He’s the “humble tracksuit coach” Rugby Australia is backing to return the Wallabies to their glory days after a turbulent five-year reign under Michael Cheika.
RA chief Raelene Castle is confident Australia fans will embrace dual Super Rugby title-winning mentor Dave Rennie with the New Zealander unveiled as the Wallabies’ second foreign-born coach – after Robbie Deans’ stint from 2008 to 2013.
“This is a massive coup for Australian rugby. Dave Rennie was the clear standout candidate for the job and we’re thrilled to have secured his services,” Castle said after Rennie agreed to a three-and-a-half year deal through till the 2023 World Cup in France.
Rennie will officially take the reins in July next year after completing his commitments with Glasgow Warriors in the Pro14.
“I’ve been coaching professionally for over 20 years and wherever I’ve gone, I’ve immersed myself in the community and culture. I believe I can make a difference here,” Rennie said.
“There are some outstanding young men coming through the schools system.
“I want to create a strong connection with the Super Rugby and national age grade coaches and help them achieve their goals, which will benefit the Wallabies in time.”
With Eddie Jones remaining under a “tight contract” with England, Castle admitted there were no qualified Australian coaches available for the post.
But she was unconcerned about fickle fans not accepting another Kiwi being in charge.
“He has been successful at every job he’s taken on,” Castle said of Rennie.
“He respects hugely the Wallabies culture, the history, and at the end of the day he’s chosen this job.
“He had other options, he had other countries chasing him but he chose this job because he sees the exciting potential in the current Wallaby squad and particularly the exciting potential around the young talent that we’ve got coming through our 18s and 20s programs as well.”
Castle believes Rennie being Polynesian will also benefit the Wallabies, whose 31-man World Cup squad featured 17 players of Pacific Island heritage.
“But more importantly he’s had success about bringing all cultures together in the team to make them successful,” Castle said of the one-time Cook Islands representative.
RA’s director of rugby Scott Johnson and yet-to-be-appointed assistant coaches will guide the Wallabies in consultation with the Rennie until the new coach arrives in Australia shortly before next year’s Rugby Championship.
Johnson can’t speak highly enough of 55-year-old Rennie, who coached the Chiefs to back-to-back Super Rugby crowns in 2012 and 2013 after leading New Zealand to a hat-trick of world junior championships.
“He’s a humble man and he plays an attractive style of rugby, which I think Australians will enjoy,” Johnson said.
“He’s a tracksuit coach who gets out there and encourages skill. He does a lot of work on skill development, plays a very, very attractive way and what you see is what you get.
“That fits our dynamics; how we want to play our rugby, how we identify ourselves.
“He’s a hard-working coach too. He’s first in and last to leave and he’s got great people skills with the players.
“So when you look at that, there’s a lot of good box ticking.”
