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Dave Rennie named All Blacks head coach
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Dave Rennie: 'I'm keen to bring some people in'
By Henry Lee reporting from Auckland
New All Blacks head coach Dave Rennie has given his take on the current situation regarding the assistant coaches under the previous regime, who all still have a role with New Zealand Rugby.
Rennie’s contract with New Zealand Rugby will keep him in charge of the All Blacks until the end of the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia, after finishing up with the Kobelco Kobe Steelers in Japan.
The new head coach won’t return to New Zealand in a full-time, in-charge-of-the-All-Blacks capacity until June, with less than a month to go until their first Test of the year against France in Christchurch.
When New Zealand Rugby announced the departure of Robertson, many were shocked about how the assistants under the previous coaching staff, Tamati Ellison, Scott Hansen, and Jason Ryan, kept their role in the team.
But Rennie, who spoke to the media in Auckland after Wednesday’s announcement, was very clear about his intentions going forward in bringing in his staff.
“I’ve got a strength of surrounding myself with quality people that can make a difference, and so I’m keen to bring some people in,” Rennie explained.
“But when a coach leaves, it’s affects a lot of people, and what I want to do is sit down and talk to so many affected people and make some decisions over the next week or two.”
One of Rennie’s most talked about strengths is his ability to create a solid culture within environments, something in which he believes he can do with the right people.
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“Yeah I think that connection is important, people you trust and people we know who can do the job, and I mean, in the end, I’m accountable for whether we succeed or not.
“So like I say, I’ve been history surrounding myself with quality people who can make a difference. And so i’m keen to do that.”
The former Wallabies, Glasgow, and Chiefs head coach understands that it’s not ideal that he won’t be in the country full time until towards the end of Super Rugby Pacific, but he said it’s not the first time he’s been in this type of situation.
“There’s a lot of work to be done, obviously, I’m based in Japan. I’ve signed contracts a long way out, and I know that we can maximize the next few months by getting people oversee me and me visiting here in bye weeks and so on, so I’m confident that we can hit the ground running come July.”
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