Rennie set to coach Wallabies
NEWS: Glasgow Warriors head coach Dave Rennie is all but confirmed as the next Wallabies head coach – according to reports coming out of Australia.
Michael Cheika announced earlier this week that he would not be seeking an extension to his coaching contract with the Wallabies and has been caught in a war of words with Rugby Australia and a host of former players since.
With Cheika heading to the exit, speculation mounted rapidly that Rennie was the most likely candidate to takeover. A report in the Sydney Morning Herald appears to confirm that his signing is a done deal that will be announced in due course.
Rumours linking the New Zealander to the Wallabies job have been doing the rounds for over a year, long before the Australians crashed out of the World Cup at the hands of Eddie Jones’ England.
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In April Rennie signed a one-year contract extension with Glasgow Warriors, a development that would see him remain at Scotstoun until at least June 2020. With the Wallabies not fated for any Tests in the meantime, the new role could potentially allow Rennie to finish out the Pro14 season with Glasgow.
The Lower Hutt native – who took over from Gregor Townsend ahead of the 2017/18 campaign – has led the Warriors to two consecutive appearances in the Pro14 Final series, in addition to a Champions Cup quarterfinal against Saracens this season.
A former centre, Rennie began his coaching career with Wellington in 1999, before taking charge of the all-conquering New Zealand Under-20s side that claimed three consecutive world titles between 2008 and 2010.
Just two days ago assistant coach John Dalziel insisted Rennie was fully focused on his Scotstoun role.
Dalziel hopes he will remain at the club for a long time to come. He said: There is a lot of speculation about a lot of coaches all over.
"I just know we’re pretty focused on the job Dave has done here at Glasgow Warriors and we know that he’s fully committed here until the end of the season at least and possibly beyond.”
"It’s credit to Dave and his coaching history that he would be linked to these jobs. He is a very, very highly respected coach all around the world and you can see the effect he has had on Glasgow and we all hope that will continue.
"There is a lot of speculation and that’s all it is at the moment. I know from working with Dave every day that he’s fully focused on the job in hand."
By Ian Cameron, @RugbyPass
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