March 4, 2026 • 18 mins
Dave Rennie is the new coach of the All Blacks.
The former Chiefs and Wallabies mentor will succeed Scott Razor Robertson, and take charge through until the end of the 2027 World Cup.
But, does he have what it takes to bring about a much-needed reset for our national side?
Today on The Front Page, NZ Herald senior sports journalist and rugby correspondent, Liam Napier is with us to unpack the past, present and future of the ‘man with mana’, Dave Rennie.
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You can read more about this and other stories in the New Zealand Herald, online at nzherald.co.nz, or tune in to news bulletins across the NZME network.
Host: Chelsea Daniels
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Producer: Jane Yee
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
Kilda.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
I'm Chelsea Daniels and this is the Front Page, a
daily podcast presented by the New Zealand Herald. Dave Rennie
is the new coach of the All Blacks. The former
Chiefs and Wallaby's mentor, will succeed Scott Raiser Robertson and
take charge through the end of the twenty twenty seven
(00:27):
World Cup. But does he have what it takes to
bring about a much needed reset for our national side.
Today on the Front Page ends At Herald's senior sports
journalist and rugby correspondent, Liam Napier is with us to
unpack the past, present and future of the Man with
mana Dave Rennie. First off, Liam, let's start with an
(00:50):
easy one. Who is Dave Rennie.
Speaker 3 (00:53):
Dave's lived a bit of a life.
Speaker 4 (00:55):
He was a former teacher back in upper Heart days
and he was also a publican. So it's pretty rare
in the modern sporting age and the rugby sense to
have a coach that's from the amateur era who's lived
a life outside of rugby. These days, a lot of
rugby coaches are former players and make that transition fairly quickly,
(01:16):
but they've came through the amateur era through club rugby,
coached as sons and then progressed through into the semi
professional and professional ranks from there. And Yeah also owned
a pub, so dealing with people from all sorts of
walks of life certainly helped him in his coaching career.
Speaker 2 (01:34):
Who else was in the running.
Speaker 4 (01:36):
Jamie Joseph, so it was pretty much a head to
head shootout between Jamie Joseph and Dave Rennie. Others who
might have been in the mix, like Joe Schmidts and Verncotta,
weren't involved. So it's not uncommon in recent times for
it to be pretty much a head to head shooter
and in this case that's what transpired.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
And so what actually led to Rennie's appointment. They went
over to Japan to see how he was tracking over
their a.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
It was a pretty thorough process.
Speaker 4 (02:04):
So two members of the five person New Zealand Rugby
appointment Panel, Interim Chief Executive Steve Lancaster and form Are
Blacks hooker Dane Coles, traveled to Japan to visit Dave
Rennie at his club. Kobe talked to players see what
his coaching environment the rugby team was like, and they
also went down to Dunedin and did the same thing
(02:26):
with Jamie Joseph at the Hondas, so observing them in
their coaching meetings and their environments to get a feel
for what those environments are like, because that was a
particular breakdown of the last All Black team. The culture
and the relationships and the environment was not working. So
(02:46):
they're pretty keen to get that right this time. And
then Dave Rennie traveled from Japan to New Zealand's and
went through a rigorous three and a half hour interview
with the five person panel and Jamie Joseph did the
same as well, and that all happened last Tuesday, and
then they came to a pretty swift resolution which was
(03:08):
anointing Dave Rennian that was unanimously approved by the New
Zealand Rugby Board.
Speaker 2 (03:12):
Do you reckon that culture shift and the promise of
one is something that really got him across the line
because he does seem quite aligned to the factor and
aware of the fact that there does need to be
a bit of a shift in the All.
Speaker 4 (03:24):
Blacks culture is an interesting word in a sporting sense.
Speaker 3 (03:28):
It's not tangible.
Speaker 4 (03:30):
Nobody could necessarily describe exactly what that means, But I guess,
like in any workplace, it's putting people first and valuing people,
createing an environment where you get the best out of people.
