Kane Jury appointed as New Zealand Rugby men's National Pathways Head Coach

New Zealand Rugby (NZR) has announced Kane Jury as men’s National Pathways Head Coach, a newly created role that will include coaching both the New Zealand U20 and New Zealand Schools teams for the next two years.

Jury will vacate his role as a Highlanders Assistant Coach to focus on strengthening NZR’s pathways and pipelines to the All Blacks and improving the core skills of emerging players.

“I am truly grateful for the many opportunities and learnings I’ve been given at the Highlanders. This experience has provided me with the platform to step into this newly created role with New Zealand Rugby, focused on strengthening and aligning the pathway between our national age-grade programmes and our national teams,” he said.

Jury has a depth of experience working with emerging talent including as Head of Sport Performance at King's High School in Dunedin, Highlanders Talent Development Manager overseeing recruitment and working with the club’s U20s team, and as Head Coach of the successful New Zealand Schools team of 2022-23.

One of his first priorities in 2026 will be leading the New Zealand U20s programme where Bunnings Warehouse NPC coaches Brock James (Hawke’s Bay), James Lentjes (Canterbury), and Will Henry (Otago) will join him as Assistant Coaches.

The U20 programme will start with a week-long U20 development camp that will see one hundred players gathered in Taupo from 14-21 March, and will include The Rugby Championship U20 tournament in South Africa in April, and the World Rugby Junior World Championship in Georgia in June-July.

“The role requires me to work closely with the All Blacks to ensure clear alignment in the core skill development requirements of our players, and to provide meaningful coaching experiences that equip our players to be successful in the NPC, Super Rugby Pacific and on the international stage. It is critical I work alongside our Provincial Unions and Super Rugby Clubs and secondary schools to help grow the tactical and technical abilities of our emerging talent.

“Ultimately, our goal within the National Pathways is to build a strong, connected pipeline that consistently ensures players have the tools for the demands of the professional and international game.”

NZR High Performance Player Development Manager Matt Sexton said Jury was the ideal person for what was a crucial new role.

“Kane has a deep understanding of how to grow young men and has held key coaching roles related to our pathways from secondary school through to provincial and Super Rugby level.

“The men’s pathway review strongly recommended a more aligned and connected pathway for our young players as they enter our high-performance environment and this role is a direct response that we are confident will deliver improved outcomes, particularly in skill development and tactical knowledge.”

Highlanders GM of Rugby, Greg O’Brien said Jury’s appointment was a natural progression for a coach who had consistently demonstrated an eye for talent and a passion for player development.

“Kane’s experience in the high‑performance space around talent identification and player development makes him the ideal person to work with young talent from around the country. He has coached the Highlanders U20s, our development team and at Super Rugby level. He has always demonstrated an ability to connect with and get the best out of players. We wish him well in his new role and thank him for his significant contribution to the club.”


Kane Jury coaching bio

·    2011-2014 Hong Kong Rugby Football Union National Player Development Manager

·    2015-19: King’s High School, Dunedin, Head of Sports Performance and Director of Rugby

·    2017-19 Black Ferns Sevens Development Team Head Coach

·    2017 & 2022: Otago Spirit Bunnings Farah Palmer Cup Coach

·    2018: Otago Bunnings NPC Skills Coach

·    2019: Fiji Men’s Sevens Assistant Coach

·    2019-25: Highlanders Talent Development Manager

·    2022-23 New Zealand Secondary Schools Head Coach

·    2024 Otago Bunnings NPC Assistant Coach

·    2025-26: Highlanders Assistant Coach