Sawt Falasteen - New Zealand boss Rennie calls up Henry to be All Blacks selector

Henry, 79, was in charge when New Zealand lifted the Rugby World Cup in 2011 and won 88 of his 103 matches in charge.

"We are really excited to bring 'Ted' in as a selector," New Zealand head coach Rennie told reporters in Auckland.

"He is very passionate and he loves the jersey. He watches a lot of rugby. He has some pretty strong opinions on players, so the conversations we have had have been brilliant."

Rennie, who succeeded the sacked Scott Robertson in March, said that when he contacted Henry on Monday the veteran had listed around 60 players to talk about, "which is very much Ted".

"He is an avid watcher of the game, and that's important for us. We are hoping that with his eye he may see something a little different to us which will help people within the squad," Rennie said.

Senior assistant coach Neil Barnes and Rennie will be the other selectors.

Rennie's first Test in charge of the All Blacks will be against France in Christchurch on July 4, followed by home matches against Italy and Ireland.

New Zealand will then depart for an eight-match tour of South Africa in August and September, including four Tests against the Springboks -- dubbed "Rugby's Greatest Rivalry".

Rennie said after his appointment that he had wanted veteran fly-half Richie Mo'unga and lock Brodie Retallick to take part in the six-week South Africa trip.

But eligibility rules have prevented their inclusion. The pair play in Japan and New Zealand Rugby does not allow players to be selected for the All Blacks from overseas clubs.

Their last caps came in the 2023 World Cup final.

Rennie on Tuesday conceded that Mo'unga was unlikely to make the trip, despite his three-year deal with Toshiba Brave Lupus ending next month, as he had not committed to a fresh New Zealand Rugby contract.

"The thinking would have been that Richie would be in the group to get his head around how we're going to play the game and the detail in that," Rennie said.

Rennie said he had wanted to play Mo'unga in the first South Africa tour match against the Stormers in Cape Town with a view to a possible Test return.

"But obviously, the (eligibility) criteria means he can't do that," said Rennie.

"We're still hoping to get him in so he can get his head around things."

Rennie added that Mo'unga might join the All Blacks squad to train ahead of the home July Tests even if he is unable to play.

X.Habash--SF-PST