Sometimes that's the stick and sometimes that's the carrot. But
it's how you don't shy away from hard conversations, how
(03:54):
you cultivate purpose and meaning, particularly within a rugby sense,
how you get everyone on the same page from a
strategy point of view, the leadership of the team, the
people that you surround yourself with. And Dave Reenie's got
a real track record. He's got thirty years of coaching experience,
he's spent nine years abroad recently, and wherever he's gone
(04:19):
the feedback from players in particular.
Speaker 3 (04:22):
Is overwhelmingly positive.
Speaker 4 (04:23):
So I think that was a big tick as well
as his heritage as well. He's the first New Zealand
coach of Pacifica heritage, and the makeup of the All
Blacks and rugby in general is increasingly filled with Maldi
and Pacifica players, so having a deep inherent understanding of
(04:46):
how to bring cultures together and how to build a
rugby team was certainly an advantage in Dave Rennie's favor.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
Well, he's kind of been dubbed the man with mana hey,
so that does actually make a lot of sense. Who
are tips to his assistants, who are the most likely
to get on board.
Speaker 4 (05:03):
We did coin the phrase Chiefs Maunner from his time
at the Chiefs when he delivered two titles there, so
that's where that stems from. In terms of his assistance,
I think there's going to be some pretty big changes
to Scott Robertson's assistance in the coming weeks. That's still
to play out, but Tarlan Nucky Head coached Neil Barnes
(05:24):
is likely to be one of Rennie's leading assistants. He's
vastly experienced. He spent time with Dave Rennie at the Chiefs.
He's a real no nonsense s guy. He knows the
line out very well, so he's in line. And then
you've got others like Scott former Scotland half back Mike
Blair who's currently coaching with Rennie in Japan at the moment.
(05:46):
Andrew Strawbridge is a skills coach who spent time with
Rennie at the Chiefs and also in England. He's been discussed.
Phil Heay is likely to replace Nick Gill as his
strength and conditioning coach. Jason and Ryan's probably gonna be retained.
He's the current full coach, whether it's in that capacity
(06:08):
or with more of a focus on the scrum. But
some of the other assistants, Scott Hansen, tomoth Ellison and
Brent Evans, I think they faced pretty nervous weights because
Rennie's pretty keen to surround himself with people that he
knows and trusts. But new Zell and Rugby will also
have a say in their assistance. They've already paid Scott
Robertson out a pretty hefty fee, and some of those assistants,
(06:30):
like Jason Ryan and Scott Hansen, are on four year contracts,
so if they are to be moved on one or.
Speaker 3 (06:39):
More, it could cost the national body more revenue.
Speaker 2 (06:43):
How important is the entire team around him because a
lot of it is put on the shoulders of whoever's
coaching the All Blacks and they make the headlines. But
I suppose it does really matter who he has around
him and what kind of experience they have. When I
saw the name Barnes, I thought maybe maybe he's the
stick and ready might be the carrot. It's a good pairing.
Speaker 4 (07:05):
I think there's probably a bit of truth to that.
Neil Barnes doesn't suffer fools. You'll you between the eyes
and tell you exactly what he thinks. And sometimes you
need those people in any environments, particularly one in a
combative sports such as rugby. But the team is very
important because in a rugby sense, increasingly the head coach
(07:27):
is a bit like a helicopter sits over the top
and the assistants actually do a lot of the on
ground coaching. They deliver a lot of the messaging. They
they are observing, they're on the grass and they are
dealing with the players on a day to day basis,
so and they need to be both technically, technically technically
(07:50):
and have strong communication skills. So it's very important who
you surround yourself with, and I think that was probably
one issue would've got Robinson's coaching team, their lack of
international experience and their ability to deliver messages and feedback
(08:10):
to the head coach as well. So it's going to
be very interesting to see that the team that here
points and that hair symbols because it does have a
massive bearing on the success of anything.
Speaker 3 (08:27):
Twenty twenty six. It's cheaping. It's a big year. When
you look ahead at the schedule, what excites you most
about it?
