All Blacks reappointed coach Graham Henry until 2011 World Cup

From correspondents in Wellington, New Zealand
July 09, 2009 New Zealand coach Graham Henry has been reappointed until the 2011 World Cup, The New Zealand Rugby Union said Thursday.

Henry's two assistant coaches, Wayne Smith and Steve Hansen, have also had their contracts extended to the World Cup, which will be hosted by New Zealand.

“Graham, Wayne and Steve are outstanding coaches,” NZRU chairman Jock Hobbs said in a statement.

“They have a formidable record and we hold them in very high regard. They are totally committed to New Zealand rugby and have become an important part of the wider organisation,” Hobbs said.

Henry was controversially reappointed after the 2007 World Cup, when the All Blacks made their earliest ever exit from the tournament, losing in the quarter-final to France.

Since Henry, assisted by Smith and Hansen, took over in 2004, the All Blacks have won 57 out of 66 Tests.

Agence France-Presse

http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,...-23217,00.html