Dave Rennie’s challenging tenure with the Wallabies could ultimately be a boon for the All Blacks. This is the view of former All Blacks coach Sir Steve Hansen, who believes that Rennie’s past experiences and difficulties will significantly benefit the New Zealand team.
Rennie enjoyed considerable success during his time with the Chiefs, securing back-to-back Super Rugby titles before transitioning to the Glasgow Warriors in 2016. He took over from Gregor Townsend, who is now the head coach of Scotland, and helped the Warriors reach the PRO12 semi-finals in his first season and the final in 2019. Although he didn’t win a title with the club, his contributions set the stage for future success under Franco Smith, who succeeded Rennie when the latter was appointed as the Wallabies’ head coach.
Rennie’s time in Australia was marked by significant challenges. He was dismissed following a historic loss to Italy and was replaced by Eddie Jones just before the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
Rennie’s Experience Benefits the All Blacks
Hansen believes that the struggles Rennie faced with the Wallabies will fuel his determination to succeed with the All Blacks. “It’s advantageous for everyone, like the bigger your pool of experience, the greater the opportunity to learn,” he said on the DSPN podcast.
“He’s no dummy; he would have learned from things that have happened to him along the way in his coaching career, and some of those things have happened overseas. He went through a tough time with the Wallabies; he’ll learn from that. That’ll make him hungry for wanting to be successful. He’s a passionate New Zealander, so he’ll want the All Blacks to be good.”
A Positive Outlook from Hansen
The 2015 World Cup-winning coach has a positive outlook on Rennie’s appointment as the new All Blacks head coach. “When he talks, it makes sense. I can understand what he’s trying to say and where he’s driving it. So if I can, then that probably means every other New Zealander can, and that’s important. You need to be able to use the experiences, the good and the bad and the ugly, to shape you to become better,” Hansen added.
The Pressure of the All Black Environment
Hansen also highlighted the unique pressure that comes with coaching the All Blacks. “When you’re in the All Black environment, you want to be better all the time. The All Black environment is different from anything you’ve ever done before, but the wider your experience is beforehand, the easier it is for you to deal with the environment. It can be really, really overwhelming because the expectations are massive, it’s constant, and they are there every day.”
He continued, “It’s just unbelievable pressure, but experience is important going into that, and obviously, the bigger pool of things you have to face makes it easier, and he’s a well-experienced coach.”
Future Prospects
With Rennie at the helm, there is a sense of optimism within the rugby community. His background, combined with the lessons learned from his time in Australia, positions him well to lead the All Blacks into the future. As the team prepares for upcoming matches, fans and analysts alike are eager to see how Rennie will shape the direction of the national side.
