Forward thinking is the Warrior way
New head coach Rennie’s high hopes for bold Glasgow
NEW Glasgow Warriors head coach David Rennie has vowed his side will go forward and prosper as he gets down to work at Scotstoun.
Rennie could not come until after his previous team the Chiefs of New Zealand had finished their campaign. Instead, he spent summer communicating via Skype while still pushing his current charges to the Super Rugby semi finals.
But after arriving last week – he admits he is still very much living out of a suitcase – he is getting his first hands-on experience of his new side and says he is impressed with what he has found.
“I have watched a lot of Glas- gow footage, every game they played last year,” he said in his debut press conference. “There are some outstanding skill levels.
“The biggest difference between New Zealand rugby and the rest of the world is the big men who have the footwork and keep the ball alive. There are a lot of backs over here who are as good as the ones in New Zealand. The thing is to try to develop the game so that we have more threats on the park.”
So clearly the easy place to make progress is in the pack, making sure they stay on their feet longer, get themselves i nto positions to keep the ball alive and act as link players as well as battering rams.
Not, Rennie emphasised, that he is planning simply to pick up the game plan he used in New Zealand and try to force it here.
“We played a certain style with the Chiefs over the last few years; it would be a mistake to try and stamp their game onto this team,” he said. “We have to work through on our strengths. The good thing is they play a positive brand of footie. It is different.”
When it comes to individuals, Rennie brought up the obvious ones – Stuart Hogg, who he hopes to see back in action sometime in October; Finn Russell, who apparently got ringing endorsements from the Chiefs players he got to know during his stint in New Zealand in 2013; Jonny Gray and the rest – but also had a slight surprise.
“I’ve been really impressed with Ryan Wilson. It’s not just the way he plays but the way he leads. He has been really impressive every time I’ve been over here,” he said.
Was that a hint Wilson is in the running to be captain?
“There are hell of a lot of people to manage,” he explained. “We will make a decision on what works best. The challenge here is that you could pick a couple of captains who may be Scotland internationals and you lose them for a reasonable chunk of the year.”