Dave Rennie: All Blacks Coach on taking over from Scott Robertson, the new direction for the team

A concession from All Blacks coach Dave Rennie as he deliberates his first squad for July's Nations Championship series. 

He'll attend the Chiefs-Highlanders Super match in Hamilton tonight as the squeeze comes on for players to impress. 

A 34-strong group will be named for the tests against France, Ireland, and Italy, with a further 10 added for the tour of South Africa. 

Rennie told Mike Hosking the depth of talent is scarcer than the recent past. 

He says that in their heyday, the All Blacks would’ve had six or seven players featuring in the World XV, and they probably haven’t got that number at the moment. 

However, Rennie says there is an enormous amount of talent in New Zealand, and their job is going to be to work with the Super Rugby coaches and staff to bring that through. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Now and New Zealand Rugby has been very busy, hasn't it.
A new president, new CEO and the coach has been
back in the country this week making a few appointments
of his own, the headline being the return of Graham
Henry of course a selector. So how are we tracking
for kickoff in July? Dave Rennie is with us. Dave
A very good morning to you, Mike. You're enjoying your
time back in the country.

Speaker 2 (00:18):
Yeah, loving it. Actually, I'm getting around a little bit
and got to see the kids and the Green kids
on that's great, fantastic.

Speaker 1 (00:26):
What's the feel and the job so far of what
you thought you were going to do and what you've
been able to do and how are you're tracking.

Speaker 2 (00:34):
I've been busy obviously. I've got another job at the
moment as well, so I've been able to get staff
over to Japan and I've come over every buy a
week and then a lot of time on Zoom and
so on. So we've got a lot of people beavering
away and we're in a pretty good spot at the moment.

Speaker 1 (00:52):
What woord would you use for your appointment? Are you
a change maker? Are you a hurricane? Are you a
gentle manipulator. What's going on here?

Speaker 2 (01:03):
Yeah, I'm sure of any of those points. I think
I've mentioned. I'm pretty good at surrounding myself with quality
people and that's what I've been doing, and I think collectively,
you know, we can make good shifts. And I got
a plan over the next sort of fifteen months heading
into World Cup, which is pretty exciting.

Speaker 1 (01:23):
The Razor thing, and I'm not dwelling on this, I'm
just asking about Razor. We had David Kirk on and
he said they didn't see the tracking of where the
All Blacks were at in a way that they were
happy with, despite the fact that in terms of sheer
statistics they were actually winning quite well. Do you have
a grasp of what's going on here, what kirk wants,

(01:45):
what the board wants, what New Zealand Rugby wants, et cetera,
And you got to You've got to handle on it.

Speaker 2 (01:49):
In other words, yeah, yeah, I mean I had a
look at all the review stuff. I've spoken a lot
of people. I think we're really clear on the game
we want to play and and the athlete we need
to play that game, and so that's been our focus.
And you know, We've got a pretty short turn around
when we when we start, we're going about ten days.

(02:11):
The team of sim was before France, so you know,
we need to keep things reasonally simple and build over
the next few months.

Speaker 1 (02:19):
What what do I read into the Henry Anoka appointments particularly,
it's got a sort of a classic Hits feel to it.

Speaker 2 (02:28):
I mean, obviously kid's a great man, an excellent and
I he's got a massive wicketsic can. He watches a
lot of rugby, and talking to him prior to my appointment,
you know, I spoke to him a lot about I
just want to find about legacy and leadership and what
he experienced when he first came in and and the

(02:49):
highs and lows which which he experienced both and and
so having someone from outside the group who's you know,
got a real good feel for the game and players
is a really good fit for us. And so yeah, yeah,
he brings a lot of experience and excited about that.
I just got off the far from Ted. He was

(03:13):
at the Blues yesterday, So yeah, so we sent plenty
happening there and Gilbert coming in. You know, I reckon
it's an excellent point. But for us it's just a
strong history with a legacy.

Speaker 1 (03:25):
Yeah, the wider group which you inherit of players, no
matter who you end up picking as a group of
potential top elite rugby players, where do you reckon the
All Blacks are at in terms of a current crop?

