The Dave Rennie All Blacks appointment is official — and it has immediately loaded next year’s Rugby World Cup with an entirely new layer of drama. The Kiwi coach, who was axed as Wallabies head coach before he ever got the chance to lead them at a World Cup, will now face Australia in a Sydney pool fixture. The universe has a wicked sense of humour.
Dave Rennie All Blacks Appointment Confirmed After Robertson Sacking
New Zealand Rugby confirmed Rennie as head coach on Wednesday, ending speculation that had swirled after Scott Robertson’s dismissal. Rennie beat Highlanders coach Jamie Joseph to the role, which runs until at least the end of next year. Crucially, he becomes the first coach in history to hold both the All Blacks and Wallabies positions — a distinction no one could have predicted when Eddie Jones sensationally replaced him ahead of the 2023 World Cup in France.
That tournament was a disaster for Australia. Jones overhauled the squad, the Wallabies crashed out in the group stage for the first time in their history, and Jones himself was gone within a year of a five-year deal. He now coaches Japan — where, as it happens, Rennie has been based, coaching League One club Kobe. BBC Sport has full coverage of the wider coaching carousel.
Rennie handled Wednesday’s announcement with class, refusing to dig at Jones or his successors. “It wasn’t an ideal end and I obviously didn’t get the chance to go to a World Cup,” he said, before noting he felt more for the 13 or 14 players who also missed out. That is the measure of the man.
A Complicated Wallabies Legacy and the Road Ahead
There is no sugarcoating Rennie’s Australia record. Thirteen wins from 34 Tests — a 38 per cent winning rate — makes it the lowest return of any Wallabies coach to oversee more than 30 games. The COVID-19 pandemic swallowed his early tenure whole, and a one-point loss to France in Paris ultimately triggered his axing, compounded by a defeat to Italy on a brutal, injury-hit 2022 Spring Tour.
Nevertheless, the green shoots were genuine. A drawn opener against the All Blacks and a 3-1 record against the Springboks showed a competitive side capable of delivering on the big occasion.
Now, Rennie inherits an All Blacks squad that fractured under Robertson in 2025 — a campaign that included a record defeat to the Springboks and a first-ever loss to Argentina on Argentine soil. Players gave evidence during a season review, with Ardie Savea reportedly among the most outspoken critics of Robertson’s methods.
Savea, a Moana Pasifika star currently on sabbatical at Kobe under Rennie’s management, is due back ahead of the World Cup. Playmaker Richie Mo’unga returns from Japan later this year, and lock Brodie Retallick — who has impressed Rennie at Kobe — could be coaxed home. “Someone like a Brodie Retallick coming into the environment, I reckon it will really grow the whole group,” Rennie said. High praise, and probably accurate.
Rennie’s first Tests in charge arrive in July — a home series against France, Italy and Ireland — before a Bledisloe Cup opener against Australia in Auckland on 10 October. Follow all the build-up to the All Blacks’ new era on ESPN UK. One year later, they face the Wallabies at the World Cup. Cinema.