New All Black coach Dave Rennie is relishing the chance to be tested against the best when his charges arrive in South Africa for Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry Tour.
New Zealand Rugby is coming out of an unprecedented period. The All Blacks suffered a record 43-10 loss at the hands of the Springboks and were even coachless for nearly two months until this week’s announcement of Rennie’s appointment.
And Rennie has to hit the ground running. The former Wallaby coach has just five months before France, Italy and Ireland arrive in the Land of the Long White Cloud for the Nations Cup, starting 4 July.
Then it’s out of the frying pan and into the fire for the All Blacks as they jet off to the Republic for the inaugural RGR Tour, where the All Blacks play eight matches. While Rennie is under no illusions as to the challenge that lies ahead, he’s embracing it.
“The rivalry is massive, isn’t it? I’m really excited about that tour,” said the Wellington legend.
“Some people might think it’s daunting, but were going to get six weeks in Africa with 40-odd players. Thats a massive opportunity for us to really drive culture, get a lot of detail around our game model, and come out of there 12 months away from a World Cup with a genuine clarity and excitement.”
New Zealand Rugby chairman David Kirk was encouraged by Rennie’s attitude towards the watershed tour, where
noted the South Africa tour as a particular point of interest for the new coach, and had a message for the All Blacks opponents after appointing Rennie as Scott Robertson’s successor.
“Dave told all of us on the [appointment] panel that he’s very excited about the South African tour, because he’s going to have the team together for the six or seven weeks in the cauldron of competitive intensity, and that’s exactly what we need in the lead-up to the World Cup next year,” said Kirk.
Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry tour fixtures:
Friday, 7 August: v Stormers, Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town
Tuesday, 11 August: v Sharks, Kings Park, Durban
Saturday, 15 August: v Vodacom Bulls, Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
Saturday, 22 August: v Springboks, Ellis Park, Johannesburg
Tuesday, 25 August: v Lions, Ellis Park, Johannesburg
Saturday, 29 August: v Springboks, Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town
Saturday, 5 September: v Springboks, FNB Stadium, Johannesburg
Saturday 12 September: v Springboks, M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore
