the Chiefs in Super Rugby. Following his retirement, he moved into coaching, starting as a skills coach with Waikato in New Zealand's National Provincial Championship before joining the Highlanders' staff and later the All Blacks, where he succeeded Wayne Smith as defence coach.
RA director of high performance Peter Horne said he was eager to welcome McLeod to the Wallabies' coaching setup.
Damian McKenzie on ABs policy: 'You want the best players playing for your country, right?'
All Blacks utility back Damian McKenzie has called on New Zealand Rugby to change its selection policy to allow overseas-based players to feature in Test matches.
"We have enough time before the World Cup," says All Black Jordie Barrett
All Blacks superstar Jordie Barrett believes that despite the 2027 Rugby World Cup kicking off in 18 months, new coach Dave Rennie has enough time to mould his team.
All Black boss Dave Rennie ready to hop in the cauldron of Springbok rugby on epic tour
New All Black coach Dave Rennie is relishing the chance to be tested against the best when his charges arrive in South Africa for Rugby's Greatest Rivalry Tour in August.