Water is thicker than blood for Rennies
Rarotonga builder Mike Rennie got a warning phone call from his little brother this week: news was about to break that Dave would be the new Wallabies rugby coach.
For some that might have set up a family dilemma – do I cheer for Dave and Australia, or the All Blacks?
Not so, there was never any suggestion the rest of the Rennie clan in the Cook Islands might switch Bledisloe Cup allegiances.
His family might now cheer for Australia against England – but never against the All Blacks, Mike Rennie told Cook Islands News.
‘‘He wouldn’t ask me an obvious question like that,’’ Mike Rennie said.
‘‘Of course it will be the All Blacks. But I’m sure the family will support him when Australia plays England – anyone but the All Blacks.’’
While Dave was excited and up for it, the family were ‘‘a little concerned’’ about the great Australian clobbering machine.
‘‘As long as he does well he’ll be fine – as long as he starts winning. I think he knows what he’s getting himself into,’’ Mike Rennie said.
On Wednesday Dave Rennie was named to succeed Michael Cheika as Wallabies coach. Once he finishes with Glasgow in July next year, he will take up the challenge of leading Australian through to the 2023 World Cup.
The confirmation means 55-year-old Rennie – like Warren Gatland, Jamie Joseph and Tony Brown – is out of the race to be the next All Blacks coach.
Mike Rennie said the move to
Australia would bring his brother closer to his children in Hamilton and Palmerston North, which was important to him. He believed that was the clincher in moving back to the Southern Hemisphere. ‘‘It’s a long flight from Glasgow or Italy.’’
Dave was a regular visitor to Rarotonga prior to their mother’s death three years ago, and Mike hoped to see more of him again. ‘‘He’s talking about the direct flight from Sydney – we’ll see!’’
Australians Matt Taylor, Scott Wisemantel and Nick Stiles are at the top of Rugby Australia’s hit list to join Dave Rennie’s Wallabies coaching set-up.
World Cup-winning former Wallabies No 8 Toutai Kefu is also on the radar of top officials within Rugby Australia, as is Rebels attack coach Shaun Berne, who worked with the Wallabies on a short-term contract this year.
Rennie said he wanted the Wallabies to play a ‘‘high-skill, high-speed’’ brand of rugby and his first priority was recruiting a team of Australians to help him build that. When he links with the team next July, his first assignment will be Ireland for two tests and Fiji for one.
Taylor, currently defence coach with Scotland, could be the first name signed by Rennie and director of rugby Scott Johnson.
‘‘There’ll be a couple of sleepless nights and a lot of phone calls over the next couple of weeks,’’ Johnson said.