NZ Rugby’s head of professional rugby Chris Lendrum steps down

Another member of New Zealand Rugby’s high-performance structure is leaving their role, with general manager of professional rugby Chris Lendrum stepping down.

Following the exits of former chief executive Mark Robinson and head of high performance Mike Anthony in the past 12 months, Lendrum will finish his duties with New Zealand Rugby (NZR) at the end of May.

Lendrum, who has been with NZR for more than 20 years, will remain with the organisation in a consultant capacity, the organisation confirmed in a release.

Chris Lendrum is stepping down as NZR's head of professional rugby. Photo / Getty Images

The role of head of professional rugby saw Lendrum sit on NZR’s executive since 2020, and take charge of high performance across the men’s and women’s programmes.

Furthermore, the role extended into NZR’s contracting structure, helping retain players and steering the game through the Covid-19 pandemic.

“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,” said Lendrum.

“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.”

Meanwhile, two new roles have been created within NZR’s leadership structure.

A chief rugby officer job has been created to take care of professional rugby operations, tournaments, competitions, community rugby, and manage key stakeholder relationships and agreements.

That role will be filled by Steve Lancaster, who stepped into the role of interim chief executive after previously working as NZR’s head of community rugby.

A high-performance director role has also been created, and will oversee the performance of national teams and report to NZR’s new chief executive, when they are appointed.