What Du'Plessis Kirifi made of Dave Rennie's 'no loyalties' comment

Dave Rennie has set the expectations early regarding his selection policy as All Blacks head coach, and it’s a message that’s been well-received by the current crop, according to eight-Test All Black Du’Plessis Kirifi.

A robust selection process ended with Rennie’s appointment last week, and the new coach made a point of highlighting his nine years out of New Zealand and how that period of time, coaching Glasgow Warriors, the Wallabies, and the Kobelco Kobe Steelers, has left him with “no loyalties” to any current All Blacks.

The coach’s first All Blacks squad, sure to be named in late June, will face France, Italy, and Ireland in the inaugural Nations Championship, and will be selected on form. The coach described the clean slate as “really exciting.”

For current All Blacks players, the selection policy may have shifted, but the mindset stays the same, says Kirifi.

“It’s pretty cool to see the excitement and the support behind Rens already,” the Hurricanes flanker told the Aotearoa Rugby Pod, which can be found on RugbyPass TV.

“I think his statement around no loyalties and just picking on form rings true for most of us. I’m not sure if it really mattered who ended up getting the job, from a player’s perspective. Right now, the most important thing for myself is just to play good footy for the Hurricanes, week in, week out, and no matter who ended up with the job for the All Blacks, I don’t think that would have changed.

“I still have to earn the right every week, and it starts off getting my weeks right for the Hurricanes and playing consistent, reliable footy. So the challenge doesn’t really change for myself.

“If you want to be an All Black, you just want to play the best possible rugby all the time.”

A clearer picture of Rennie’s coaching philosophies is being painted with every interview with his former players, all of which are positive, and point to the 62-year-old being a “people-first” coach, as Aotearoa Rugby Pod analyst, former All Black James Parsons, said.

Kirifi couldn’t say with certainty whether it was an accurate assessment, but connected some dots that largely aligned with the sentiment.

“I’ve had very little experience with Rens,” Kirifi explained. “When I was in Waikato, studying and playing in the academy there, I trained a couple of times with the Chiefs in the summer, and he was still the head coach, and that’s what I took from my experiences with him, was that he’s big on culture and the environment, and it’s obviously the people.

“It’s a phrase that rings true in all areas of life, could be corporate school, wherever you take care of the people within your environment, and the people will then take care of your environment in return. And I think that’s definitely true in rugby, like you’re dealing with people’s lives. I mean, it’s the same everywhere, but rugby is a different beast in terms of managing humans and men and, you know, a large group at that.

“So yeah, from what I’ve heard in my limited experience with him, that’s the way that he likes to operate, which I think is a good way to be.”