Graham Henry

Sir Graham William Henry (born 8 June 1946) is a New Zealand rugby union coach, and former head coach of the country's national team, the All Blacks.

After attending Christchurch Boys' High School where he was tutored in part by John Graham, Henry studied at the University of Otago, gained a Diploma in Physical Education in 1969, and became a secondary school geography and physical education teacher.

He taught at two schools known for their rugby prowess – Auckland Grammar School and Kelston Boys' High School.

He coached both their first XVs.

He began his career at Auckland Grammar School as a Physical Education Teacher in 1973 and remained there – while completing a Bachelor of Education at Massey University in 1979 until 1982, when he was appointed deputy headmaster of Kelston.

Following the unexpected death of headmaster Jim Paton while jogging in 1987, Henry became headmaster.

He coached successful Auckland and Auckland Blues teams in the 1990s, winning National Provincial Championship titles in 1993, 1994, 1995 and 1996 with Auckland, and the first Super 12 title with the Blues in 1996.

His first major role was as coach of the successful Auckland provincial rugby team from 1992 to 1997.

During his tenure, the team won the National Provincial Championship (NPC) four years in a row (1993–1996).

He held the job until resigning to become a full-time coach in 1996.

Henry also coached the Blues in the Super 12 – winning the title in 1996 and 1997, and losing the final in 1998.

He coached Wales from 1998 to 2002, with some success, including an 11-match winning streak.

After being overlooked for the All Blacks coaching position in 1998, Henry left New Zealand to coach Wales, at the time becoming the highest paid rugby union coach in the world for a reputed £250,000 per year.

His success with Wales resulted in him being given the nickname "the Great Redeemer" in the media there after guiding his side to eleven consecutive victories in 1999.

As a result, Henry gained celebrity status in Wales.

He was head coach of the British & Irish Lions in their 2001 tour of Australia, in which they lost the test series 2–1.

He was appointed coach of the British and Irish Lions for their unsuccessful 2001 tour to Australia – this made him the first Lions' coach from outside the Home Nations.

He left Wales in 2002 after a record defeat to Ireland in the Six Nations by 54–10, and returned to New Zealand where he was appointed defensive coach of the Blues during their successful 2003 Super 12 season.

Remarkably, the only other occasion the Blues have won the title was when he briefly returned as technical adviser in the 2003 season.

Following the All Blacks' semi-final loss to Australia in the 2003 Rugby World Cup the All Blacks coaching job was advertised.

Apart from incumbent coach John Mitchell, Henry was the only applicant and took the job in December of that year.

Henry appointed his former Wales assistant Steve Hansen as forwards coach, Wayne Smith as attack coach, and having himself responsible for defence.

Henry also recruited Sir Brian Lochore as a selector.

The coaching team was often referred to by rugby commentators as the Three Wise Men due to their collective experience and success.

His first Test match as coach was against the Rugby World Cup 2003 winners England team in New Zealand in 2004.

England, coached by Sir Clive Woodward were decisively defeated in both Tests.

He was appointed head coach of New Zealand in 2004, and had several successful seasons, including a series victory over the British & Irish Lions in 2005.

The success did not carry on into the 2004 Tri-Nations where the All Blacks won two, and lost two Tests – they eventually finished last in the tournament.

Henry and his assistants were criticised in the New Zealand media for their insistence on using a flat backline approach in attack – which they blamed for a low number of tries.

The 2004 end of year Tests where they played Northern Hemisphere opponents was more successful and culminated in a 45–6 defeat of France in Paris.

In 2005 he coached the All Blacks in their 3–0 series defeat of the British and Irish Lions.

He then coached the All Blacks to 2005 Tri-Nations victory where they lost their only match of 2005 – against South Africa.

Henry was heavily criticised following the All Blacks' quarter-final exit at the 2007 Rugby World Cup and was reappointed amid some controversy.

Nicknamed 'Ted', he led New Zealand to win the 2011 World Cup.

Henry played rugby union for Canterbury and cricket for Canterbury and Otago in the Plunket Shield.

Before becoming a full-time coach, Henry worked as a school teacher and headmaster.

He subsequently led the All Blacks to win the 2011 Rugby World Cup final.

He stepped down as All Blacks coach in 2011 after 140 matches in a career that also included five Tri Nations titles.

In 2012, Henry joined Argentina as an advisor, and acted as an assistant coach to the Argentina national team.

In 2013, he re-committed to Argentina for the 2013 Rugby Championship.