Speaker 1 (08:35):
I mean, you've got to look at the first test,
you know, you can't look too far beyond that. So
it's held of a lot of work to be done,
some of it remotely over the next few months and
make sure we hit the ground running against France. But
tour to South Africa is exciting and well aware how
tough it'll be, but you know we've got to captured
(08:56):
audience for six weeks forty odd players as as a
real chance to drive our culture and detailed within our
game model, so you know, look forward to that.
Speaker 2 (09:11):
Now. I was reading up on a lot of your coverage, Lamb,
and I noticed that you actually had picked Dave Rennie
as the front man. What was the end of January?
Did you know something that we didn't or are you
just really good at your job?
Speaker 4 (09:30):
It was more of an opinion. I didn't know at
that point that he would definitely get the job. I'd
just I guess, assist the two candidates and had a
bit of background information about how they've gone and the
expertise and the experience, and felt that Dave Rennie was
certainly the standout candidate, so look New Zealand Rugby did
(09:53):
thorough research and came to their own conclusions. We don't
always agree, but on this occasion we did come up
with the same choice.
Speaker 2 (10:04):
So when his first game comes around as coach, you're
getting ready, you're watching it live. What's one of the
first things you are going to be looking out for
as a spectator.
Speaker 4 (10:15):
I don't know if you'll see definitive change from the off,
but it was interesting in Dave Rennie's first press corrence
he came out and said that all players will have
to earn their place from a selection point of view,
and that he has no loyalty. So we could actually
see quite significant change to that squad, and then you
would see a change in personnel and style. But I
(10:39):
think from the last regime we were quite uncertain about
how the All Blacks wanted to play.
Speaker 3 (10:44):
That wasn't evident.
Speaker 4 (10:45):
So I think Dave Rennie will have a clear identity
and style and the way he wants to play. So
I think traditionally and looking back through teams that Rennie
has coached, that involves a real sharp focus on the
breakdown and the carry and collisions and then he's not
afraid to attack, to run the ball from deep, to
(11:09):
have a go where rugby, particularly in the international scene
and recent times, has been dominated a lot by kicking,
so he could bring a real different flavor to that approach.
Speaker 2 (11:21):
And in that presser as well, what do you make
of the fact that he chucked a Retallic's name out there.
Speaker 3 (11:25):
Yeah, that was a bit of a curve ball.
Speaker 4 (11:27):
It's interesting because the New Zella Rugby chairman was standing
right there and I'm not sure he expected those comments either.
It was a topic selecting from offshore. All Blacks currently
have to be based in New Zealand to be selected
for the All Blacks. It's been a hot topic, something
that hasn't gone away. But Scott Robinson was certainly told
(11:47):
that he couldn't select the likes.
Speaker 3 (11:49):
Of Richie m Wonga from offshore.
Speaker 4 (11:50):
And then in his first press currents David and he says, Wow,
I'd love to select Brody Rattallik. I don't think that's
a fight he's going to win, but who knows, maybe
he can get him back home. He's currently coaching Brody
in Kobe and Retallic's a top triscore in Japanese rugby.
Speaker 3 (12:09):
He's still.
Speaker 4 (12:12):
Looks as good as he ever did, so I think
he would certainly do a job for the All Blacks,
But Renny might need to convince them to come home
for one year.
Speaker 3 (12:20):
And have a crack at the World Cup to get
that over the line.
Speaker 2 (12:22):
Yeah, and it'll be pretty hard convincing as well. I
heard some comments from him in regards to how the
schedule is just so much kinder on his body over
in Japan. Well, like they've got four weeks on or something,
a couple of weeks off or something like that, and
he is getting on as well. So it does all
depend how much he does want to contribute to another
World carfe.
Speaker 4 (12:41):
Yeah, I think the Japanese. You're right, the Japanese competition
certainly prolongs careers. It's not quite as physical and combative.
It has changed in recent years with a lot of
South Africans and Kiwis and Aussies and UK players going there,
but it's widely accept that it's not as physical as
other competitions, which does allow aging athletes to prolong their
(13:04):
careers to earn good money, and so that's why it's
very attractive.
Speaker 3 (13:08):
But Rettelic still looks in great shape.
