Dave Rennie speaks on facing the Wallabies after 2023 axing

Dave Rennie is preparing to square off against some familiar faces in this weekend’s Bledisloe Cup clash at Eden Park, coaching the All Blacks against several Wallabies players he once selected while at the helm of the Australian ship.

Seven of the men Les Kiss has selected to face the All Blacks in Auckland were in Rennie’s final squad of his Wallabies tenure, which ended when Rugby Australia fired him in favour of Eddie Jones in January 2023.

But the bitter end to the relationship has not left a sour taste for Rennie, who dismissed any suggestion that he was out with a point to prove when he reunited with Australian media on Thursday afternoon.

“It’s not about me. I’ve got no regrets. I got to work with some really good people, people I have a lot of time for. It’s a part of the game that we’re involved in,” he responded.

“I enjoyed my time in Japan. I’ve loved coming back here and working with these guys; we’ve got great people, players and staff. We’re highly motivated, but it’s not about me.”

Having spent three years leading the Wallabies between 2020 and 2023, Rennie’s familiarity with the group, their nation’s rugby DNA and mindset is a rare insight for an All Blacks head coach to have in the age-old rivalry. But the coach was playing his cards close to his chest when asked how his experience with the team might benefit this week’s preparations in the New Zealand camp.

“I know a lot about the players; obviously, there’s a big number of them who started in 2020, and they’ve now played 50, 60 or 70 Tests. So, what we know is they’re a good side, they’re experienced, and they’ve played a lot of footy together.

“We’re well aware of the strength of that team, and I think they’ll come here confident; they’ve had a good run recently. As you saw against that South African side, they were pretty dominant for 70 minutes.”

On Saturday, Rennie will seek to defend two of the All Blacks’ proudest records – the 53-Test Eden Park unbeaten run and 24 consecutive years of retaining the Bledisloe Cup – having previously attempted to topple both at the beginning of the decade.

“I’m not sure how Les has looked at it,” Rennie said of the Eden Park record. “I think all sides who come here want to be the one to break the record, so they’ll be highly motivated like the Irish were when we spoke to them post-game. We’re well aware of what’s coming.”