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Dave Rennie is fantastically good for rugby and the rivalry we need to exist between the All Blacks and Wallabies

By Hamish Bidwell
(Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images)

Thank goodness for Dave Rennie.

A few New Zealand rugby folk have looked in need of a good cuddle in recent days. News that Australia would host (at least in theory) The Rugby Championship saw plenty of lips drop in these parts.

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Fans, be they in charge of keyboards or not, felt a bit let down by politicians and administrators and wondered aloud about how rugby life could be so unfair.

Stories also surfaced that some key All Blacks might have to sit some of the test schedule out for personal reasons, further cementing the view that 2020 simply isn’t our year.

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Aotearoa Rugby Pod discuss the possibility of All Blacks opting out of The Rugby Championship

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Aotearoa Rugby Pod discuss the possibility of All Blacks opting out of The Rugby Championship

Just as well Dave’s done a job for us, then.

Yes, new Australia coach Dave Rennie has injected a bit of light amid the gloom, by completely dismissing New Zealand Rugby (NZR) and their plans while also having a subtle dig at would-be All Blacks’ captain Sam Cane.

Rennie is nobody’s fool. An immensely clever man, who’s never been afraid to articulate his thoughts, the former Wellington, New Zealand under-20 and Chiefs coach has suddenly made this year’s Bledisloe Cup series more compelling.

We always knew Australia would be more competitive under Rennie’s watch. Maybe not this year, but definitely by the time the next Rugby World Cup rolled around.
Far from waiting for 2023, though, thanks to Rennie I now can’t wait for 2020’s games to start.

It appears as if the All Blacks will host the Wallabies in back-to-back tests on October 17 and 24. That would present some logistical problems for Rennie and his squad, around how many of the players can train together without contravening this country’s quarantine protocols.

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Far from lapsing into the usual coach-speak about how he’ll adapt to those conditions or try to control the controllables, Rennie has simply said the restrictions were “unacceptable’’ and that the Wallabies wouldn’t be playing under those circumstances.

It’s hard to know quite why Rennie isn’t coaching New Zealand rather than Australia. Among the New Zealand-coaching diaspora, it’s arguable whether there’s anyone as well-credentialed as him.

But, for whatever reason, Rennie didn’t appear valued here. He was said to be too blunt for some, too ready to fight the Chiefs’ corner. When the expectation was that all Super Rugby coaches would simply fall into line with every All Blacks-dictate, Rennie would do and say otherwise.

Coaches aren’t dim. Well, the good ones at least. They know exactly what’s for public consumption and what’s not and what messages they want sent or reinforced by what they say and how those words are likely to be reported and interpreted.

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For that reason, elite rugby coaches are never misquoted or misconstrued because they’re the ones controlling the narrative.

Rennie hasn’t been in Australia long, but he’s quickly adopted a tactic that’s been a staple of their test cricket team.

Undermine the opposition captain, so the theory goes, and you go a long way to beating his team. Preferably with the ball, but often verbally too, you batter the other skipper. Rough him up, then nick him out and you diminish his stature within his own side.

So when Dave Rennie expressed his great admiration for Chiefs flanker Lachlan Boshier and surprise that he was not in the All Blacks’ squad, was he actually praising Boshier? Or was it actually an attempt to exert a bit of pressure on Cane?

We’ll know better as time goes on but, as mentioned earlier, Rennie is no fool. He knows that Ian Foster wasn’t a unanimous choice as All Blacks coach, nor Cane as his captain.

You hit the opposition where they’re potentially vulnerable and, the truth is, the jury remains out on Foster, just as questions remain about Cane. Rennie would be remiss if he didn’t hint at those and try to exploit them.

All of which is fantastically good for rugby and the rivalry we need to exist between the All Blacks and Wallabies.

We assume The Rugby Championship will go ahead as scheduled, but that’s not a given. Even if it does, with no rugby being played in South Africa, we have no idea what the Springboks might be like this year, while Argentina have a genuine COVID-19 outbreak in the camp. The All Blacks don’t appear destined for the northern hemisphere anytime soon, so strong competition from Australia is critical to the health of rugby here.

I’ll admit to having been a little disinterested in this year’s Bledisloe Cup series. A bit sceptical about the strength in depth of Australian rugby and the chances of a competitive Wallabies’ side being cobbled together.

Now, thanks to Rennie, I can’t wait to see the two teams meet. Can’t wait to see the games he plays with the New Zealand media and the way he potentially gets into a few All Blacks’ heads.

It’ll be all on if the Wallabies can actually win a game or two.

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A
Adrian 1 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

8 Go to comments
T
Trevor 3 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

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B
Bull Shark 7 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

29 Go to comments
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