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'They've turned on him': Former All Black slams RA's decision to axe Rennie
Rugby Australia’s staggering decision to axe coach Dave Rennie eight months out from this year’s World Cup has not gone down well across the ditch.
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Former All Blacks first-five Stephen Donald has slammed the decision, as he spoke about how New Zealand coaches wouldn’t want to “go anywhere near Australia.”
The Wallabies are coming off a disastrous campaign in 2022, which saw them come painfully close to recording their worst season since 1958.
While an incredible comeback win over Wales in Cardiff saw the men in gold avoid that unwanted feat, they only won five of their 14 test matches throughout the year.
The writing was already on the wall for Rennie.
Speculation over Rennie’s future has been rife for quite some time now, but seemed to shift into second gear after a historic loss to Italy.
Then, last month, the Rugby Football Union made the sensational decision to sack World Cup specialist Eddie Jones.
The rumour mill was well and truly in full swing.
According to multiple reports, a potential homecoming for the Australian-born Jones was on the cards – but in what role remained unknown.
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But on Monday morning, Rugby Australia put any rumours to bed, as they confirmed that Jones would replace Rennie as head coach.
World Cup hero Stephen Donald, who won two Super Rugby titles at the Chiefs under Rennie, believes Rugby Australia “turned on” the talented coach.
“What Dave Rennie is, is he’s probably tactically, technically as good as a Wayne Smith, but he’s also got this ability to mould people,” Donald said on SENZ Breakfast.
“He’s your man next door, he’s the guy that you could go and have a beer with. He plays the guitar, he is all encompassing, he is the complete package as a rugby coach for me.
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“He’s without peer in my career as far as where I’d hold him.
“We look back three years, and I thought that was genius. I remember talking to a couple of the Aussie greats at the Japan World Cup when it had all gone t*** up for Aussie again… I said ‘you’ve got to get Rennie, it’s your only hope.’
“They’ve turned on him. You go over the history of Kiwi coaches over there, if you’re a Kiwi coach who has a career in front of him, you wouldn’t go anywhere near Australia.”
Rennie isn’t the first New Zealand-born coach to put pen to paper with traditional rivals Australia, as they look to further their careers.
But unfortunately for Rennie, the 59-year-old also joins a notable list of coaches who have failed to succeed after crossing the Tasman Sea.
“Robbie Deans went there as the most successful Super Rugby coach, highly respected, had already had time in the All Blacks,” he added.
“If it wasn’t for that semi-final against Australia with Mitch then they would have probably been rolled over another campaign, that didn’t happen so Robbie goes and (is) … then takes the Aussie job.
“Robbie… takes the Aussie job and he lasts a few years, and then the political beasts within Australian rugby get rid of him.
“Kiwis are an easy hit there in Australia.
“They go and get Dave Rennie who in my opinion, counts for nothing, but my opinion he’s the best one (coach) I’ve had, and I’ve had some decent ones. He clearly has been done over again politically.
“Eddie Jones, I can see why they’ve gone this (way), I really do, but it just shows if you’re a Kiwi going over there, you are on a hiding to nothing.
“Australian rugby looks like they’re not actually prepared to confront their own issues… like why aren’t you producing a Larkham anymore? Why isn’t there no Stirling Morlocks coming through?
“The All Blacks this year, yep we haven’t had a great year but never once did you think ‘we just don’t have the players anymore.’
“That’s why I’ve got money on them (New Zealand) to win the World Cup, because I was that confident looking at this group. They’re still, in my opinion when they get going, they’ll be as good as anyone in the world.”
Incoming Wallabies coach Eddie Jones returns to Australian-shores with an unparalleled list of achievements to his name.
After guiding the Wallabies to a World Cup final in 2003, Jones won the sports ultimate prize with the champion Springboks four years later.
The 62-year-old also coached England to a World Cup final in Japan four years ago, which included a famous semi-final win over rivals the All Blacks.
And while it may not be his crowning achievement, Jones also led Japan to an incredible win over the Springboks at the 2015 World Cup.
Wherever Jones goes, success seems to follow – and that bodes well for the future of Australian rugby.
Jones has signed a five-year deal with Rugby Australia, which will include the British and Irish Lions tour in a couple of years.
Comments on RugbyPass
After their 5/0 start, I had the Crusaders to finish Top 4 only…they lost the plot in Perth but will reload and back themselves vs 4th placed Rebels…
3 Go to commentsBoth nations missed a great opportunity to book a game that would have had a lot of interest from around the world. I understand these games can’t be organised in 5 minutes but they should have found a way to make it happen. I don’t think Wales are ducking anyone but it’s a bad look haha.
3 Go to commentsIt will be fascinating to see the effect that Jo Yapp has. If they can compete with Canada and give BFs a run for their money that will be progress
1 Go to commentsFollowing his dream and putting in the work. Go well young fella!
3 Go to commentsPerhaps filling Twickenham is one of Mitchell’s KPIs. I doubt whether both September matches will be at Twickenham on consecutive weekends. I would take the BF one to a large provincial stadium so as not to give them the advantage and experience of playing at Twickenham before a large crowd prior to the RWC.
