Super Rugby Pacific 2026 launched in Auckland with the usual mix of new jerseys, retro merchandise and back-slapping. But the conversation in the corridors had only one subject: who is going to be the next All Blacks head coach. By the time Highlanders senior lock Fabian Holland and reigning champion Crusaders co-captain Codie Taylor had finished their media obligations, the field had narrowed to two — and the panel of pundits in attendance were openly framing it as a 'two-horse race'.
"Jamie Joseph seems to be the logical one, doesn't he?" one of the long-time New Zealand rugby broadcasters said, walking through the contenders out loud. "He seems to have the power behind him. It looks like a two-horse race to me. So, Dave or Jamie." The mention of Dave was a nod to Dave Rennie, the former Chiefs and Wallabies coach whose return to the New Zealand system has long been pencilled in by everyone except the New Zealand Rugby Union itself.
Holland, asked the same question, refused to commit. "Don't know, man," he said. "I know as much as you do." Pressed on who would be the next captain, the Highlanders second-rower demurred again. "Don't know, man. Know as much as you do. I think at the moment it's going to be Scott Barrett. So, yeah." The implication — that the captaincy debate has already settled, even if the head-coach one has not — landed hard with the assembled press.
The most revealing detail came when Holland confirmed Joseph's day-to-day status at the Highlanders. Asked whether his Highlanders head coach had been at training as the candidacy talk grew louder, Holland was direct. "Yes. He is the Highlanders coach, and he's been fully committed to the Highlanders cause." One of the panel members went further: "I did see Jamie the other day and I said, 'Have you got your application form filled out and sent in, Jamie?' And he goes, 'Don't know if I'll apply, Wills.'" The host added a sharper observation. "I'd imagine he's certainly got ambition to coach the All Blacks — that's evident. He's had a crack at it a couple of times. So, I'd imagine he's going to be right there. And he's obviously in the country and available right now for the All Blacks. So, I think he's got to be right."
The pundit underlined the bigger point: the head coach is now less than half of the appointment. "The only thing I would say from the outside is — and you know this — it's not just about the head coach anymore," he said. "The coaching team that you put together is going to be crucial." Whoever wins the race, the assistants beneath them — set-piece, attack and defence — will be the difference between a Bledisloe-winning and a World-Cup-winning All Blacks.
Taylor, fresh off another Crusaders title, was asked how the famously demanding New Zealand public turns on its champions when results slip. The hooker has lived both sides of that cycle. "It's what New Zealand's like in a whole, really," he said. "Quick to pull you down. But, hey, we regrouped after '24, and we really looked in the mirror — and I think as a team we came together and built the culture back. And that's what got us over the line last year. So, yeah, proud of the boys."
The Crusaders co-captain refused to anoint anyone — including himself — as title favourites for 2026. "If you guys don't win it this year, who's going to win it?" he was asked. "I can't even answer that, man," Taylor said. "The Chiefs are looking awesome. They've been there, so close. I'd say they'll be in the final, but they're not going to win it." Holland, asked the same question for the Highlanders' shot at the top six, was clipped: "100 percent, mate. 100 percent — is maybe, I'd say. But I have full belief that we can do it. No promises, but I have full belief in the potential of this team."
The panel turned, as it always does, to the question of the next great young player. Taylor's pick was unexpected. "I don't know too many young talent — too much young talent outside of, obviously, Pledger was going to be one — probably Dylan Pledger, but unfortunately he's injured. Within the Crusaders, I think someone that really impressed me last week was Ollie Mathysse — the seven from Waitemata. Played sevens. Pretty pretty talented and he's got his head screwed on. He's only 21. So, I think he was born in 2005 or something. So, makes me feel real old."
The final word from Taylor, however, was on the new direction Super Rugby Pacific has taken with reduced TMO intervention — a topic both Crusaders and Highlanders players seem to align on. "100 percent," Taylor said when asked if he supported the lighter TMO use. "Any interference from the TMO is always disruptive, and it's just time that's unnecessary on our game. The rules that they brought in are all positive for the product. We saw that last year. What they brought in had a massive impact on the game, and it resonated really well with the fans — which the 'fan first' mindset from the competition and the clubs has taken this competition back to where it belongs: at the top of club rugby comps around the world."
For New Zealand Rugby, the next call belongs to the appointments panel. But on the evidence of two of the country's most credible voices, the conversation in the Super Rugby Pacific dressing rooms has already settled on two names. The All Blacks coach in 2026 will be either Jamie Joseph or Dave Rennie. The hardest part, as the panel reminded everyone before the night's beers were poured, is who he picks to coach with him.
