Roy Keane is heading to the Southern Hemisphere this summer to further his coaching education, after a suggestion from his fellow UEFA Pro Licence classmate Ricki Herbert.

Herbert is the National Coach of New Zealand and this season has been studying alongside Keane for his Pro Licence, and the pair are now set to study coaching with the All Blacks Rugby Union team this summer.

While Sunderland are seemingly set to maintain their top-flight status, Keane continues to set his sights higher and will travel to New Zealand as part of his coaching badge.

Run by The FA at Warwick University, the Pro Licence is the highest coaching award available and among the numerous aspects of the course is a required study period overseas. Other members of this year's class will visit Valencia in the coming weeks, while coaches have visited a number of different clubs and tournaments over the years to gain an insight into coaching abroad.

One of the main reasons Herbert had wanted to visit the All Blacks as part of the study trip was due to the long trips he already undertakes as part of the coaching course. When he completes the course in the summer Herbert will have travelled over 100,000 miles, and for this aspect he has chosen something closer to home.

"I floated the idea with the powers that be and they were happy with that," Herbert told NZPA.

"Roy was quite excited about it, so we'll be doing it together."

Herbert, who is also coach of A-League club the Wellington Phoenix, said the pair's time with the All Blacks and coach Graham Henry would be 'very informal'.

"We're not rugby people, so we're not digesting statistics or tactics," he said.

"We'll use an international team as our club and talk to some of the key people about structural things."

Keane said: "I have the green light to have three or four days with them. I don't know if I will be allowed in to give any team talks. I'll keep my head down and just watch them. Try to plug into what they are always about."