World media reacts to appointment of new All Blacks coach Dave Rennie
Dave Rennie.
Photo: AAP / Photosport
Dave Rennie has been tasked with leading the All Blacks through to the 2027 Rugby World Cup.
Rennie was named as the new head coach on Wednesday, replacing Scott Robertson after just two years at the helm.
The former Chiefs and Wallabies coach will take up the role in June, when the Japanese Rugby League One season ends, where he coaches Kobelco Kobe Steelers.
Rennie will then take charge ahead of the July home series against France, Italy and Ireland.
As a former coach of Australia, and with the World Cup also taking place there next year, his appointment as All Blacks coach didn’t go unnoticed across the Tasman.
The Sydney Morning Herald said Rennie was still very popular amongst the Wallabies’ players, with BBC Sport also touching on his popular tenure in Scotland.
Meanwhile, with the All Blacks set to tackle the Springboks in four-test tour in August, South African journalists have drawn parallels between Rennie’s appointment and Rassie Erasmus.
Rugby365: ‘A lot of work to do’
A few parallels can be drawn between the appointment of Rennie at the All Blacks and that of Rassie Erasmus at the Boks in 2018, Jon Cardinelli writes.
“Like Erasmus, Rennie has the technical knowledge to improve the team as well as the emotional intelligence to connect with the players.”
But, Cardinelli says, what Rennie doesn’t have, of course, is a lot of time:
“There’s plenty of optimism in New Zealand at present, but Rennie himself summed the situation up when he said, ‘We’ve got a lot of work to do’.”
BBC Sport: Rennie ‘due another crack’
Certainly, Rennie’s record aged well, Simon Armstrong writes.
“Eddie Jones, who replaced him for the 2023 Rugby World Cup, was divisive off the pitch and then disastrous on it, with the Wallabies losing to Fiji and Wales and failing to get out of their pool for the first time in tournament history.
“Rennie was also highly respected during his three years at Glasgow Warriors, where he took the team to the Pro14 final in 2019, and went about his business in a calm, considered way.
He will need that composure in a high-pressure job that seemed to ruffle predecessor Scott Robertson, Armstrong writes. “But Rennie is due another crack at the Test stage.”
RugbyPass: ‘Smithy’ may be vital oil for the ABs machine
There is no question the newly-crowned All Black coaching king will reverse many of the stylistic and tactical trends of the Robertson era, Nick Bishop writes.
“There will be more kick and turnover returns and more counters from deep with ball in hand. Forwards will be selected for intensity and skills rather than pure mass, and the prophylactic thumb blocking overseas selections may finally be pulled out of the dyke, allowing the water to flow from outside the country and back into New Zealand.
“Brutality in and around the all-important tackle area will also make a welcome comeback, though whether it is accompanied by the requisite discipline may depend on the reassuring, steadying hand of Smith on the tiller. Not the first time in his coaching career, ‘Smithy’ may be the vital oil that allows the wheels of the almighty All Blacks machine to roll again.”
Sydney Morning Herald: ‘A hugely popular figure’
Strong references from former Wallabies stars played a part in New Zealand Rugby’s decision to appoint Dave Rennie as the new All Blacks coach, Iain Payten writes.
“Rennie remains a hugely popular figure among Australian rugby stars. An onlooker said Rennie was surrounded by Wallabies players when he visited the team hotel in Tokyo last year after a Test against Japan.
Planet Rugby: Will ABs follow the SA Rugby playbook?
“The parallels with Erasmus are unavoidable whenever a nation makes a big coaching change so close to a Rugby World Cup. So the question is how much of SA Rugby’s playbook will New Zealand follow?,” Jared Wright writes.
“Erasmus signed an unheard-of eight-year deal in 2018; Rennie’s contract doesn’t compare.
“But will the new NZ Rugby board move with the times and at least give Rennie some leeway in selecting overseas players? It’s an issue that Robertson raised almost immediately when he took over the reins, as he pushed to get his serial winning fly-half Richie Mo’unga in his squad. He was unsuccessful with his pleas.”
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