Dave Rennie: 'With the teams I coach, it's a high-skill, high-speed type of game'
He rejected the chance to coach the All Blacks and now Dave Rennie is hoping to win over sceptical Wallabies fans with “high-octane” and “brutal” rugby.
Rennie is the first to admit he may not be the most popular choice to succeed Michael Cheika after being appointed the Wallabies’ second-ever foreign-born coach following Robbie Deans’ reign from 2008 to 2013.
And he’s another Kiwi no less, born and raised in the country of Australia’s fiercest and greatest rugby foes.
“I get it. I think Australians want their national team coached by an Australian,” Rennie said following his appointment through to the 2023 World Cup in France.
“I’m okay with that. I know they care about their team.
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“All I can say is that everywhere I’ve gone I’ve immersed myself in the community and culture.
“I guess we’ll be judged by what we do, not what I say now but I assure you I care about the future of Australian rugby.”
So much so, seemingly, the 55-year-old who transformed the Chiefs from under-achieving entertainers into back-to-back Super Rugby champions in 2013 will be licensed to coach the Wallabies to play “the Australian way”.
“It’s a pretty competitive sporting landscape here. I think Australians want to see Australians play attacking rugby or a brand that is attractive,” said RA’s director of rugby Scott Johnson
“But it’s got to be successful. It just can’t be willy nilly. It’s got to have method to it. He brings that too.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/B49p0jnAPfn/
AAP put it to Johnson that Cheika was widely criticised for his dogged determination to also play attacking rugby come what may.
“He’s had success here playing the same game, so it’s a fickle world,” Johnson said of Cheika.
“He won Super Rugby playing a very attractive style of rugby and he deserves a lot of credit for what he’s done in Australian rugby.
“It’s no coincidence that the sides that kick the most seem to have a bit of success. It’s not just kicking, it’s judicious kicking, trying to make the game a little bit unstructured that suits us as well.
“It’s finding the balance between when to kick, how to kick and why to kick and running the ball – that’s the balance.
“Cheik went out in a way, fair credit to him, that was his philosophy. He wanted to play that way and I’m all for any coach that has a philosophy that says this is what I’m going to live or die by.
“It shows great courage to do it.”
A rugby debate always takes an interesting turn when Dan Leo gets involved https://t.co/FZeqWoRVlU
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) November 20, 2019
Rennie, a former school teacher and bar owner, now coaches the Glasgow Warriors in the Pro14.
“With the teams I coach, it’s a high-skill, high-speed type of game hopefully mixed with some rugby smarts and a bit of brutality,” he said.
“There’s a positive mindset to play mixed with a sharp kicking game.”
Rennie had been sounded out to take over from Steve Hansen as All Blacks coach.
“The big thing was I’d been talking to Australia for a lot of months and the interest from the All Blacks came late in the piece,” he said.
“By that stage, we’d done a lot of homework and were really excited about coming to Australia so it ended up an easy decision.”
– AAP
Stormers’ coach John Dobson is pumped for the upcoming season of Super Rugby:
Comments on RugbyPass
Bar 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.
9 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.
35 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
35 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
35 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.
35 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.
35 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.
35 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
1 Go to commentsChances of Blackadder being injured seem too high to give him serious consideration. ABs loosie combination finally looked good with 2 committed to tackling and clearing rucks in the centre and Ardie roaming. Hoskins/Ardie together would force one of them into where they don’t excel and don’t get to use their talent, or require a change in tactics. If we continue to evolve last years systems I would take Papali’i and Finau at 6 and 7 (conceding that Blackadder will be injured) and Ardie at 8.
35 Go to commentsArdie’s preferred position 7? Where do they get these writers from? I've no idea where he's playing in Japan, but the previous two seasons he wore the 7 jersey exactly twice.
18 Go to comments