Recently-appointed All Blacks head coach Ian Foster has unveiled his assistants, including experienced Hurricanes head coach John Plumtree.

Three of Foster’s four fulltime coaching staff were announced on Thursday, with Plumtree to be joined by Greg Feek and Scott McLeod.

A fourth coach is still to be confirmed.

That is widely expected to be former Crusaders assistant Brad Mooar who is reportedly negotiating an early departure from his role as head coach of Welsh club Scarlets.

Foster was last week announced as the replacement for Steve Hansen, whose eight-year tenure finished with a third-placing at the Rugby World Cup in Japan.

Foster served as an assistant to Hansen during his tenure and he has ensured there is further continuity from the previous regime by retaining McLeod – who will keep hold of the defence portfolio he has owned for the past two years.

Plumtree will be the forwards coach while Feek will be the scrum specialist.

All the appointed coaches have joined Foster on two-year contracts.

Former All Blacks great Grant Fox will continue as a selector for 2020 alongside Foster and Plumtree – whose role at the Hurricanes will need to be filled, just six weeks out from the start of Super Rugby.

Plumtree, 54, will bring authority to his role after more than 20 years of coaching, much of it overseas.

He has held jobs in Wales (Swansea 1997-2001), South Africa (Sharks 2008-12) and Ireland (national team forwards coach 2013-14).

He was the Hurricanes assistant for four years, helping them win a maiden title in 2016, before taking the top job last season.

Former All Blacks prop Feek, 44, has spent most of the past eight years in Ireland, as the national team’s scrum coach.

Foster said his group shared a range of skill sets that would see in a new era for the All Blacks.

“They’re all outstanding coaches in their own right, and we’ll have new voices and fresh ideas in the All Blacks, which will be really stimulating for everyone, and help us grow as we enter a new era,” he said.

Newly-appointed NZ Rugby chief executive Mark Robinson said a strong assistant coaching group was one reason for Foster’s appointment – seeing off the challenge of Crusaders head coach Scott Robertson.

“We were all impressed by the collective strength of the team that he’d assembled,” Robinson said.