Speaker 2 (03:40):
Ah, I mean, I guess if you compared it. You know,
in our heyday we would have had six or seven
players featuring in a World fifteen and we probably haven't
got that number at the moment. But as a younger crop,
I think this enormous amount of talent in New Zealand.
I've been really impressed getting around the country at the

(04:02):
quality of the programs. I think the coach is doing
a great job and there's a lot of really good
young kids in behind the guys you have seen playing
as well. So no, I still think he's on the
rugby's in good heart. We've got plenty of talents and
our job is going to be working with the super
ug big coaches and start to bring that through.

Speaker 1 (04:22):
And where do you think we sit internationally in terms
of once upon a time we won everything, we expected
to win everything that's clearly changed. Where do we sit there?

Speaker 2 (04:32):
Well, I think the expectation hasn't changed, you know, it's
still the expectation that you win everything. And yeah, I
think we can turn things around quickly and I think
we can be competitive and so but you know, the
game has changed about it's very strong up north, and
I think that's really good for the game. So yeah,
but I think we've got to we're going to be

(04:54):
clear on how we want to play the game and
not necessarily copy what everyone else is doing.

Speaker 1 (04:59):
The from your personal point of view being an international
coach and the line between being a successful international coach
and not being a successful international coach, how much of
it's on you versus how much is on the circumstances.

Speaker 2 (05:15):
Well, I think and when you take on a role
like this, yeah, you got to take all the responsibility
that goes with it too, So there's no point hiding
behind other stuff. So yeah, my job is to you know,
with quality of a staff that we've got to make
a difference and grow our group and make good decisions

(05:37):
on the field that help you win type test matches.
So you can't get away from that responsibility.

Speaker 1 (05:44):
Tell me about I was interested in what you said
this week about Brodie Retallick. So he in your view,
is the best in the world. And yet he's the
best in the world playing whatever level of rugby you
call Japanese rugby. How do you square that circle? How
do you be the best in the world and be
satisfied personally at not being at the highest level. I
don't understand that.

Speaker 2 (06:07):
Yeah, yeah, I reckon. If you haven't seen Japanese rugby,
you may think it's low level. But there are a
lot of high quality international players playing over there. A
lot of the South African team are there. I had
a lot of former All Blacks and so on, but
he had had twelve years of traveling the globe with

(06:28):
the Chiefs and with the All Blacks, and you know,
so I think he felt that he had accomplished a
lot of things and can base himself and Corbernian's very
very good money and it loves a good lifestyle over there,
and he's still playing phenomenal rugby, and so I definitely
believe he's good enough to still be an All Black.

(06:49):
And I guess I'm raising questions around, you know, having
access to our very best who have doned the right
to go over season cash and because of contributed massively
here and and is there a potential to bring them
home if they're still.

Speaker 1 (07:04):
Playing, Well, we've got to do something about I mean,
the best is the best, isn't it. Don't you want
the best? That's that's that's as That's as complex as
it needs to be, isn't it.

Speaker 2 (07:14):
Yeah? Well yeah, well I think so. But you know,
so there's there's a few more discussions to be had
around that. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (07:20):
Interesting, what's going on in Japan? So Hanson leaves that
he cracks at the referees Eddie Jones has got banned. Well,
what's happening in Japan there?

Speaker 2 (07:28):
Day? Yeah, yeah, it's I mean, obviously, Steve, Look, there's
a bit of accuracy around the refereeing. It's the game's
taking off in Japan. The quality of plays there is
a lot of the best players in the world, there's
a lot of very experienced coaches and staff up there,
and the refereeing for for a large part of still amateur,

(07:50):
and so the game moves very fast and it's challenging
and difficult, and so that's an area that's got to
get a lot better in Japan and it needs to happen,
and it is Eddie.

Speaker 1 (08:01):
So you know what else, what listen lovely to catch
up with you. Appreciate it very much. Go well this season.
I'm sure we'll talk throughout the year. The early part
of July when we kick off a course against France.
Dave Rinnie or black Coat.

Speaker 2 (08:15):
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