Barrett insists All Blacks will be World Cup ready with Rennie
NEWS: The All Blacks are adamant there is enough preparation time to be pushing for more glory at next year’s Rugby World Cup despite just appointing a new head coach.
All Blacks star Jordie Barrett stopped short of personally endorsing the surprise hiring of former sacked Wallabies boss Dave Rennie but did offer that his appointment was “exciting”.
“I haven’t spent a whole lot of time with Dave, but it’s exciting for New Zealand rugby,” Barrett said.
“By all reports, he is a good man and a great coach.”
Looking ahead to a World Cup in Australia late next year, Barrett believes the New Zealand side with Rennie at the helm are well-placed to compete for silverware.
The three-time world champions went close to winning again in 2023, losing the final to South Africa under a newly-promoted head coach, Ian Foster.
The timing of Foster’s promotion was offset by his having served as a long-time All Blacks assistant before succeeding Ian Hansen as head coach, while Rennie is being pitched into a brand new role.
“We went through a similar situation two years out from the ’23 World Cup with Ian Foster,” Barrett said on Thursday in Sydney.
“We were a couple of moments away from winning that World Cup, so I think we’ve got enough time (for 2027).”
Rennie has been thrust into this All Blacks position after enduring a sudden firing from the Wallabies head coaching role 10 months out from the 2023 World Cup in France.
Although Barrett is largely unfamiliar with Rennie, one man who does know the new coach well is former Wallabies playmaker Quade Cooper, who offered a glowing endorsement in a pointed social media post lashing Rugby Australia.
“Shout out to coach Dave Rennie,” Cooper posted.
“After the way he was treated by our administration in Australia, to now find himself with arguably the biggest job in rugby feels like a little bit of karma.
“We let one of the best coaches in the game go. Not only did we let him go, we pushed him out the door. So seeing him land on his feet like this, I’m genuinely happy for him.
“The ‘what could have been’ might still come back to bite us, especially with a home World Cup coming in hot.
“Funny how the universe works sometimes. Congrats to the All Blacks for appointing not just a top coach, but a good man who understands that the game is about people first.”
Rennie will have the opportunity to get some redemption against his former employer at the World Cup, with the Wallabies and All Blacks confirmed to face off in Pool A.
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