Dave Rennie sacked - replaced by Eddie Jones

Didn't see that coming!

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/rugby-union/rennie-sacked-eddie-jones-to-coach-wallabies-at-world-cup-20230116-p5ccq1.html?btis

Well he certainly didn't waste any time...

That means Dave Rennie was right when he said he wouldn't be coaching the Wallabies with Eddie Jones at the upcoming World Cup. Though not in the way he meant.

That five year contract not only takes in two World Cups, it also includes a Lions tour, which is something Jones has never been involved with before.

Aussies will be incredibly competitive for the world cup then...and then 2 years down the line Jones will be sacked.

I knew he was in line for a role with Aus but wasn't expecting Rennie sacked and Jones as head coach.

RWC just got even more interesting.

Aside from the rugby opportunities the new job affords, Australia suits his family life. His wife lives in Australia, and his daughter works in Tokyo, which is at least in the same time zone. Assume Jones will keep his role with Suntory too, which will be easier to do while based in Australia.

If Jones is looking for assistants, then Brett Hodgson is available. Wonder if Scott Wisemantel left because he realized Jones was on the way back.

Good timing for Dave Rennie, there's a spot available at Welford Road.

This is the job Eddie covers, I'm sure there will be some dead cat bounce. He's also taking on the women's team as well which is a first but a welcome one I'm sure.

Eddie should have a selection of coaches already as I think everyone bar Rennie has been retained so it'll just be replacing Wisemantel he needs to worry about and worry he will because that was a failure of his during his England tenure.

Shocking treatment of Rennie. Some of Australia’s performances were really impressive in the autumn despite results.

England should hire him immediately in case we come up against Australia.

Rennie will be well in the frame for the Scotland job after the World Cup. Knows the Scottish set-up, and a good number of the players

My gut feeling is Rennie will want to be back in NZ rather than taking up another European job. He’d be a fantastic coach for Scotland but before he left the Glasgow job he mentioned in an interview that his wife was a bit homesick. Family was a big theme during his time with Glasgow so maybe he’ll be looking to put his family first.

bsando wrote:My gut feeling is Rennie will want to be back in NZ rather than taking up another European job. He’d be a fantastic coach for Scotland but before he left the Glasgow job he mentioned in an interview that his wife was a bit homesick. Family was a big theme during his time with Glasgow so maybe he’ll be looking to put his family first.

I am not that sold on the idea of DR coming back to Scotland, but as an international coach, he would not need to be in the country the whole time, unlike when he was a club coach. Gatland and Jones certainly seem to spend a fair bit of time back in their respective homelands. I don't believe either of their wives ever moved over here with them.

Yeah I don't see a lot of enthusiasm from Scotland fans if Rennie is appointed coach. His time at Glasgow was certainly mixed and he had questionable man management techniques, but then again some players said he was the best coach they'd ever worked with

Sound familiar...?

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/rugby-union/secret-meetings-and-a-chicken-dinner-the-inside-story-of-jones-wallabies-return-20230116-p5cctj.html?btis

Good article here. If it's behind a paywall, in short RA have been courting Jones for a long time and has been meeting up with him in secret both in UK and Australia. The original intention was to bring him in after the WC but when he was sacked from England they acted quickly.

Tell you what this has been headline news in Australia which is rarely the case with Rugby - I guess that's part of why they've brought him in too.

RDW wrote:Yeah I don't see a lot of enthusiasm from Scotland fans if Rennie is appointed coach. His time at Glasgow was certainly mixed and he had questionable man management techniques, but then again some players said he was the best coach they'd ever worked with

Sound familiar...?

There's fortyish blokes in a club rugby squad, it's rare you find someone that can come in and just be in tune and motivational to everyone there whilst also being a great tactician. Different characters react differently to different environments it must be tough. It's often mentioned how in sync Borthwick was with the Tigers squad before stepping up to England but they often overlook the pretty brutal clear out of anyone he deemed to have the wrong type of personality or temperament for what he wanted to build (he was somewhat aided by the quality and mentality of the guys coming through). Rennie won the Junior World's with NZ under 20s and a couple of Super Rugby titles, he can't be a bad coach and Glasgow weren't poor under him.

“Rugby Australia were privately said to be astonished that the RFU had not insisted on a non-compete clause in Jones’ severance package which enabled them to fast-tracked their plans”

Why would Jones have signed a severance package that wasn't equivalent to full time international salary though? And why would the RFU then sack him and not simply move him. They don't have the money to do something as stupid as that.