All Blacks add new coach to Scott Robertson’s team as Bryn Evans named lineout coach
Former All Blacks lock Bryn Evans is joining Scott Robertson's coaching team. Photo / Getty Images
Former All Blacks lock Bryn Evans is joining Scott Robertson’s coaching team to target improvements to the lineout.
Evans, the former Hawke’s Bay, Blues and Hurricanes lock, featured in two tests off the bench for the All Blacks in 2009. He then played extensively in Europe for London Irish, Biarritz and Sale before returning for a two-year stint at the Highlanders.
Since hanging up his boots, Evans moved into coaching with the Hurricanes and Hawke’s Bay last year, assuming charge of the lineout and restarts. He now finds himself swiftly elevated to the All Blacks coaching ranks after impressing Robertson and forwards coach Jason Ryan with his lineout recall and nous.
“He brings a unique skillset with his work with the Hurricanes and Hawke’s Bay,” Ryan said of Evans, who will join the All Blacks for their full 13-test calendar before returning to the Hurricanes next year.
“What I like is he’s got a lateral thinking ability about him. He’s an ex-lineout caller, he had 12-plus years playing in the UK and France, which gives him a broad range of experience and an understanding of the northern hemisphere approach. It’s going to be a good complement for us.”
Evans’ inclusion comes as part-time throwing coach Corey Flynn moves on and is the only change to Robertson’s fulltime All Blacks coaching team for 2025 that also includes Ryan, Scott Hansen, Jason Holland and Tamati Ellison after Leon MacDonald’s abrupt departure last year.
Most international rugby teams employ at least two forwards coaches, with those roles often split to harness specific focus on the scrum and lineout.
From the set piece to the forwards carry, clean, scrum, lineout and the breakdown, Ryan had a huge brief with the All Blacks last year. He will now have specialist assistance, with Evans working alongside him and strike coach Holland.
Ryan and Evans will operate a similar coaching model to Steve Hansen’s All Blacks regime when renowned set-piece guru Mike Cron, now with the Wallabies, and Mick Byrne, now leading Fiji, worked closely together with the forward pack.
“When you look at our locks, we’ve got a great mix of experience but there’s some good young boys coming through that need to be challenged,” Ryan told the Herald.
“Bryn brings a skillset that I haven’t got in terms of how they call lineouts, what pictures they see. We believe it’s a real point of difference having him and making sure our skills are dialled in and leading the way in that area.
“Our lineout and setpiece functioned well last year, but we want to get it better. He will take care of a lot of the air-pressure side of the lineout and I’ll take care of the ground pressure. I’ll still be a big part of our maul defence and attacking maul.
“We believe having Bryn in this space, analysing us and the opposition, is just what we need.”
While the All Blacks have or are developing depth in most positions, lock is an area that needs attention.
Captain Scott Barrett, Blues skipper Patrick Tuipulotu and Chiefs lock Tupou Vaa’i are well established on the test scene, and Netherlands-born Highlanders prospect Fabian Holland is expected to earn his maiden call-up in July. But there is a pressing need to enhance the second-row stocks since the departures of Sam Whitelock and Brodie Retallick.
“When you look at Patty and Scooter [Barrett], they’re experienced and playing well in the Super Rugby finals series,” Ryan said. “And there’s some good young boys coming through, which will challenge our thinking and how we select. Tupou has been exceptional again, so keeping him fresh will be important.
“You’ve got to have your next player ready to go. We got a look at Fabian a little bit last year. He was in the All Blacks XV. Naitoa [Ah Kuoi] is playing really well for the Chiefs. There’s some good young lads putting their hand up, and that’s great to see.
“Having a specialist like Bryn will add a different dynamic and help there and challenge the senior locks too.”
Other than adding Evans, and the focus on their lineout and restarts, the big-picture lessons the All Blacks are seeking to absorb in their second season under Robertson centre on improving the way they finish matches.
All four tests the All Blacks lost last year – two against the Springboks in South Africa, the home defeat to the Pumas in Wellington and the French fade in Paris - came after they led at halftime.
The composition and experience of the bench improved as the year progressed, but finishing remains at the forefront of the coaching team’s mind.
“We’ve been hard on ourselves there to make sure that’s happening,” Ryan said. “The back end, we had a bit more experience coming off the bench in the latter part of the season.
“You’ve got to change gears mentally and physically, but still execute your skills under pressure. Sometimes, that isn’t just catching or throwing but your mental capacity, so we’ll do a lot of work in that space this year and look to grow it.
“We’re a year ahead as a coaching and management group of where we were this time last year, so that will bring more cohesion. The players know us better. And we’ve got a big series of test matches.
“You’ve got to be playing the best. There’s no room to breathe, but it’s good for us.”
Liam Napier is a senior sports journalist and rugby correspondent for the New Zealand Herald. He is a co-host of the Rugby Direct podcast.