Speaker 4 (13:11):
He's still striding out, still a big human, So I
think if Rennie can have his way, maybe he can
bring him home.
Speaker 3 (13:19):
So there's about.
Speaker 2 (13:20):
Fifteen months ish to the World Cap. How confident are
you that the All Blacks will be able will be
up to scratch by then? I suppose it's.
Speaker 3 (13:29):
A great unknown.
Speaker 4 (13:30):
And even if they are up to scratch on a
collision course with back to back world champions, the spring
box in a quarter final showdown highly likely, So it's
not going to be easy even the lead into Dave.
Rennie's first game is only four months away, and in
that time he's still going to be coaching another team,
(13:52):
so there's a lot on his plates. Look, I think
he will bring that team together. I think he will
improve them, but it's a big ars to go win
a regular World Cup. I think Australian conditions could suit
the All Blacks.
Speaker 3 (14:04):
They'll know them well.
Speaker 4 (14:06):
They've Reny coached in Australia, so it would be quite
a furious tale story for him to go back over
to a country where he was sacked as well of
his coach and deliver success with the All Blacks. But
in sports fairy tales don't always come to either, so
it's a tough ask. But he's taken the ball by
(14:28):
the horns and he set he's up for the challenge
and I'm sure he'll make a good fist of it.
Speaker 2 (14:33):
There is an insurmountable amount of pressure on him, but
do you reckon the New Zealand public will be forgiving
if he doesn't say come back with a cup.
Speaker 4 (14:44):
I think the New Zealand sporting public have matured over time,
but those expectations, the scrutiny is certainly still there. You know,
if you think about the world in which we live
of social media, a one can say anything at any time.
And the All Blacks are pride themselves on being a
(15:06):
world class, elite team both on the field and also
from a commercial perspective. They sell themselves as being one
of the world's leading sports brands and you can't do
that if you're not winning on the field.
Speaker 3 (15:18):
So it's not just external pressure from the public.
Speaker 4 (15:21):
It's both internal from New Zealand Rugby and the need
to drive huge revenue. So the All Blacks are the
apex of that and that's where a lot of that
pressure comes from. So Dave Rennie has spent the bulk
of his life in New Zealand. He's well aware of
those expectations. He arrives with eyes wide open and he
(15:44):
will certainly have a goal of going to Australia and
winning that World Cup, but it's.
Speaker 3 (15:49):
Not going to be easy.
Speaker 2 (15:50):
Yeah, and he definitely understands the concept of the All
Blacks being an integral part of New Zealand's entire identity.
It was something that I realized very quick when I
moved to this country that you do not say anything
bad about the All Blacks. They are your team and
they are treated as well as gods. Do you think
(16:11):
that that slipped in recent years with their performance on
the world stage. Do we need to get back to
having them ingrained in our culture more?
Speaker 3 (16:19):
I think New Zealand culture has evolved.
Speaker 4 (16:21):
It's you know, there's so much choice in society, whether
it be sporting or socially, so rugby's probably not quite
as popular or at the forefront of people's minds as
it used to be. But I think when there's a
major event on be at a Rugby World Cup or
a change of All Black coach, it shoots to the
(16:42):
front of every news website or whatever it may be.
And it's often said that the All Blacks coach has
as much scrutiny or pretty close to the you know,
being the Prime Minister, and I think that's true. So
Dave's come through the ranks coach in Wellington, one or
two the chiefs, he coached the New Zealan under twenties.
(17:06):
He's well aware of all those things. So he's arriving knowing.
Speaker 3 (17:09):
What to expect.
Speaker 4 (17:11):
But there's probably a different complexion to living that day
to day and I think starting well will help you
if you if he gets in a bit of a rut,
if you start to lose, things can start to spiral weebits.
But I think he's someone that's also pretty sure of himself.
(17:32):
He's had many different experiences, so he's got a good
backbone and I think you'll handle all that role.
Speaker 3 (17:37):
Thanks for joining us, Liam, no worries anytime.
