Eddie Jones: Dave Rennie won’t face problem that drowned Scott Robertson

Eddie Jones has come out in support of Dave Rennie’s All Blacks appointment, highlighting some big advantages he sees Rennie having over his predecessor, Scott Robertson.

Rennie was fired from the role of Wallabies head coach in 2023 when Rugby Australia pounced on Eddie Jones after his England dismissal, but the Kiwi coach left a strong impression on the team, according to Jones.

Rennie remains a “highly respected” figure across Australian rugby and beyond, says Jones, with his professional coaching journey to date including three Junior World Championship titles and back-to-back Super Rugby crowns.

“I think the great thing about Dave is that he’s a very experienced coach,” Jones told D’Arcy Waldegrave on Newstalk ZB. “And if you look at his track record at the Chiefs, tick, Glasgow, tick, Kobe in Japan, tick. The only muddling performance was Australia, and if you look at Australia over the last twenty years, it doesn’t matter who’s been in the chair; nearly everyone’s had the same issue.

“So he’s got a great track record. An experienced coach who obviously understands New Zealand rugby… I think if anyone can do it, he can do it.”

After Robertson’s departure in mid-January, New Zealand Rugby announced a new process and criteria for appointing an All Blacks coach. The union demanded the one thing Robertson didn’t have, international experience, as part of a more thorough vetting process.

But that’s not the only advantage Rennie has over the ex-Crusaders boss, in Jones’ eyes.

“I think he’ll come in with a clean slate, and I think the players will feel that,” The Brave Blossoms coach explained.

“I think, having had the same experience as Scott Robertson, when you’ve been at Super Rugby, and you’ve won, your players come with you that you’ve won with, and they expect you to be the same coach. But it’s impossible to be the same coach at the Crusaders or the Brumbies as you are at New Zealand or Australia. And so when he changes, you lose those players a little bit.

“Whereas Dave’s been out of the scene, he will come in, and everyone will think they’ve got a chance. Everyone will think he’s neutral. It’ll just be an easier start for him.”

The All Blacks have never been in this position, changing head coaches mid-World Cup cycle due to unconvincing form. But Jones, in replacing Rennie seven months out from the 2023 Rugby World Cup, knows what it’s like to be thrown in the deep end.

Jones’ appointment came with a late overhaul of talent, which ultimately played out poorly as Australia missed the knockout stages with two losses in pool play. But for the 2026 All Blacks, Jones doesn’t foresee any great need for dramatic change, as Robertson has introduced some strong next-generation talent into the national set-up. Back-to-back World Rugby Breakthrough Player of the Year awards went to the All Blacks under Robertson.

Jones’ Japan and Rennie’s New Zealand won’t square off in 2026, but the former England boss sees his Kiwi counterpart’s appointment as a return to the All Blacks’ worldly IP of old.

“If you look at the history of the New Zealand cases over the last period, Graham Henry and Steve Hansen both had stints in Wales, and I think they benefited from that Northern Hemisphere experience, and Dave’s the same.

“He’ll come in, he knows the game up there. It’s easier for him to understand the trends in the game, and I think that will really help him.”