Former England coach Steve McNamara will lend his services to the Kiwis going into their tilt at this year’s Rugby League World Cup in Australia.
Current Warriors attack guru McNamara signed on as the new Kiwis assistant coach on Tuesday, with incumbents Justin Morgan and Willie Poching shown the door.
McNamara will be the sole assistant to head coach David Kidwell ahead of May’s Anzac Test clash with the Kangaroos in Canberra, before a second assistant is considered for the World Cup.
The ex-Bradford coach will stick to mentoring the attack with the Test side, given his day-to-day work with many Kiwis internationals at the Warriors, who he joined this year.
That includes the all-Kiwi Warriors spine of Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, Shaun Johnson, Issac Luke and the yet-to-return Kieran Foran.
“[Steve] working with them week in and week out is only going to be good for us,” Kidwell told reporters on Tuesday.
“Understanding what he does at the Warriors, it just makes sense that will be his role.
“I’ve been in constant contact with him and we’re setting out a good, clear plan for the Anzac Test.”
South Sydney general manager of football Shane Richardson has also been brought on board in the newly-created role of Kiwis campaign manager.
A former colleague of Kidwell at the Rabbitohs, Richardson will mentor the green coach and provide big-picture thinking as the World Cup nears.
Kidwell’s tournament debut in last year’s Four Nations fell well short of expectations, with the side drawing to Scotland and capitulating to Australia in the final.
A review was held in the wake of the 34-8 final defeat in Liverpool, which found that ex-boss Stephen Kearney’s departure on the eve of the tournament had created a leadership vacuum inside the Kiwis camp.
As a result, New Zealand Rugby League have looked to place senior heads around Kidwell, freeing him to focus on team selection and performance.
He will also look to build closer relationships with senior players, particularly those playing in Australia, by visiting them in their home cities.