Speaker 2 (17:43):
That's it for this episode of the Front Page. You
can read more about today's stories and extensive news coverage
at Enzidhrald dot co dot nz. The Front Page is
hosted and produced by me Chelsea Daniels Caine. Dicky is
our studio operator, Richard Martin our producer and editor, and
our executive producer is Jane Yee. Follow the front page
(18:05):
on the iHeart app or wherever you get your podcasts,
and join us next time for another look beyond the headlines.
Kilda.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
I'm Chelsea Daniels and this is the Front Page, a
daily podcast presented by the New Zealand Herald. Dave Rennie
is the new coach of the All Blacks. The former
Chiefs and Wallaby's mentor, will succeed Scott Raiser Robertson and
take charge through the end of the twenty twenty seven
(00:27):
World Cup. But does he have what it takes to
bring about a much needed reset for our national side.
Today on the Front Page ends At Herald's senior sports
journalist and rugby correspondent, Liam Napier is with us to
unpack the past, present and future of the Man with
mana Dave Rennie. First off, Liam, let's start with an
(00:50):
easy one. Who is Dave Rennie.
Speaker 3 (00:53):
Dave's lived a bit of a life.
Speaker 4 (00:55):
He was a former teacher back in upper Heart days
and he was also a publican. So it's pretty rare
in the modern sporting age and the rugby sense to
have a coach that's from the amateur era who's lived
a life outside of rugby. These days, a lot of
rugby coaches are former players and make that transition fairly quickly,
(01:16):
but they've came through the amateur era through club rugby,
coached as sons and then progressed through into the semi
professional and professional ranks from there. And Yeah also owned
a pub, so dealing with people from all sorts of
walks of life certainly helped him in his coaching career.
Speaker 2 (01:34):
Who else was in the running.
Speaker 4 (01:36):
Jamie Joseph, so it was pretty much a head to
head shootout between Jamie Joseph and Dave Rennie. Others who
might have been in the mix, like Joe Schmidts and Verncotta,
weren't involved. So it's not uncommon in recent times for
it to be pretty much a head to head shooter
and in this case that's what transpired.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
And so what actually led to Rennie's appointment. They went
over to Japan to see how he was tracking over
their a.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
It was a pretty thorough process.
Speaker 4 (02:04):
So two members of the five person New Zealand Rugby
appointment Panel, Interim Chief Executive Steve Lancaster and form Are
Blacks hooker Dane Coles, traveled to Japan to visit Dave
Rennie at his club. Kobe talked to players see what
his coaching environment the rugby team was like, and they
also went down to Dunedin and did the same thing
(02:26):
with Jamie Joseph at the Hondas, so observing them in
their coaching meetings and their environments to get a feel
for what those environments are like, because that was a
particular breakdown of the last All Black team. The culture
and the relationships and the environment was not working. So
(02:46):
they're pretty keen to get that right this time. And
then Dave Rennie traveled from Japan to New Zealand's and
went through a rigorous three and a half hour interview
with the five person panel and Jamie Joseph did the
same as well, and that all happened last Tuesday, and
then they came to a pretty swift resolution which was
(03:08):
anointing Dave Rennian that was unanimously approved by the New
Zealand Rugby Board.
Speaker 2 (03:12):
Do you reckon that culture shift and the promise of
one is something that really got him across the line
because he does seem quite aligned to the factor and
aware of the fact that there does need to be
a bit of a shift in the All.
Speaker 4 (03:24):
Blacks culture is an interesting word in a sporting sense.
Speaker 3 (03:28):
It's not tangible.
Speaker 4 (03:30):
Nobody could necessarily describe exactly what that means, But I guess,
like in any workplace, it's putting people first and valuing people,
createing an environment where you get the best out of people.
Sometimes that's the stick and sometimes that's the carrot. But
it's how you don't shy away from hard conversations, how
(03:54):
you cultivate purpose and meaning, particularly within a rugby sense,
how you get everyone on the same page from a
strategy point of view, the leadership of the team, the
people that you surround yourself with. And Dave Reenie's got
a real track record. He's got thirty years of coaching experience,
he's spent nine years abroad recently, and wherever he's gone
(04:19):
the feedback from players in particular.
