Wallabies boss Dave Rennie open to picking players based in New Zealand and Japan
Disappointed by the nature of Izack Rodda’s Australian rugby exit, incoming Wallabies coach Dave Rennie plans to stop the player drain, show some love and tinker with the Giteau Law to best harness the talent at his disposal.
Former Glasgow and Chiefs coach Rennie is quarantining in his native New Zealand and isn’t likely to arrive in Australia until after Super Rugby AU’s July 3 restart.
Rugby’s shutdown has given him ample thinking time and he described the Giteau Law as “under discussion”.
The law allows those playing overseas with 60 or more test caps and seven years of service to Australian rugby to play for the Wallabies, a loosening of the policy that allowed Matt Giteau to play in the 2015 World Cup.
Rennie is advocating for a fresh tweak – rather than a complete tear down that he believes would damage the domestic product by enabling the country’s best players to “chase the big money knowing they can still play for their country”.
Instead, Rennie entertained the prospect of including Japanese teams alongside Australian and New Zealand outfits in a revamped Super Rugby competition next year, from which any Australian could play and still be picked for the Wallabies.
That could allow the likes of rampaging centre Samu Kerevi, who left the Queensland Reds for Japan’s Suntory last year, to return to the national fold.
“We’ve certainly got players playing in that (Japanese Top League) competition and whether that would make them eligible for selections (is worth considering) because you can compare apples with apples,” Rennie said.
“If we had a Wallaby playing for the Blues, for example, we get to see him playing against the best Aussies.
“From a selection point of view that makes sense … I’m not a big fan of trying to pluck guys out of France.”
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Rennie was saddened by the recent messy exit of Wallabies lock Rodda, who along with Queensland Reds teammates Harry Hockings and Isaac Lucas refused RA’s pay cut deal and had their contracts terminated.
Rodda last week signed a one-year deal to play in France and joined a mounting list of talent ineligible to play Tests.
But Rennie has remained close to the 23-year-old, stressing communication was key to coaxing him and others back in the future.
“The full picture probably hasn’t been painted … he’s gone and whole situation was really messy and I think could’ve been handled a lot better,” he said.
“There’s so many good Australian players playing overseas, young men in their prime but not in our country.
“We’ve made a lot of phone calls … shown a bit of love and can hopefully lure them back over time.”
Rennie, who hopes to meet former national coach Michael Cheika, wants that communication to extend to the boardroom after witnessing chief executive Raelene Castle’s demise during the rugby’s COVID-19 enforced hiatus.
“My assumption is that (negative) comments made in media … hopefully it’s because those people care,” he said.
“So (we need) more conversations face to face, less individuals leaking stuff to media … if we work harder together, pull in the same direction, it’ll improve the brand and continue to develop the game.”
Comments on RugbyPass
One that will start to come up from now on is penalties for back pushes during kick chase scrambles. Very difficult to detect. In Croke Park if you replay the Hendy NH try, you will see Furbank push Porter in the back, who collides with Larmour knocking the ball across into Hendy’s path to dot down. A more significant example was in the RWC QTR final where Arendse pushes Fickou into two other French players for the ball to spill into Arendse’s path for him to gather and run in to score SAs first try. Not cheating if you are not caught and very difficult to spot but with kicking becoming so critical I feel its an area that will referreeed/TMO-ed more.
3 Go to commentsWhat a pathetic little twit Andy Goode is, as if we care what he thinks…..😂
114 Go to commentsFoxy has been a wonderful player for the Scarlets and Wales.
1 Go to commentsNika the Georgian is the best referee in the world at the moment. Luckily we will be spared the shite SH refs and Barnes will hopefully remain retired given how shite and embarrassing he was at the RWC.
3 Go to commentsThis is the most exciting game of the summer imo, as we really won’t know in advance how both teams are going to play. - Will Robertson just reproduce his Crusaders tactics from last year, or will there be a conscious effort to borrow from the Hurricanes and Blues, and from the aspects of the ABs world cup strategy that worked well? - England under Borthwick have put in some good performances playing attacking rugby, and some good performances playing kick-oriented defensive rugby. Will Borthwick try to merge them together into a single all-court game, or will he continue switching between different approaches depending on the strengths and weaknesses of the opposition?
1 Go to commentsI’m predicting an aggregate points difference of no more than +/-10pts across both matches this series.
1 Go to commentsI’m predicting an aggregate points difference of no more than +/-10pts across both matches this series.
9 Go to commentsFinals are always tense affairs for the players so I do not expect this to be a spectacle of running rugby unfortunately.
3 Go to commentsBulls***': Ex-England international calls out Eben Etzebeth… Not to his face but from very far away… after he’d left. Checked to make sure he wasn’t in the building.
114 Go to commentsHopefully this will mean a new Auckland league team to support in the west. Big Warriors fan but it’s very, very stale on that front and I’d like the option of another team if it was to watch league again. League needs to step up BIG time if its to get anywhere, another AK team and something from the capitol or south is a must for the game.
3 Go to commentsGood, deep interview, nice job Frankie!
1 Go to commentsNRL players don’t have anywhere near the number of Tests. Some people would be happy having Rest Homes full if 40 yo ex-players walking, or hobbling more like it, into walls. It’s just a game!
4 Go to commentsNOW Razor is worried about ABs getting injured or overplayed! Didn’t bother him last year. He happily played his AB Crusaders.
4 Go to commentsWhat is the World Rugby U20 players born year.
2 Go to commentsMuch like the Chiefs finally gave up waiting for Atu Moli to ever not be injured, you have to wonder if the Chiefs and Crusaders will let Josh Lord and Ethan Blackadder go next season. They’re being well paid to sit in the injury ward every year. Better off putting those funds towards someone who might actually play.
7 Go to commentsShowed better basic skills than some nz Super sides, who probably would have botched some of those backline moves. This tournament really is too short though. Needs more teams, or have them play two rounds to properly prepare them for the near full-time NH U20 sides.
4 Go to commentsGood grief it’s only six months. Probably just upset it’s not an established kiwi entering their prime they can “project” into green to join the rest.
3 Go to commentsGood player but far from being best in the world. That's an exaggeration. Perhaps Best in world by Northern Hemisphere standards and biasis but certainly not Southern Hemi standards
3 Go to commentsWell one thing about World Cup knock out rounds and Ireland is very clear: they won’t be getting ahead of themselves in ‘27! Because making it beyond the QF is well and truly ‘IN THEIR HEADS’ now…😉
114 Go to commentsHas this guy been dope tested? Sounds like a case of “roid rage”.
1 Go to comments