Does Dave Rennie hold a grudge about his Wallabies sacking? It’s a million-dollar question for RA

Over three years since he was sacked as their coach, Dave Rennie remains a popular figure among Wallabies players, past and present.

That much was obvious when several ex-Wallabies posted congratulations to Rennie after he was this week named as the new All Blacks coach. Private messages flew over, too.

Unbeknown to Rennie, two prominent ex-Wallabies even gave letters of reference when asked by the NZR for an honest appraisal.

Needless to say, there remains a great deal of affection in Wallaby-world for the 62-year-old former pub owner from Upper Hutt. The manner of Rennie’s brutal sacking in 2022 never sat well with many of them, and it was only accentuated by the year of chaos that followed.

But all of Rennie’s good bloke points won’t get him a free pass for a very All Black comment made in his opening media conference on Wednesday. It was overlooked by most.

“It’s a sprint from here. By the time we start, we will have about 15 months to a World Cup,” Rennie said. “We are well aware the way the draw works, in typical fashion for a World Cup, we are likely to meet South Africa in a quarter-final. We will get a bit of practice against them this year.”

Did you spot it?

The Rugby World Cup next year, of course, sees the Wallabies and the All Blacks in the same pool. It’ll be the winner of that pool who likely plays the Springboks in a quarter-final.

Meaning Rennie had – within his first few hours of being All Blacks coach – banked a win over the Wallabies at Accor Stadium and was already looking ahead.

Based on the Wallabies’ 11-match losing streak against the Kiwis, it’s probably a fair call. Rennie, as it turns out, coached the last Wallabies win over New Zealand, in 2020.

But it’s also the sort of throwaway slight the All Blacks have used as motivational fuel for eons. Any mild utterance of confidence from the Wallabies was whipped up and then referenced after the game “as a sign of disrespect”.

Joe Schmidt knows his way around these dark arts, so you can consider Rennie’s comment clipped and filed: to be opened in October, 2027.

The irony of Rennie’s slip – we’ll give it to him – is that he grew to bristle about the incorrigible hubris of New Zealand rugby when he saw it from this side of the Tasman.

During the COVID years, amid lockdowns and border controls, Rennie blasted NZR and the All Blacks for pulling out of a re-scheduled Bledisloe Cup clash in Perth at the last minute.

Having been away from families for months, the Wallabies agreed to NZR requests to play two re-scheduled Tests in New Zealand. Having agreed to play in Perth in return, however, the Kiwis delayed and then cancelled altogether. Wallabies players – waiting in Perth – found out on social media.

“Bloody angry,” Rennie fumed. “I feel like there’s only one of us doing what’s in the best interest of the game.

“Last year, we went to NZ to ensure the games were played for the benefits of both countries. We quarantined in Wellington for two weeks. The expectation was we made a commitment to go there this year, they’d come here and they haven’t honoured. It tells you more about them than us, I reckon.”

Rennie had been an outsider in the cliquey world of New Zealand Rugby, and it was this sort of willingness to fight the gold corner that won him that lasting loyalty of Australian players.

Rennie’s sacking wasn’t out of the blue, with only 13 wins from 34 starts with Australia. But he can claim more than his share of bad luck and a misleading picture based on percentages alone. There were also four Test draws – including one in his first Bledisloe fixture in Wellington, where Reece Hodge’s potentially matchwinning kick hit a post – and he also had a Bledisloe win denied by the ego of referee Mathieu Raynal in Melbourne.

He coached series wins over France and South Africa, and even on the last spring tour, the injury-hit Wallabies only lost by a point to France and three points to Ireland.

Rennie’s record against the world champion Boks was a credible 72 per cent – and it wasn’t missed this week that, prior to the NZR decision, Rassie Erasmus talked up the superior “aura” of the other contender, Jamie Joseph.

As far as Test coaching calibre, NZR evidently saw a broader picture from Rennie’s time in Australia.

Rennie has kept a dignified silence since departing but holds no bitterness towards Australian rugby, according to those who know him. Much of head office has turned over since 2022, but current bosses Phil Waugh and Dan Herbert were on the board who sacked Rennie. Herbert said in 2024 there were “divergent views”, but bringing in Eddie Jones had the numbers.

Rennie is a mate of Joe Schmidt and remains tight with other members of his former Wallabies staff, but has had next to no contact with RA officials since he left.

Why does that matter? Rennie’s sentiment toward Australian rugby could potentially play a key part in whether the much-discussed Anzac Day Bledisloe Cup fixture gets off the ground.

Australia remain keen as mustard to stage the showpiece game, which is forecast to bring in millions of dollars.

But it was shut down by NZR last year, and the most significant opponent was then-All Blacks coach Scott Robertson.

But the NZR has since had a mass clean out at head office, including a new chair, David Kirk, a new CEO inbound, new high-performance figures – and now a new All Blacks coach. RA say they’ve had positive response from the new regime about re-visiting the Anzac Bledisloe but, given All Blacks success is always the main consideration, Rennie would still carry veto powers.

He will, at least, have unique perspective.

Did we mention the game would be played in Perth?