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Sir Steve Hansen: All Blacks are ‘more united’ as Dave Rennie sets a ‘clear way’ to play The All Blacks players look happier and more united under Dave Rennie than former head coach Scott Robertson, according to Sir Steve Hansen. Rennie took over from Robertson ahead of the 2026 international season, with New Zealand boasting a perfect record so far, beating France, Italy and Ireland, respectively, in the Nations Championship. They have since embarked on Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry tour and have marched to victories over the Stormers, Sharks and Bulls, with the All Blacks tackling the Springboks in the first Test match at Ellis Park this weekend. Rieko Ioane’s improvement Six games into the Rennie era, Hansen has seen a clear shift in the players’ mindsets and moods compared to that of Robertson, particularly with experienced back Rieko Ioane. Ioane has been a mainstay in the All Blacks squad over the past few years, but he slipped down the pecking order last year and wasn’t selected by Rennie initially in July. He was called into the squad for the final game against Ireland and then included in the touring team to South Africa. “Look, after the last two years, probably not so much,” the back told DSPN when asked whether he thought he would be back in the All Blacks six months ago. “I was a bit 50/50 on whether I would be, just based on all events that happened. But then I started to get that confidence back once I was playing in Ireland with the Leinster crew. With my footy over there, I felt like I was at least good enough to be back in this environment one day.” Those comments came after he impressed in the touring match against the Bulls in Pretoria, with the 29-year-old clearly happier in the All Blacks structures under Rennie. “Well, he’s been away on a sabbatical up to the Northern Hemisphere and had a good break,” Hansen said on the Rugby Unity podcast. “He came back, didn’t get selected, and that always helps you shift a mindset, but first and foremost, there has also been a coaching change, and I think they all look happier. Let’s be honest.” All Blacks look more united While Hansen can see a clear improvement in the All Blacks in 2026, he has warned Rennie of keeping a healthy balance to keep the players stimulated. “They seem to be more united, and not saying that they weren’t under Razor, but you can only comment on what you see and they look happy, look clear on how they want to play and that stuff is really important when it comes to setting players’ mindsets because if they’re having fun and they’re getting stimulated in equal amounts then you’ll get a performance,” he continued. Want more from Planet Rugby? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for world-class coverage you can trust. “If you have too much fun, you get loose. If you get too much stimulation, it becomes a chore, and when the coach is walking down the hallway, you’re diving out the window to make sure you don’t see him because he’s going to give you another lecture on how to play the game. “It’s really important to get that balance right so people can actually enjoy their rugby because that’s why we play it.”