Chris Lendrum, New Zealand Rugby's general manager of professional rugby and performance, has stepped down after 20 years.
Lendrum is the latest employee connected to the organisation's high-performance programme to step down following chief executive Mark Robinson's departure in the middle of last year, and former manager of high performance Mike Anthony's more recent exit. NZ Rugby is also looking for a new All Blacks head coach after the dismissal of Scott Robertson in January.
A statement released this afternoon said Lendrum will conclude his executive role at the end of May and will continue to work as a consultant until the end of the year.
In a further change, NZ Rugby has announced that a new high performance director role has been established. The new role will have responsibility for the performance of national teams, particularly the All Blacks, ranked second in the world but who lost three times last year, including an historic thrashing at the hands of the Boks.
The role will report to the CEO and also oversee NZ Rugby's men’s and women’s high performance programmes.
The move is clearly a response to the recent struggles of the All Blacks, the Black Ferns and New Zealand's under-20s team.
A chief rugby officer role has also been created and will be filled by interim CEO Steve Lancaster once he leaves his current role.
The role will oversee professional rugby operations, tournaments and competitions, community rugby, and manage "key stakeholder relationships and agreements". The role will also report to the CEO.
The NZ Rugby statement said Lendrum had played a pivotal role in shaping the modern professional game in New Zealand. He had served on the NZR executive since 2020 with responsibility for men’s and women’s high performance, national tournaments and competitions, professional player management and Super Rugby Clubs.
During his tenure, Lendrum helped secure and retain leading players, led significant investment into women’s high performance, and steered the professional game through and out of the unprecedented challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic.
However, the recent struggles by the teams in black – Black Ferns sevens excepted – should add context to his stated achievements.
Lendrum said: “It’s been a huge privilege to be involved in New Zealand Rugby and our national teams for this long, and work alongside some incredible people across the game.
“Together, we’ve seen plenty of success, although sometimes we haven’t achieved goals that we and the country all wanted so dearly.
“There are too many highlights but I’m particularly proud of leading the organisation through the Black Ferns culture and environment review in 2021 which set the foundation for the incredible Rugby World Cup win a year later.
“As international rugby becomes increasingly competitive and complex, NZR now requires a singular focus on driving the success of our Teams in Black. I’m excited for their future.”
Lancaster said the new rugby structure would start at the end of May.
“Our refreshed strategy has a clear focus on our national teams consistently winning, supported by strong performance pathways for players and coaches. As an organisation, we need to ensure we are set up to deliver this,” Lancaster said.
Recruitment for the high performance director role will commence immediately.
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