Speaker 3 (04:22):
Is overwhelmingly positive.
Speaker 4 (04:23):
So I think that was a big tick as well
as his heritage as well. He's the first New Zealand
coach of Pacifica heritage, and the makeup of the All
Blacks and rugby in general is increasingly filled with Maldi
and Pacifica players, so having a deep inherent understanding of
(04:46):
how to bring cultures together and how to build a
rugby team was certainly an advantage in Dave Rennie's favor.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
Well, he's kind of been dubbed the man with mana hey,
so that does actually make a lot of sense. Who
are tips to his assistants, who are the most likely
to get on board.
Speaker 4 (05:03):
We did coin the phrase Chiefs Maunner from his time
at the Chiefs when he delivered two titles there, so
that's where that stems from. In terms of his assistance,
I think there's going to be some pretty big changes
to Scott Robertson's assistance in the coming weeks. That's still
to play out, but Tarlan Nucky Head coached Neil Barnes
(05:24):
is likely to be one of Rennie's leading assistants. He's
vastly experienced. He spent time with Dave Rennie at the Chiefs.
He's a real no nonsense s guy. He knows the
line out very well, so he's in line. And then
you've got others like Scott former Scotland half back Mike
Blair who's currently coaching with Rennie in Japan at the moment.
(05:46):
Andrew Strawbridge is a skills coach who spent time with
Rennie at the Chiefs and also in England. He's been discussed.
Phil Heay is likely to replace Nick Gill as his
strength and conditioning coach. Jason and Ryan's probably gonna be retained.
He's the current full coach, whether it's in that capacity
(06:08):
or with more of a focus on the scrum. But
some of the other assistants, Scott Hansen, tomoth Ellison and
Brent Evans, I think they faced pretty nervous weights because
Rennie's pretty keen to surround himself with people that he
knows and trusts. But new Zell and Rugby will also
have a say in their assistance. They've already paid Scott
Robertson out a pretty hefty fee, and some of those assistants,
(06:30):
like Jason Ryan and Scott Hansen, are on four year contracts,
so if they are to be moved on one or.
Speaker 3 (06:39):
More, it could cost the national body more revenue.
Speaker 2 (06:43):
How important is the entire team around him because a
lot of it is put on the shoulders of whoever's
coaching the All Blacks and they make the headlines. But
I suppose it does really matter who he has around
him and what kind of experience they have. When I
saw the name Barnes, I thought maybe maybe he's the
stick and ready might be the carrot. It's a good pairing.
Speaker 4 (07:05):
I think there's probably a bit of truth to that.
Neil Barnes doesn't suffer fools. You'll you between the eyes
and tell you exactly what he thinks. And sometimes you
need those people in any environments, particularly one in a
combative sports such as rugby. But the team is very
important because in a rugby sense, increasingly the head coach
(07:27):
is a bit like a helicopter sits over the top
and the assistants actually do a lot of the on
ground coaching. They deliver a lot of the messaging. They
they are observing, they're on the grass and they are
dealing with the players on a day to day basis,
so and they need to be both technically, technically technically
(07:50):
and have strong communication skills. So it's very important who
you surround yourself with, and I think that was probably
one issue would've got Robinson's coaching team, their lack of
international experience and their ability to deliver messages and feedback
(08:10):
to the head coach as well. So it's going to
be very interesting to see that the team that here
points and that hair symbols because it does have a
massive bearing on the success of anything.
Speaker 3 (08:27):
Twenty twenty six. It's cheaping. It's a big year. When
you look ahead at the schedule, what excites you most
about it?
Speaker 1 (08:35):
I mean, you've got to look at the first test,
you know, you can't look too far beyond that. So
it's held of a lot of work to be done,
some of it remotely over the next few months and
make sure we hit the ground running against France. But
tour to South Africa is exciting and well aware how
tough it'll be, but you know we've got to captured
(08:56):
audience for six weeks forty odd players as as a
real chance to drive our culture and detailed within our
game model, so you know, look forward to that.
