Former All Blacks assistant coach Scott Hansen is set to land his first role after being overlooked for a spot in Dave Rennie’s coaching team, according to reports.
Hansen, who was an assistant to Scott Robertson at the Crusaders and All Blacks, was not retained by Rennie when the new head coach compiled his coaching team ahead of the 2026 international season.
Scott Hansen to replace Rob Penney – report
Instead, the new head coach opted to bring former Scotland international Mike Blair along with him from the Kobe Steelers to coach the All Blacks‘ attack, with only Jason Ryan retained from the Robertson era.
It is understood that NZ Rugby were keen for Hansen to remain in the Test team’s coaching structures, and while that did not pan out, the highly regarded coach is not leaving New Zealand shores and looks set to be handed one of the biggest jobs in New Zealand.
According to a report by the New Zealand Herald, Hansen will take over the Crusaders head coach reins from Rob Penney next year, with the latter concluding his three-year stint with the Canterbury club.
Penney endured a torrid first season in charge of the Crusaders with Super Rugby’s most successful club winning just four of their 14 matches, but emphatically turned things around, guiding the side to their 15th title last year. The defending champions are on course for another play-off appearance this season, after which Penney will reportedly step down from his position.
The report states that Hansen has won a head-to-head battle to fill the vacancy, beating fellow former All Blacks assistant Brad Mooar to the role. This after the Crusaders reportedly approached the highly regarded Andrew Goodman, who is currently working for Ireland under Andy Farrell, about the prospect of returning to New Zealand. It’s added that Goodman turned down their advances as he is content with his current role.
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Meanwhile, Mooar is currently working as an assistant coach to Penney, and it’s yet to be seen whether he will stay on and work under Hansen after being overlooked for the top job. The 51-year-old was part of Ian Foster’s coaching team but also had his time with the All Blacks cut short in 2022.
A previous Herald report claimed that NZ Rugby asked Rennie to consider retaining Hansen as the team’s attack coach because of how highly rated he is by many current All Blacks for his all-round coaching ability. The union also feared that it would lose intellectual property and institutional knowledge if Hansen left New Zealand shores.
The Crusaders’ job is set to be the first time that Hansen officially sports the head coach title on a full-time basis, but he does have some experience performing the role, with Robertson telling the publication in 2025 that he “effectively operates in the role most would recognise as the head coach” with the All Blacks.
Hansen has vast experience, though having started his coaching career in the Canterbury structures and had stints with Canada, Leicester Tigers, Kobe Steelers, the Sunwolves and Japan before joining Robertson at the Crusaders and All Blacks.
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