Dave Rennie reveals why he didn't apply for the All Blacks job
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Following the confirmation that he would takeover from Michael Cheika as the new Wallabies head coach, Dave Rennie revealed why he opted for Wallabies' job over a chance with the All Blacks.
The 55-year-old said that the All Blacks left their recruitment too late as he was already in talks with Rugby Australia.
“I’m a proud Kiwi but the big thing is I’ve been talking to Australia for a lot of months and the All Blacks interest came in late in the piece and by that stage, we’d done a lot of homework, we were really excited about the opportunity to go to Australia and that ended up being an easy decision,” Rennie told rugby.com.au.
It's official, Dave Rennie is the new Wallabies head coach
— Ultimate Rugby (@ultimaterugby) November 20, 2019
Rugby Australia announced the signing of the Glasgow Warriors boss to a three-and-a-half-year deal – which will commence following the conclusion of the PRO14 and European season next June, just in time for the test series against Ireland and will see him through to the 2023 World Cup in France.
Rennie becomes just the second New Zealander to coach Australia, following in the footsteps of Robbie Deans, who took the helm of the Wallabies at the end of 2007 after missing out on the All Blacks to Sir Graham Henry.
New Zealand Rugby Chairman Brent Impey congratulated Rennie on his appointment as Head Coach of Australia.
“We have known for some time that Dave was in talks with Rugby Australia, so we have been clear about his position regarding the All Blacks Head Coach position. We congratulate Dave on his appointment and wish him the best. We certainly look forward to hosting him as the Head Coach of the visiting team during the Rugby Championship.”
An accomplished and highly respected coach, Rennie joined the Chiefs as Head Coach in 2012 and enjoyed instant success winning back-to-back Super Rugby titles in his first two years in charge. The Hamilton-based side played finals in each of the six seasons he spent with the Chiefs, a mark that is unmatched by any Head Coach in competition history.
Dave Rennie's Coaching Record:
Prior to the Chiefs, Rennie took the Wellington Lions to a first ITM Cup title in 14 years as Head Coach in 2000, and later steered New Zealand Under 20’s to three consecutive world titles from 2008 to 2010.
Rennie was named Head Coach of Glasgow Warriors for the 2017/18 season and in his second year he took the Scottish outfit to the Pro 14 Final and the Quarter Finals of the European Champions Cup.
To date, Glasgow have won 63% of their games under Rennie winning 41 of their 65 games and drawing one.
