{"id":519091,"date":"2026-03-04T23:34:09","date_gmt":"2026-03-04T23:34:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/519091\/"},"modified":"2026-03-04T23:34:09","modified_gmt":"2026-03-04T23:34:09","slug":"dave-rennie-named-all-blacks-coach-world-media-reacts-to-new-zealands-new-coach-through-to-rugby-world-cup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/519091\/","title":{"rendered":"Dave Rennie named All Blacks coach: World media reacts to New Zealand\u2019s new coach through to Rugby World Cup"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cAfter the way he was treated by our administration in Australia<\/a>, to now find himself with arguably the biggest job in rugby feels like a little bit of karma. We let one of the best coaches in the game go.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot only did we let him go, we pushed him out the door. So seeing him land on his feet like this, I\u2019m genuinely happy for him.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe \u201cwhat could have been\u201d might still come back to bite us, especially with a home World Cup coming in hot. Funny how the universe works sometimes.<\/p>\n

\u201cCongrats to the All Blacks for appointing not just a top coach, but a good man who understands that the game is about people first<\/a>. That will play a huge role in their culture.<\/p>\n

\u201cPS. You\u2019re the enemy now though.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shout out to coach Dave Rennie. After the way he was treated by our administration in Australia, to now find himself with arguably the biggest job in rugby feels like a little bit of karma. We let one of the best coaches in the game go. Not only did we let him go, we pushed him\u2026<\/p>\n

\u2014 Quade Cooper (@QuadeCooper) March 4, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2018A hugely popular figure\u2019<\/p>\n

Iain Payten, Sydney Morning Herald<\/p>\n

\u201cStrong references from former Wallabies stars played a part in New Zealand Rugby\u2019s decision to appoint Dave Rennie as the new All Blacks coach.<\/p>\n

\u201cThree years after he was unceremoniously dumped by Rugby Australia for Eddie Jones on the cusp of the 2023 World Cup, Rennie was revealed by New Zealand Rugby [NZR] on Wednesday as the new head coach of their national side.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe NZR recruitment panel sought references from several experienced former Wallabies who played under Rennie, according to informed sources in New Zealand who were unable to speak on the record due to the confidentiality of the process.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile several ex-All Blacks coaching figures have taken over the Wallabies \u2013Rennie, Robbie Deans and Joe Schmidt \u2013 it is the first time a former Wallabies coach has taken the top job in New Zealand.<\/p>\n

\u201cRennie 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"DaveDave Rennie takes the reins through to the 2027 Rugby World Cup. Photo \/ Dean Purcell<\/p>\n

\u2018Put them in the right direction\u2019<\/p>\n

Victor Matfield, Rugby Rivals Podcast<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s been in the system in New Zealand, now he\u2019s been away for a bit. So he comes in and he\u2019s starting something new. <\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s coming in saying \u2018this is the culture I want\u2019. It\u2019s not coming from the Crusaders or the Highlanders or the Hurricanes. So I think that probably helps a little bit as well. With the talent that the All Blacks have, they just need someone to put them in the right direction.<\/p>\n

\u201dAs a coach, you need guys around you who think about the game the same way you do. People who you trust, people who you\u2019ve worked with and people who will strengthen your weaknesses.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I were a head coach, I\u2019d like to bring in my own guys so I\u2019d be surprised if he keeps all the [current] assistant coaches.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"DaveDave Rennie coached the Wallabies between 2020 – 2022. Photo \/ Photosport<\/p>\n

\u2018Parallels between Rennie and Rassie\u2019<\/p>\n

Jon Cardinelli, Rugby365<\/p>\n

\u201cA few parallels can be drawn between the appointment of Rennie at the All Blacks and that of Rassie Erasmus at the Boks in 2018. Like Erasmus, Rennie has the technical knowledge to improve the team as well as the emotional intelligence to connect with the players. What he doesn\u2019t have, of course, is a lot of time.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s plenty of optimism in New Zealand at present, but Rennie himself summed the situation up when he said, \u2018We\u2019ve got a lot of work to do\u2019. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s possible that the All Blacks will win all three tests against France, Italy and Ireland this July<\/a>, and take some momentum into the series against the Boks. But the demands of that series in South Africa<\/a> will be significant \u2013 and it\u2019s worth noting that the Boks have been building towards those tests for some time.<\/p>\n

\u201cRennie may be the right man for the job, but the New Zealand rugby community holds the All Blacks to the highest standard, and expectations will be sky-high. Winning the series against the Boks<\/a> would serve as a monumental statement, but given all that has transpired in recent months on the field and in the boardroom, an All Blacks revival may take more than a few months.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"NewNew All Blacks coach Dave Rennie. Photo \/ Dean Purcell<\/p>\n

\u2018Composure in high-pressure role\u2019<\/p>\n

Mike Henson, BBC Sport<\/p>\n

\u201cIt came down to two in the end, with David Rennie trumping Jamie Joseph \u2013 the former All Black who coached Japan to a landmark last-eight finish at their home Rugby World Cup in 2019 \u2013 in the final round of interviews.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe headline figures from Rennie\u2019s last stint in test rugby don\u2019t make great reading. He departed Australia in January 2023 with only a 38% win rate. One of the losses on his card was a first-ever defeat by Italy. However, those who were looking in finer detail felt he had been hard done by.<\/p>\n

\u201cNegotiating the Covid period and all the constraints that brought, along with a clutch of injuries in key positions, Rennie still fostered a togetherness among the Wallabies that was evident in three victories over South Africa and a narrow series defeat to England in 2022.<\/p>\n

\u201cCertainly Rennie\u2019s record aged well. Eddie Jones, who replaced him for the 2023 Rugby World Cup<\/a>, 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe will need that composure in a high-pressure job that seemed to ruffle predecessor Scott Robertson. But Rennie is due another crack at the test stage.\u201d<\/p>\n