2 Go to commentsvery unfortunate for Kitshoff, but big opportunity potentially for Nché to prove he is genuinely the best loosehead in the world, rather than just a specialist finisher. Presuming that if Kitshoff is out, it will also give Steenekamp a chance to come into the 23? Or are others likely to be ahead of him?
1 Go to commentsA long held question in popular culture asks if art imitates life or does the latter influence the former? Over this 6 nations I can ask the same question of the media influencing the thoughts of its audience or vice versa. Nobody wants to see cricket scores in rugby, as a spectacle it is not sustainable. With so many articles about England’s procession and lack of competition it feeds the epicaricacy of many looking for an opportunity to pounce. England are not the first team to dominate nor does it happen only in rugby, think Federer, Nadal, Red Bull or Mercedes, Manchester Utd, Australia in tests and World Cups. Instead of celebrating the achievements why find reasons to falsify it pointing towards larger playing pool, professional for a longer period or mitigate with the lack of growth in other nations. Can we not enjoy it while it is here and know that it won’t last for ever, others coveting what England have will soon take the crown, ask the aforementioned?
6 Go to commentsShame he won’t turn out for the Netherlands now they’re improving. U20s are Euro champs and in the U20 Trophy this year. The senior sides gets better every year too.
3 Go to commentsWill rugbypass tv be showing these games?
1 Go to commentsWell where do you start, the fact that England have a professional domestic league and Ireland’s is fully amatuer, that they have fully seperated professional squads at Fifteens and Sevens (7’s thinly disguised as GB), and Ireland have fully pro Sevens squad who loan some players back to the Semi-Professional Fifteens squad (moved from amateur for only a year or so) for a few games at 6N & RWC’s. The Women’s games is a shambles, and is at risk of killing itself by pushing for professionalism when the market isn’t really there to support it outside one or two countnries..
6 Go to commentsWayne Smith's input didn't have as much impact on the last final as Davison's red card for Thompson. England were 14 points up and flying when that happened.
6 Go to commentsBilly's been playing consistently well for 2 - 3 seasons now and deserves a look in at the top level. Ioane and ALB are still first choice but there needs to be injury cover and succession. His partnership with Jordie gives him first dibs you'd think. Go the Hurricanes.
3 Go to commentsIt’s not up to Wales to support Georgian Rugby. That’s up to International Rugby and Georgia. I sympathise with Georgia’s decent attempt to create this fixture. But for Wales the proposed match up is just a potential stick to beat them with and a potential big psychological blow that young Welsh team doesn’t need. (I’m Irish BTW.)
3 Go to commentsCale certainly looks great in space, but as you say, he has struggled in contact. At 23 years old, turning 24 this year, he should be close to full physical maturity and yet there exists a considerable gap in the power and physicality required for international rugby. Weight doesn’t automatically equate to power and physicality either. Can he go from a player who’s being physically dominated in Super rugby to physically dominating in international rugby in 1 or 2 years? That’s a big ask but he may end up being a late bloomer.
28 Go to commentsIf rugby wants to remain interesting in the AI era then it will need to work on changing the rules. AI will reduce the tactical advantage of smart game plans, will neutralize primary attacking weapons, and will move rugby from a being a game of inches to a game of millimetres. It will be about sheer athleticism and technique,about avoiding mistakes, and about referees. Many fans will find that boring. The answer is to add creative degrees of freedom to the game. The 50-22 is an example. But we can have fun inventing others, like the right to add more players for X minutes per game, or the equivalent of the 2-point conversion in American football, the ability to call a 12-player scrum, etc. Not saying these are great ideas, but making the point that the more of these alternatives you allow, the less AI will be able to lock down high-probability strategies. This is not because AI does not have the compute power, but because it has more choices and has less data, or less-specific data. That will take time and debate, but big, positive and immediate impact could be in the area of ref/TMO assistance. The technology is easily good enough today to detect forward passes, not-straight lineouts, offside at breakdown/scrum/lineout, obstruction, early/late tackles, and a lot of other things. WR should be ultra aggressive in doing this, as it will really help in an area in which the game is really struggling. In the long run there needs to be substantial creativity applied to the rules. Without that AI (along with all of the pro innovations) will turn rugby into a bash fest.
24 Go to commentsSouth Africa rarely play Ireland and France on these tours. Mostly, England, Scotland and Wales. I wonder why
2 Go to commentsIt was a let’s-see-what-you're-made-of type of a game. The Bulls do look good when the opposition allows them to, but Munster shut them down, and they could not find a way through. Jake should be very worried about their chances in the competition.
2 Go to commentsHats off to Fabian for a very impressive journey to date. Is it as ‘uniquely unlikely’ as Rugby Pass suggests, given Anton Segner’s journey at the Blues?
3 Go to commentsSad that this was not confirmed. When administrators talk about expanding the game they evidently don’t include pathways to the top tier of rugby for teams outside of the old boys club. Rugby deserves better, and certainly Georgia does.
3 Go to commentsLions might take him on if they move on Van Rooyen but I doubt he will want to go back, might consider it a step backwards for himself. Sharks would take him on but if Plumtree goes on to win the challenge cup they will keep him on. Also sharks showing some promising signs recently. Stormers and Bulls are stable and Springboks are already filled up. Quality coach though, interesting to see where he ends up
1 Go to comments