Wallabies coach to KerrBarlow: thanks, but no thanks
MELBOURNE: Australia coach Dave Rennie has good memories of coaching Tawera KerrBarlow at the Chiefs but says it may be hard to fulfil the former New Zealand halfback’s wish to join his Wallabies team.
Melbourneborn KerrBarlow, who was capped 29 times for the All Blacks and won the 2015 World Cup with them, is eligible to play for Australia after a World Rugby rule change that allows players to switch allegiance for the first time.
Now playing for French club La Rochelle, KerrBarlow told French media on Wednesday he would jump at the chance to play for Australia if he was called up.
Rennie said KerrBarlow had contacted him a few months ago offering his services but the coach could see little room for him in the shortterm.
‘‘At the moment we’ll be loyal to the guys we’ve got,’’ Rennie said yesterday.
‘‘It’s probably our strongest position. To be fair, we’ve got three excellent nines here and Ryan Lonergan in behind that, but as we’ve seen this year, things can change quickly.
‘‘So I’ll certainly keep in contact with Tawera. And yeah, it’s a hell of a resource behind what we’ve already got.’’
KerrBarlow, whose New Zealandborn mother played halfback for Australia in the 1990s, was Rennie’s starting No 9 at the Chiefs when they won backtoback Super Rugby titles in 201213.
He later came off the bench in the 2015 World Cup final in England to help the All Blacks beat Australia 3417 before heading to France in 2018.
Rennie is limited to picking only three overseasbased players in his Wallabies squad per series or competition, which is another obstacle for KerrBarlow.
‘‘Tawera’s been making a big chunk of change over at La Rochelle, so that’s where his future lies,’’ said Rennie.
Current All Blacks coach Ian Foster was uncomfortable with the idea of KerrBarlow playing for the Wallabies given his New Zealand history.
‘‘All I know is the beauty that he brought into the All Blacks camp, he’s a quality person and quality rugby player, so there is no judgement on that decision,’’ he said.
‘‘But what I remember from him is the influence he had in our environment, which is fantastic. To kind of think of that going somewhere else is a bit funny.’’ — Reuters
Timaru Boys’ High School claimed the honours in the oldest continuous interschool in New Zealand yesterday.
The Timaru Boys’ First XV beat Waitaki Boys’ High School 240 in Timaru after leading 100 at halftime in muddy conditions.
The interschool has been played for 138 straight years.