All Blacks coach Dave Rennie has ‘no regrets’ after brutal sacking as Wallabies coach
Thursday, 5 March 2026
New All Blacks coach Dave Rennie has “no regrets” about his ill-fated Wallabies tenure that ended with his brutal sacking, eight months ahead of the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
Rennie was dumped with a 38% winning record from 33 tests as Wallabies coach, as Rugby Australia were wooed to hire Eddie Jones in the hope of a radical turnaround in form for the last global tournament in France.
It was a disastrous change for the Wallabies, who failed to get out of their pool behind Wales and Fiji, and Jones wasn’t the messiah the divisive ex-Rugby Australia chairman, Hamish McLennan, dreamed of in his second spell in charge of the Wallabies.
Rennie kept quiet while Jones’ chaotic stint unfolded. Three years later, the 62-year-old Kiwi has become All Blacks coach and addressed his Wallabies departure for the first time in Auckland on Wednesday.
“Look, I’ve got no regrets,” Rennie said.
“I’ve got a lot of strong relationships there, I learnt a lot, coaching at that level.
“It wasn’t an ideal end, and I obviously didn’t get the chance to go to a World Cup, but I felt more for probably about 13 or 14 players who would have gone to a World Cup with me, who didn’t get to go either. I’m looking forward to the opportunity to go to one next year.”
The biggest player dropped by Jones after Rennie’s exit was their totemic ex-captain Michael Hooper.
Despite his unflattering Wallabies record, the former Chiefs coach has remained a revered figure in the game, popular with players, and his injury-hit Australian side was believed to be heading in the right direction despite a historic first defeat to Italy on their 2022 northern tour.
That was sandwiched in between narrow away losses to France and Ireland, the world’s form teams at that point.
Former Wallabies first five-eighth Quade Cooper, who Rennie brought back to the test arena in 2021, led the praise on X after Rennie beat Jamie Joseph to the All Blacks job.
“Shout out to coach Dave Rennie. After the way he was treated by our administration in Australia, to now find himself with arguably the biggest job in rugby feels like a little bit of karma,” Cooper said.
“We let one of the best coaches in the game go. Not only did we let him go, we pushed him out the door. So seeing him land on his feet like this, I’m genuinely happy for him.
“The ‘what could have been’ might still come back to bite us, especially with a home World Cup coming in hot. Funny how the universe works sometimes.
“Congrats to the All Blacks for appointing not just a top coach, but a good man who understands that the game is about people first. That will play a huge role in their culture.”
Rennie’s All Blacks will face the Wallabies in the World Cup’s opening weeks when the two meet in Sydney in the pool stages next October.
His resonance with his players, including Wallabies, has endured, something predecessor Scott Robertson appeared to lose with his All Blacks in his two-year stint.
He has spent the last three seasons coaching the Kobe Steelers in Japan and knows the scrutiny that comes with the All Blacks.
The demands are clear. Win, and win well.
“I’m well aware of the expectations and responsibility of the role, but I’m really excited by it,” Rennie said.
Rennie’s success rate with the Wallabies will nevertheless have some fans concerned, and Robertson’s supporters might point to his 74% winning record from 27 tests.
With a wry smile, when asked a question about his 75% winning record from four tests when leading the Wallabies against the world champion Springboks, Rennie joked about not wanting to reference his record against other international teams.
His chance to convince doubters will begin when the All Blacks host France, Ireland and Italy in July, ahead of the daunting tour to South Africa in August and September.
NZ Rugby were seeking a coach with international experience, which Robertson lacked, and chair David Kirk said Rennie impressed the appointment panel with his overseas CV including successful stints with Glasgow and Kobe, as well as the Wallabies.
Rennie said his nine years away from New Zealand had made him a better coach after last working at home with the Chiefs from 2012 to 2017, with back-to-back titles in his first seasons in Hamilton.
“It’s not an easy job to get hold of,” he said of the All Blacks.
“[There have been] so many good coaches in New Zealand throughout my time. I ended up heading overseas to gain more experience. I think that's been really good for me.”
One of Rennie’s final answers in Wednesday’s 25-minute press conference demonstrated his broad view of the game, centred around his three years in Scotland when he led Glasgow to the brink of the Pro 14 title.
“What we don't understand in New Zealand is the quality of the game in the north,” he said.
“We think that all the innovation in the game happens here, but there's some fantastic rugby being played in other countries.
“There's a bit of a player drain here. A lot of our best players will eventually leave and play overseas and strengthen their rugby.
“The Six Nations is massive and the quality of the French and so on. It's a competitive landscape now.
“We're going to make sure we're working hard to be brilliant at basics and get real clarity on our game, then how we can implement that.”