Schmidt safe bet to succeed Rennie
Jose happy
GETTY IMAGES DAVE Rennie’s departure from the Chiefs next year won’t catch the franchise napping with contingency plans well under way to lock in his successor.
Rennie is his own man, and his exit from the Chiefs after his sixth and final Super Rugby season next year should not surprise.
The 52-year-old has been talking about heading overseas for three years and with his pathway to the All Blacks blocked, the timing was right to take wife Steph on an adventure while also furthering his experience.
In the end Glasgow just happened to be the right fit, and the aspirational Scottish club is sure to benefit greatly from the widely-respected mentor, just as Wellington, the New Zealand under-20s, Manawatu and the Chiefs have done.
The reality is there’s only so many jobs in New Zealand rugby, and only so long the top coaches are willing to hang around for promotion. Rennie clearly hasn’t been shoulder tapped by those on high yet. Steve Hansen’s contract extension through to the 2019 World Cup was a no-brainer but it also set about significant moving of the deck chairs.
Rennie’s move is the latest major one. He’s left the door slightly ajar for a return and crack at the All Blacks job by signing a two-year contract but also has the option of staying on for a third season with Glasgow, if the All Blacks grooming of Ian Foster continues as seemingly planned.
‘‘I know a lot of people will be lining themselves up for it,’’ Rennie said of the All Blacks job.
‘‘At this stage the thinking is we’ll see what happens over the next couple of years and then make some decisions.’’
The other two big pawns from a New Zealand Rugby perspective centre on the probable homecomings of the highly rated Joe Schmidt and Vern Cotter.
Schmidt is the key guy and clear target for the Chiefs.
The Highlanders initially jumped the gun by revealing they’d approached the Irish coach but it is understood he is more likely to end up in Hamilton from 2018.
Chiefs chief executive Andrew Flexman said as much in an interview with the Sunday Star-Times early last month.
‘‘Joe is definitely a guy we’d be interested in having a discussion with,’’ Flexman said at the time, with discussions now expected to be under way.
‘‘I’ve been made aware of the fact there’s the potential for him to look at moving home next year.
‘‘Given what he’s achieved in his coaching career if we are looking to appoint a new head coach then he’d candidate.’’
In a release from the Chiefs late on Friday night which confirmed Rennie’s Glasgow move, Flexman indicated the franchise was ‘‘well advanced’’ in its search for a replacement.
Former Tasman coach turned Chiefs assistant Kieran Keane is a strong contender and no doubt joined the franchise this year with hopes of progression to the head coach role.
But it’s fair to say putting a wager on Schmidt being the next Chiefs coach is a safer investment than jumping into the overpriced Auckland housing market at present.
Cotter, meanwhile, may look further south to the Highlanders.
With Todd Blackadder and Rennie, two long-serving Kiwi Super Ruby coaches, set to be based in Europe from next year, there must also be a few nerves at NZ Rugby headquarters about a flood of fringe All Blacks and quality second-tier players being lured abroad.
It’s not as if there’s a shortage of dosh up north. be an obvious Jose Mourinho says Manchester United’s rehabilitation will be a steady process but their 2-0 win over Southampton yesterday indicated the team are quickly rediscovering their vim and verve under the new manager. Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored twice while Paul Pogba, the world’s most expensive player, impressed on his first outing in his second spell at the club, prompting the kind of atmosphere that has been increasingly rare in recent seasons of toil at Old Trafford.