Warriors keep a Kiwi on their books
CONTRACT NEWS: Glasgow Warriors coach Dave Rennie has signed a one-year contract extension, which will see him remain at Scotstoun until at least June 2020.
The Lower Hutt native – who took over from Gregor Townsend ahead of the 2017/18 campaign – has led the Warriors to two consecutive appearances in the Pro14 play-offs, in addition to a Champions Cup quarterfinal against Saracens this season.
With his side sitting top of the Pro14 try-scoring charts, Rennie’s philosophy of attacking rugby has won plaudits from across Europe.
The former Super Rugby-winning Chiefs coach has also been active in bringing young Scottish players to the fore, with Adam Hastings, George Horne, Stafford McDowall and Grant Stewart amongst those to have flourished during his time in charge.
A former centre, Rennie began his coaching career with Wellington in 1999, before taking charge of the all-conquering New Zealand Under-20 side that claimed three consecutive world titles between 2008 and 2010.
Success at the Chiefs followed as he led the Hamilton-based franchise to back-to-back Super Rugby titles in 2012 and 2013, before making the journey north to Glasgow in 2017.
Glasgow Warriors sit top of Conference A in the Pro14 with two regular season games left to play against Leinster in Dublin this Saturday and at home to Edinburgh on Saturday 27 April.
Speaking to glasgowwarriors.org, Dave Rennie said: “I’ve really enjoyed my first two years in Glasgow. It’s a different challenge for me and there are really good people at the club, so it was an easy decision to stay.
“We didn’t quite get to where we wanted last season, but we’ve got a better side this season and I think the squad we’re building will be even better next season and I’m really keen to be a part of that.
“We’re going to have a lot of guys away at the Rugby World Cup and then our Scotland players will play in the Six Nations, so we won’t see a lot of those men, but we’ve got good depth and it’ll be a great opportunity for others during that period, so there is so reason why we can’t kick on.
“It’s an exciting time for the club and I really appreciate the support we are getting from Scottish Rugby, as we continue to build and develop our squad.”
Scottish Rugby Chief Executive, Mark Dodson, said: “Dave is doing a great job in Glasgow and we’re delighted he is staying to continue building Glasgow Warriors into one of the top teams in Europe.
“He has helped develop a number of young players over the last couple of years and got them into the knockout stages of the Heineken Champions Cup and Pro14.
“We’re looking forward to seeing the team continue to develop under Dave and his coaching team next season.”
Glasgow Warriors Managing Director, Nathan Bombrys, added: “We’re very pleased that Dave has extended his stay at Glasgow Warriors. He’s been great to work with and you can see that the players really enjoy playing for him. It has been rewarding to see our players really blossom under his coaching.
“Dave and his coaches led us to our second-ever Heineken Champions Cup quarterfinal earlier this season, and now into the Pro14 Final Series for the second consecutive year.
“Dave comes to work every day hungry to win trophies for this club and I know he’s absolutely focussed on the immediate task of securing a home semi-final over these next two games.”