Speaker 2 (09:11):
Now. I was reading up on a lot of your coverage, Lamb,
and I noticed that you actually had picked Dave Rennie
as the front man. What was the end of January?
Did you know something that we didn't or are you
just really good at your job?
Speaker 4 (09:30):
It was more of an opinion. I didn't know at
that point that he would definitely get the job. I'd
just I guess, assist the two candidates and had a
bit of background information about how they've gone and the
expertise and the experience, and felt that Dave Rennie was
certainly the standout candidate, so look New Zealand Rugby did
(09:53):
thorough research and came to their own conclusions. We don't
always agree, but on this occasion we did come up
with the same choice.
Speaker 2 (10:04):
So when his first game comes around as coach, you're
getting ready, you're watching it live. What's one of the
first things you are going to be looking out for
as a spectator.
Speaker 4 (10:15):
I don't know if you'll see definitive change from the off,
but it was interesting in Dave Rennie's first press corrence
he came out and said that all players will have
to earn their place from a selection point of view,
and that he has no loyalty. So we could actually
see quite significant change to that squad, and then you
would see a change in personnel and style. But I
(10:39):
think from the last regime we were quite uncertain about
how the All Blacks wanted to play.
Speaker 3 (10:44):
That wasn't evident.
Speaker 4 (10:45):
So I think Dave Rennie will have a clear identity
and style and the way he wants to play. So
I think traditionally and looking back through teams that Rennie
has coached, that involves a real sharp focus on the
breakdown and the carry and collisions and then he's not
afraid to attack, to run the ball from deep, to
(11:09):
have a go where rugby, particularly in the international scene
and recent times, has been dominated a lot by kicking,
so he could bring a real different flavor to that approach.
Speaker 2 (11:21):
And in that presser as well, what do you make
of the fact that he chucked a Retallic's name out there.
Speaker 3 (11:25):
Yeah, that was a bit of a curve ball.
Speaker 4 (11:27):
It's interesting because the New Zella Rugby chairman was standing
right there and I'm not sure he expected those comments either.
It was a topic selecting from offshore. All Blacks currently
have to be based in New Zealand to be selected
for the All Blacks. It's been a hot topic, something
that hasn't gone away. But Scott Robinson was certainly told
(11:47):
that he couldn't select the likes.
Speaker 3 (11:49):
Of Richie m Wonga from offshore.
Speaker 4 (11:50):
And then in his first press currents David and he says, Wow,
I'd love to select Brody Rattallik. I don't think that's
a fight he's going to win, but who knows, maybe
he can get him back home. He's currently coaching Brody
in Kobe and Retallic's a top triscore in Japanese rugby.
Speaker 3 (12:09):
He's still.
Speaker 4 (12:12):
Looks as good as he ever did, so I think
he would certainly do a job for the All Blacks,
But Renny might need to convince them to come home
for one year.
Speaker 3 (12:20):
And have a crack at the World Cup to get
that over the line.
Speaker 2 (12:22):
Yeah, and it'll be pretty hard convincing as well. I
heard some comments from him in regards to how the
schedule is just so much kinder on his body over
in Japan. Well, like they've got four weeks on or something,
a couple of weeks off or something like that, and
he is getting on as well. So it does all
depend how much he does want to contribute to another
World carfe.
Speaker 4 (12:41):
Yeah, I think the Japanese. You're right, the Japanese competition
certainly prolongs careers. It's not quite as physical and combative.
It has changed in recent years with a lot of
South Africans and Kiwis and Aussies and UK players going there,
but it's widely accept that it's not as physical as
other competitions, which does allow aging athletes to prolong their
(13:04):
careers to earn good money, and so that's why it's
very attractive.
Speaker 3 (13:08):
But Rettelic still looks in great shape.
Speaker 4 (13:11):
He's still striding out, still a big human, So I
think if Rennie can have his way, maybe he can
bring him home.
Speaker 3 (13:19):
So there's about.
Speaker 2 (13:20):
Fifteen months ish to the World Cap. How confident are
you that the All Blacks will be able will be
up to scratch by then? I suppose it's.
Speaker 3 (13:29):
A great unknown.
