ALL JOBS AT the top end of Test rugby are highly-pressurised, but even in that rarefied air the All Blacks hot seat can feel particularly suffocating.
For so long the standard-setters in the world rugby, New Zealand are no longer the game’s poster boys. The Springboks are back-to-back World Champions and in the Northern Hemisphere, a revitalised French side have claimed the last two Six Nations titles.
Most will view those two titans as the teams to catch at next year’s World Cup, and while New Zealand will always be there or thereabouts, they have ground to make up after a challenging couple of years.
Tomorrow, the All Blacks kick-off their Nations Championship campaign at home to France in Christchurch [8.10am, Virgin Media One/ITV]. It’s the start of a new Test season, a new competition, and a fresh new chapter for New Zealand rugby, as Dave Rennie takes charge of the All Blacks for the first time.
His mission: whip these All Blacks into shape for Australia 2027.
That had been the remit of Scott Robertson, the highly-rated, serial-winning Crusaders coach who stepped into the All Blacks job following the 2023 World Cup.
Scott Robertson lasted just 27 Tests in charge of the All Blacks. Photosport / Robert Alam/INPHO
Photosport / Robert Alam/INPHO / Robert Alam/INPHO
‘Razor’ had looked the obvious successor to Ian Foster – who led New Zealand to the 2023 World Cup final – yet things slowly unravelled for Robertson, who lost seven Tests in his two years and left the job with a 74% win rate.
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However, winning isn’t enough, and his team didn’t play with the expected New Zealand swagger and rumours of player unrest alongside a stinging internal review led to his early departure.
So the All Blacks were back to the drawing board, with the decision eventually coming down to Dave Rennie and Jamie Joseph. Rennie won the battle and now has 18 months to get this All Black machine humming again, with his deal only running until the end of the World Cup.
Most recently of Japan’s Kobe Steelers, Rennie is aiming to fair better on the Test stage following his tumultuous spell in charge of the Wallabies, with the New Zealander axed eight months out from the 2023 World Cup, leaving with a 38% win record from 33 Tests. Rennie was replaced by Eddie Jones, who failed to deliver the desired upturn in form as the Wallabies failed to make it out of their World Cup pool.
Rennie’s Wallabies record will be a concern for some New Zealanders, but there was also a sense he was harshly treated, taking the job during the complications of the Covid pandemic and dealing with an injury-ravaged squad during key spells of his tenure.
Now he’s back in one of the biggest jobs in the game, and it starts on Saturday with a tasty Nations Championship opener against Les Bleus.
Rennie was appointed in March, following Scott Robertson's early exit. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
The noises from his first camp are that Rennie has his time ensuring the players are rock solid around their basics, while there’s also been a heavy focus on the history and responsibility of being an All Black.
Indeed, team culture is a long-standing key focus for Rennie, who wasn’t shy to whip out his guitar and lead his Wallabies players through the odd sing-along.
Unsurprisingly, Rennie has suggested his team will employ an uncomplicated game plan this weekend, but with time the expectation will be that his All Blacks master a high-tempo, skills-based approach.
Already, Rennie has called for his squad to play with “optimism” and “express themselves” on the pitch.
“It’s more a mindset thing with a bit of optimism around our counterattack and turnover ball, making sure we’re getting our eyes up the field and seeing opportunities,” fullback Damien McKenzie told reporters this week.
“When it’s on to play, we play.”
That’s exactly what New Zealand supporters want to hear.
With limited time on the training field, Rennie’s first team selection leans heavily on Super Rugby’s form sides. Nine of the 23 are from the title-winning Hurricanes, with beaten finalists the Chiefs supplying six players.
And already, Rennie’s first teamsheet has been enough for his approach to be viewed as a move away from Robertson’s, with many feeling the former Crusaders boss was overly conservative, allowing experience trump form.
One of Rennie’s biggest calls comes at 10, with Ruben Love getting his first start at out-half. Capped five times, the 25-year-old has made three appearances of the bench and started twice at fullback.
Ruben Love is coming off an outstanding season with the Hurricanes. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
It’s a huge opportunity for Love, an exciting, creative 10 who gets the chance to lay down the first marker in the race to be New Zealand’s out-half at the next World Cup.
The call comes on the back of an outstanding season, Love helping to lead the Hurricanes to a first Super Rugby title in a decade. With clubmates Cam Roigard and Jordie Barrett around him at scrum-half and centre respectively, there will be plenty of familiarity between the All Blacks’ play-makers.
Beauden Barrett, who had been Robertson’s preferred out-half, is not in the 23 while Richie Mo’unga will later enter the race, becoming eligible for selection from October after ending his stint away in Japan.
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Another intriguing selection sees Rennie opt for “tough” Chiefs flanker Luke Jacobson at openside, while Damien McKenzie gets the nod at fullback, a move which sees Will Jordan redeployed on the wing.
“Two of the best full-backs in the world on the field at the same time,” was how Rennie explained that one.
There are two uncapped players on the All Blacks bench, in prop Xavier Numia (27) and winger Fehi Fineanganofo (23), both from the Hurricanes.
Those decisions more or less sum up what Rennie wants to see across these first few games. More flair, more physicality, and new faces pushing into the mix.
