Brad Weber: 'I think you'll see results and a cohesive All Black group right away'

Ex-All Black Brad Weber says the team have been underperforming over recent years, but expects their return to form to be “pretty instant” with Dave Rennie at the helm.

Weber was coached by Rennie at the Chiefs for three seasons after his 2014 debut and provided a glowing endorsement of the former Wallabies coach when reacting to the All Blacks‘ announcement that he would be the team’s next head coach.

The halfback said Rennie possesses a rare combination of technical ability and nous as a culture-driver, and was taken aback by the coach’s ability to concoct attacking schemes on the go when analysing opposition defences.

“He’s super detailed. I think he works off about two or three hours of sleep a night,” Weber told Millsy and Guy on Sport Nation.

“Especially on the attack side, he’s incredibly innovative; he sees things I could never see. He’d be showing video clips from teams that you’re playing and coming up with an attacking shape or strike moves for the backs that I would have never thought of. But he’s somehow seen patterns in certain players and in certain teams.

“He’s just always impressed me, the whole time I’ve worked with him. And he’s obviously pretty well-travelled now, he’s been all over the world, he’s got so much experience. I think he’s perfect (for the job).

“Even beyond the technical side, in terms of building team culture as a head coach, he’s just incredible.

“He was the big architect during my time in the Chiefs. He was a part of bringing in the Chiefs mana that is everywhere now and has been for the last 10-15 years. That was started by him.

“Every team that he’s been to, he’s turned around. Most of the teams that you’ve seen him take jobs with have been teams that have underperformed, and he’s turned them around to be the best in their respective competitions.

“You could argue the All Blacks have underperformed in the last couple of years, and this is the exact position that he’s thrived in. So, a good appointment.”

The Mitsubishi Sagamihara Dynaboars star went on with further praise for his former coach, saying Rennie curates a culture that adds the “one per cent” advantages that are especially important at the Test level.

“I think you’ll see results and a cohesive All Black group right away,” Weber boldly predicted.

“I think he’s really good at having the balance of being the head coach and being your mate. He can give you a stern word when you need it, but also, he’s incredibly curious about your backstory, your family, and he remembers things, so you feel really valued in your group, because that’s coming from the head coach.

“He’s a guy that demands respect, so you always listen to what he’s saying. I would say he’s pretty level-headed, overall. Not too many big half-time sprays; it’s usually pretty solution-focused rather than just blowing the boys up.”

Rennie has made the point of emphasising the clarity of gameplan he intends to bring to the All Blacks throughout his few media engagements since Wednesday’s announcement, and while Weber agreed that was a strength of Rennie’s, he couldn’t say for sure what style of play Rennie has in store for the All Blacks.

“A few years ago, I would have said it was about playing what you see, playing on instinct, having the license to play from anywhere. But I haven’t been coached by Rens since his overseas adventures. So I’ll be really curious to see how his time in the northern hemisphere, particularly at Glasgow, has impacted his attacking philosophies.”