Speaker 4 (13:30):
And even if they are up to scratch on a
collision course with back to back world champions, the spring
box in a quarter final showdown highly likely, So it's
not going to be easy even the lead into Dave.
Rennie's first game is only four months away, and in
that time he's still going to be coaching another team,
(13:52):
so there's a lot on his plates. Look, I think
he will bring that team together. I think he will
improve them, but it's a big ars to go win
a regular World Cup. I think Australian conditions could suit
the All Blacks.
Speaker 3 (14:04):
They'll know them well.
Speaker 4 (14:06):
They've Reny coached in Australia, so it would be quite
a furious tale story for him to go back over
to a country where he was sacked as well of
his coach and deliver success with the All Blacks. But
in sports fairy tales don't always come to either, so
it's a tough ask. But he's taken the ball by
(14:28):
the horns and he set he's up for the challenge
and I'm sure he'll make a good fist of it.
Speaker 2 (14:33):
There is an insurmountable amount of pressure on him, but
do you reckon the New Zealand public will be forgiving
if he doesn't say come back with a cup.
Speaker 4 (14:44):
I think the New Zealand sporting public have matured over time,
but those expectations, the scrutiny is certainly still there. You know,
if you think about the world in which we live
of social media, a one can say anything at any time.
And the All Blacks are pride themselves on being a
(15:06):
world class, elite team both on the field and also
from a commercial perspective. They sell themselves as being one
of the world's leading sports brands and you can't do
that if you're not winning on the field.
Speaker 3 (15:18):
So it's not just external pressure from the public.
Speaker 4 (15:21):
It's both internal from New Zealand Rugby and the need
to drive huge revenue. So the All Blacks are the
apex of that and that's where a lot of that
pressure comes from. So Dave Rennie has spent the bulk
of his life in New Zealand. He's well aware of
those expectations. He arrives with eyes wide open and he
(15:44):
will certainly have a goal of going to Australia and
winning that World Cup, but it's.
Speaker 3 (15:49):
Not going to be easy.
Speaker 2 (15:50):
Yeah, and he definitely understands the concept of the All
Blacks being an integral part of New Zealand's entire identity.
It was something that I realized very quick when I
moved to this country that you do not say anything
bad about the All Blacks. They are your team and
they are treated as well as gods. Do you think
(16:11):
that that slipped in recent years with their performance on
the world stage. Do we need to get back to
having them ingrained in our culture more?
Speaker 3 (16:19):
I think New Zealand culture has evolved.
Speaker 4 (16:21):
It's you know, there's so much choice in society, whether
it be sporting or socially, so rugby's probably not quite
as popular or at the forefront of people's minds as
it used to be. But I think when there's a
major event on be at a Rugby World Cup or
a change of All Black coach, it shoots to the
(16:42):
front of every news website or whatever it may be.
And it's often said that the All Blacks coach has
as much scrutiny or pretty close to the you know,
being the Prime Minister, and I think that's true. So
Dave's come through the ranks coach in Wellington, one or
two the chiefs, he coached the New Zealan under twenties.
(17:06):
He's well aware of all those things. So he's arriving knowing.
Speaker 3 (17:09):
What to expect.
Speaker 4 (17:11):
But there's probably a different complexion to living that day
to day and I think starting well will help you
if you if he gets in a bit of a rut,
if you start to lose, things can start to spiral weebits.
But I think he's someone that's also pretty sure of himself.
(17:32):
He's had many different experiences, so he's got a good
backbone and I think you'll handle all that role.
Speaker 3 (17:37):
Thanks for joining us, Liam, no worries anytime.
Speaker 2 (17:43):
That's it for this episode of the Front Page. You
can read more about today's stories and extensive news coverage
at Enzidhrald dot co dot nz. The Front Page is
hosted and produced by me Chelsea Daniels Caine. Dicky is
our studio operator, Richard Martin our producer and editor, and
our executive producer is Jane Yee. Follow the front page
(18:05):
on the iHeart app or wherever you get your podcasts,
and join us next time for another look beyond the headlines.
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