Following the France game, Rennie’s All Blacks take on Italy before welcoming Ireland to their Eden Park fortress.
How fascinating it will be to see what shape the two sides are in by then.
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Dave Rennie aims to change mindset as new All Blacks chapter kicks-off
ALL JOBS AT the top end of Test rugby are highly-pressurised, but even in that rarefied air the All Blacks hot seat can feel particularly suffocating.
For so long the standard-setters in the world rugby, New Zealand are no longer the game’s poster boys. The Springboks are back-to-back World Champions and in the Northern Hemisphere, a revitalised French side have claimed the last two Six Nations titles.
Most will view those two titans as the teams to catch at next year’s World Cup, and while New Zealand will always be there or thereabouts, they have ground to make up after a challenging couple of years.
Tomorrow, the All Blacks kick-off their Nations Championship campaign at home to France in Christchurch [8.10am, Virgin Media One/ITV]. It’s the start of a new Test season, a new competition, and a fresh new chapter for New Zealand rugby, as Dave Rennie takes charge of the All Blacks for the first time.
His mission: whip these All Blacks into shape for Australia 2027.
That had been the remit of Scott Robertson, the highly-rated, serial-winning Crusaders coach who stepped into the All Blacks job following the 2023 World Cup.
‘Razor’ had looked the obvious successor to Ian Foster – who led New Zealand to the 2023 World Cup final – yet things slowly unravelled for Robertson, who lost seven Tests in his two years and left the job with a 74% win rate.
However, winning isn’t enough, and his team didn’t play with the expected New Zealand swagger and rumours of player unrest alongside a stinging internal review led to his early departure.
So the All Blacks were back to the drawing board, with the decision eventually coming down to Dave Rennie and Jamie Joseph. Rennie won the battle and now has 18 months to get this All Black machine humming again, with his deal only running until the end of the World Cup.
Most recently of Japan’s Kobe Steelers, Rennie is aiming to fair better on the Test stage following his tumultuous spell in charge of the Wallabies, with the New Zealander axed eight months out from the 2023 World Cup, leaving with a 38% win record from 33 Tests. Rennie was replaced by Eddie Jones, who failed to deliver the desired upturn in form as the Wallabies failed to make it out of their World Cup pool.
Rennie’s Wallabies record will be a concern for some New Zealanders, but there was also a sense he was harshly treated, taking the job during the complications of the Covid pandemic and dealing with an injury-ravaged squad during key spells of his tenure.
Now he’s back in one of the biggest jobs in the game, and it starts on Saturday with a tasty Nations Championship opener against Les Bleus.
The noises from his first camp are that Rennie has his time ensuring the players are rock solid around their basics, while there’s also been a heavy focus on the history and responsibility of being an All Black.
Indeed, team culture is a long-standing key focus for Rennie, who wasn’t shy to whip out his guitar and lead his Wallabies players through the odd sing-along.
Unsurprisingly, Rennie has suggested his team will employ an uncomplicated game plan this weekend, but with time the expectation will be that his All Blacks master a high-tempo, skills-based approach.
Already, Rennie has called for his squad to play with “optimism” and “express themselves” on the pitch.
“It’s more a mindset thing with a bit of optimism around our counterattack and turnover ball, making sure we’re getting our eyes up the field and seeing opportunities,” fullback Damien McKenzie told reporters this week.
“When it’s on to play, we play.”
That’s exactly what New Zealand supporters want to hear.
With limited time on the training field, Rennie’s first team selection leans heavily on Super Rugby’s form sides. Nine of the 23 are from the title-winning Hurricanes, with beaten finalists the Chiefs supplying six players.
And already, Rennie’s first teamsheet has been enough for his approach to be viewed as a move away from Robertson’s, with many feeling the former Crusaders boss was overly conservative, allowing experience trump form.
One of Rennie’s biggest calls comes at 10, with Ruben Love getting his first start at out-half. Capped five times, the 25-year-old has made three appearances of the bench and started twice at fullback.
It’s a huge opportunity for Love, an exciting, creative 10 who gets the chance to lay down the first marker in the race to be New Zealand’s out-half at the next World Cup.
The call comes on the back of an outstanding season, Love helping to lead the Hurricanes to a first Super Rugby title in a decade. With clubmates Cam Roigard and Jordie Barrett around him at scrum-half and centre respectively, there will be plenty of familiarity between the All Blacks’ play-makers.
Beauden Barrett, who had been Robertson’s preferred out-half, is not in the 23 while Richie Mo’unga will later enter the race, becoming eligible for selection from October after ending his stint away in Japan.
Another intriguing selection sees Rennie opt for “tough” Chiefs flanker Luke Jacobson at openside, while Damien McKenzie gets the nod at fullback, a move which sees Will Jordan redeployed on the wing.
“Two of the best full-backs in the world on the field at the same time,” was how Rennie explained that one.
There are two uncapped players on the All Blacks bench, in prop Xavier Numia (27) and winger Fehi Fineanganofo (23), both from the Hurricanes.
Those decisions more or less sum up what Rennie wants to see across these first few games. More flair, more physicality, and new faces pushing into the mix.
Following the France game, Rennie’s All Blacks take on Italy before welcoming Ireland to their Eden Park fortress.
How fascinating it will be to see what shape the two sides are in by then.
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