Sonny Bill Williams expects the All Blacks to thrive under new head coach Dave Rennie, as the Rugby World Cup winner hinted that he was involved in NZ Rugby’s process.
The new boss will lead New Zealand into the 2027 global tournament in Australia after taking over from the sacked Scott Robertson.
Williams worked with Rennie at the Chiefs, playing a key role in the Super Rugby successes in 2012 and 2013, and stated NZR “would have done their due diligence” by asking “former players like myself” about the 62-year-old.
According to the Daily Telegraph in Australia, these interviews were “strictly confidential” and the former players were “not allowed to confirm their participation in the process”.
Sacked by Rugby Australia
Despite his struggles with the Wallabies, which ended with a 38 per cent win rate, that did not count against him.
Rugby Australia pulled the trigger early on his tenure, getting Eddie Jones in prior to the 2023 World Cup, but many believe that the governing body made a grave error in letting Rennie go.
That includes Williams, who is confident that his former boss will do great things with the All Blacks going forward.
“I honestly think that the Wallabies let him go too early, but I’m quite happy because it’s good for us and it’s going to come back to bite them, hopefully next year in the World Cup in Australia,” he said in a video on his Instagram page.
“I know that the All Blacks management, NZR, would have done their due diligence, asking many players, former players like myself, what Dave was about.
“I’ll be really interested to see who is in Dave’s coaching team, because I think that’s almost just as important as him being the head coach. But the one thing I do love about this guy is that he would tell you straight up what the game plan is, how they’re playing.
“He’ll also know what type of athlete, player, that he needs and he wants, and he’s demanding in that aspect. But he’ll also push the culture. As I always say, you’ve got to connect to correct, and I think that’s one of Dave’s big strengths.”
From last to first
Rennie has experience of turning things around quickly and that’s exactly what he did at the Chiefs, taking them from the bottom of the table to a Super Rugby title in the space of 12 months.
Williams credits much of that to the new All Blacks head coach, as he gave a real insight into the man who will now be leading the national team.
“I think over 50% of players that went into that squad were new. I remember meeting Dave for the first time. Obviously, we had spoken a fair bit before I had signed, but I felt like he knew who I was,” the cross-code legend said.
“I remember going into the first meeting, we spoke extensively. He didn’t hold back on the situation that we’re in. The Chiefs had come last the year before, so he spelt that out plainly.
“But then, he set the tone for the expectations that he had in order for you to wear that Chiefs jersey. That’s where I believe a lot of the Chiefs mana within our squad came from.
“We based our culture that year on Jeff Da Māori. So, you know, we all bought into something. We learned the new haka. From a cultural point of view, we were thriving. Then we went on, at the end of that year, led by Liam Messam, to get the first one in Chiefs history.”
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