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Dave Rennie winning over Australia fans with his voluntary 30% pay cut
Incoming Australia head coach Dave Rennie has started his new job on the right foot after reportedly taking a voluntary 30 per cent pay cut, a sacrifice valued at around $75,000 over three months on a $1million a year salary. His salary reduction came just days after Rugby Australia had initially ruled out asking the New Zealander to take one.
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With the current global Covid-19 crisis having a devastating effect, pay cuts have been the order of the day at rugby union administrations across the world. It’s something which players in Australia have already faced, but it was believed that the now-former Glasgow Warriors coach’s new salary was not going to be affected ahead of his arrival in July.
However, his generous offer to take a voluntary cut has ingratiated him with the Australian public. Positions of power in Australian rugby have been nothing short of a poisoned chalice in recent years, so this is a very positive start for the Kiwi.
The nature of Raelene Castle’s recent dismissal as CEO of Rugby Australia this year has already left a bitter taste in the mouth of some, but that was by no means an isolated incident following years of unrest surrounding Michael Cheika’s position as head coach and other off-field incidents that marred the reputation of Australian rugby.
The final years of Cheika’s tenure in charge of the Wallabies were not particularly successful, and support for him increasingly dwindled as the performances deteriorated before he resigned after the Wallabies’ quarter-final loss to England at the recent World Cup.
Rennie will be all too aware of the stark situation upon his arrival in Australia, but he has the pedigree to thrive at the helm of the national team given his past success in Super Rugby with the Chiefs where he won two titles.
While the current pandemic means it could still be a while before he can prove his worth with the performances of his new team on the pitch, his recent action regarding his salary has proven to be a hit.
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Sounds like we got the right guy with a good dash of humility.
— MPH (@mph770) June 5, 2020
Lucky to have him already. Make him CEO as well
— Lachlan Freemantle (@l_freemantle) June 5, 2020
Thank you Dave Rennie, you’ve just saved RA a lot of embarrassment!
— Matthew (@chillimat) June 5, 2020
This is a classy, unselfish, move if true. https://t.co/qjacIPWyOM
— Sam Bruce (@Sambruce86) June 5, 2020
Awesome! Lead from the top
— Mark C (@ChanBiff) June 5, 2020
Comments on RugbyPass
Good luck Aussie
10 Go to commentssmith at 9 / mounga 10 / laumape 12 / fainganuku 14
37 Go to commentsBar the injuries, it’s pretty much their top team …
2 Go to commentsDon’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
10 Go to commentsExcept for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to commentsTo me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
37 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
2 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
37 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
49 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
37 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
37 Go to commentsI’m a pensioner so I've been around a bit. My opinion of SBW is he is an elite athlete and a great New Zealander and roll model. He has been to the top and knows what he's talking about. To all the negative comments regarding SBW the typical New Zealand way, cut that tall poppy down.
17 Go to commentsI'm not listening to a guy moralise over others when this is the guy who walked out mid season on Canterbury RLFC when he had a contract with them, what a hypocrite. All the Kiwis sticking up for this unprincipled individual because they can't accept justified criticism, he has zero credibility or integrity. Those praising him are a joke.
17 Go to commentsI’d put Finau at 6 instead of Blackadder but that’s the only change I’d make. Can’t wait to see who Razor picks.
37 Go to commentsTamati Williams, Codie Taylor, and Same Cane? Not sure about Hoskins Sotutu at test level. Wasn’t that impressive last season. Need a balance between experience and talent/youth.
37 Go to commentsInteresting insight. Fantastic athlete, and a genuine human being.
17 Go to commentsThey played at night in Suva last weekend and it’s an afternoon game forecast for 19 degrees in Canberra this weekend. Heat change is a non issue.
2 Go to commentsWishing Rosie a speedy recovery
1 Go to commentsObscene that SA haven’t been knocking
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