A phone call encouraging Dave Rennie to take on the All Blacks head coaching role was the catalyst in securing Neil Barnes a role as his right-hand man.
Barnes was unveiled as the lead assistant coach in Rennie’s new coaching staff, which also includes Scotsman Mike Blair as attack coachand Tana Umaga as defence coach, while Jason Ryan retains his role in charge of the forwards.
Phil Healey also joins the coaching group as head of performance, replacing Nic Gill.
Barnes has worked previously with Rennie as an assistant at the Chiefs, while he also has strong international coaching experience as forwards coach for Italy, Canada and Fiji, including three Rugby World Cup campaigns. The 67-year-old has been in charge of Taranaki since 2021 and has overseen one of the most successful periods in the union’s history.
“I reached out to him because we’ve coached together, but I actually felt he needed to come home for our country and our game,” Barnes said. “If you haven’t worked it out, I’ve got a lot of faith in this man.
“He asked me if I was available and I sent a message back, ‘mate, that’s not going to help you get the job’.
“That followed up with a phone call and then I was like, ‘mate, are you serious?’ It took a bit of comprehending to start with, but then I embraced it.
“I just thought he needs some encouragement because, like, people leave this country sometimes feeling a little bit hurt at times, but there’s not that many people with his ability. So you’re going to find that out in time. He’s the right person for the job.”
The team of assistants sees Rennie put his stamp on the side, having been appointed through till the end of the 2027 Rugby World Cup.
Rennie was appointed as head coach earlier this month, replacing Scott Robertson, who was stood down in mid-January, two years into what was supposed to be a four-year contract.
New All Blacks coach Dave Rennie. Photo / Dean Purcell
Barnes admits being part of the All Blacks was never on his radar but getting the chance to be involved is a special moment.
“It’s taken a bit of grasping, but I’m not frightened,” he said.
“I’ve gone to three World Cups with teams that are, you know, lesser, minor nations and still compete with the best, so inside of me, there’s that inner confidence that I’ve done the work and that I can actually work well with the players to make them better.
“I’ve had a meeting with Jason Ryan, we’re unbelievably aligned. He’s been a competitor of mine for a number of years, huge amount of respect for him, but that’s mutual and once we got together and saw how aligned we were, it’s going to be pretty powerful, to be honest.”
Barnes said it will be tough stepping away from his role with the Taranaki NPC side, having only just re-signed with the province in January.
During his time, he led the Bulls to an unbeaten first season, the 2023 NPC title and a successful Ranfurly Shield tenure between 2024-25.
“I care deeply about my province but when you get offered an opportunity like this and a challenge like this, I’ve got a spring in my step again,” Barnes said.
“I’m really looking forward to this and I’m under absolute no illusions at the size of this challenge, but people that know me understand that I’m not afraid of that.”
Ben Francis is an Auckland-based reporter for the New Zealand Herald who covers breaking sports news.
