Rennie on Aussies’ radar

GLASGOW Warriors have a fight on their hands to keep head coach Dave Rennie, with Australia rugby chiefs targeting him to replace Michael Cheika. The Scotstoun outfit are bracing themselves for an approach from the Australian Rugby Union following Cheika’s resignation after the heavy World Cup quarter-final defeat to England. Technically, his contract does not run out until the end of the year but the Wallabies’ search for a replacement starts now. Former SRU Performance Director Scott Johnson now has a similar role with Australian rugby and will make the appointment. He is a big fan of Rennie (below) and helped tempt him to Glasgow in the first place after a successful spell in club rugby in his native New Zealand. Rennie signed a one-year contract extension that runs out at the end of this season, so compensation would not be a huge stumbling block. The SRU, who own both Edinburgh and Glasgow Warriors, are hoping the Aussies could even agree to let Rennie see out the final year of his contract. That would give them time to work out who to appoint in his place. They would need a big name to take over from Rennie with Jim Mallinder, who took over Johnson’s role as SRU Performance Director at Murrayfield, leading the search. Cheika quit as Australia coach after his seventh consecutive mauling by England having been dumped out of the World Cup. And he left with a stinging rebuke to his bosses. ‘It is no secret I have no relationship with the CEO and not much with the chairman,’ he said.