Dave Rennie out, Eddie Jones back in!

[Fuzz]

Hey @Ken Gargett! Have you heard the latest news?

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-01-16/wallabies-sack-dave-rennie-coach-eddie-jones-rugby-world-cup/101858008

Dave Rennie sacked, Eddie Jones back as Wallabies coach eight months before 2023 Rugby World Cup

Eddie Jones coached the Wallabies from 2001 to 2005.(AP Photo: Christophe Ena)

The Wallabies have sacked coach Dave Rennie less than eight months before the men's Rugby World Cup, with former mentor Eddie Jones returning to the Australian set-up.

Key points:

• Jones coached the Wallabies from 2001 to 2005, including a World Cup final in 2003
• Rugby Australia says it could not pass up the chance to get Jones back for the World Cup, starting in September
• Rennie had coached the Wallabies since 2020 and finished with 13 wins from 34 games

 

Jones will coach the men's national team and "oversee the Wallaroos program as Rugby Australia pushes forward towards a professional future for the Women's XVs game".

"As a proud Australian, it is a great honour to be able to come home and lead the national team during these years," Jones said.

"The Wallabies squad is a really talented group of players with good depth — if we can have everyone fit and healthy going into the World Cup this year, I am confident that we can go to France and break the 24-year drought of winning the Rugby World Cup.

"I saw how gutsy the Wallaroos were in the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand last year — it looks like there is a real spirit in that group that will drive the women's program forward ahead of their next World Cup in 2025."

The 62-year-old, who coached the Wallabies from 2001 to 2005, has been in charge of Japan (2012-15) and England (2015-22) for the past decade.

Just as he did with the Wallabies in 2003, he coached England to a runner-up finish at the last men's World Cup, in 2019, and ended with a 73 per cent winning record.

Jones's contract will last until 2027, with Rugby Australia (RA) chairman Hamish McLennan saying his understanding of the sport in Australia should serve him well in his second stint in charge.

Dave Rennie has been let go by Rugby Australia.(Getty: Chris Hyde)

"It is a major coup for Australian rugby to have the best coach in the world return home to coach the iconic Wallabies and to oversee the Wallaroos program," McLennan said.

"Eddie's deep understanding of our rugby system and knowledge of our player group and pathways will lift the team to the next level.

"Eddie instinctively understands the Australian way of playing rugby — this represents an opportunity to secure a coach of immense expertise and experience at the biggest competitions, and we did not want to miss it."

This year's men's World Cup starts in early September in France.

The Wallabies battled with a massive injury toll in 2022 and finished with a 5-9 win-loss record, taking Rennie's overall record with the team to 13 wins, 18 losses and three draws since taking over in 2020.

"Dave has been instrumental in developing much of the depth that we see in and around the current Wallabies squad; there are a number of players that are genuine World Cup possibilities because of opportunities that Dave has provided," RA chief executive Andy Marinos said.

"The work ethic, the spirit within the group, and the way the team carries itself are all a direct result of Dave's input – he has made a real mark on this group of players."

[JohnS]

I envisage that @Ken Gargett is trying (unsuccessfully) to calm down right now. Toxic frogs can do that to you!

[Fuzz]

Could this be thread incitement? Do I need to give myself a warning?

[JohnS]

I'm thinking maybe this type of warning...

[Ken Gargett]

guys, to be honest, my interest in rugby is a fraction of what it was. really lost the drive and care little. a real shame but when you get dills running the sport into the ground, what can one expect. hardly missed attending a game for decades. now, have not even bothered to renew my tickets. won't bother attending another game. 

at least kyrios is out of the aust open - so a positive day over all.

been watching the NFL and I would watch that ahead of rugby every day of the week these days. 

Not all that fussed either way. Rennie should’ve been sacked a long time ago. truly incompetent. a win record in the 30% range. given we play a number of minnows, that is beyond embarrassing. 

The vermin from Randwick were always going to do everything they could to get Jones back in. Even though I actually like Phil Kearns, there is no way in the world he should be allowed anywhere near administrating anything. I wouldn’t trust him to fill a teapot. he is apparently a great mate of hamish mclennan who is our chairman. and i believe that this is what has been behind bringing back the toxic hobbit, another randwick "person". don't know much about mclennan but he is obviously a good businessman, but who knows re rugby. he has put nz completely offside - didn't they call him a pantomine villain? - although that is hardly a crime, and isolated us even more. He is believed to see the game purely in monetary terms. so that throws up massive red flags. 

The local coaches must be over the moon. Not good enough to replace the worst wallaby coach in history and then when he does go, they bring in a bloke fro outside  that they’ve sacked previously. and locked him in for five years. although we all know that they'll be paying that contract out early. 

Jones has a worse record than both Greg Smith and Robbie Deans. does no one remember the howling at both and yet jones is worse???? He is sacked by England. Does that not tell these morons anything? but they claim he is the best coach in rugby - a good mate was very close to a number of people who coached with jones. the stories make you wonder how he is not in a rubber room. 

When I saw this,  I realised just how little I care about rugby any more. I will find it very hard to support any side coached by Eddie Jones even if it is the Wallabies. 

But to be honest I’m really not going to care much either way. If the Broncos or even the Brisbane Lions are on at the same time as the World Cup, I know what I won’t be watching. hell, if a Masterchef repeat is on at the same time, i suspect it will have priority. 

 

[99call]

Thankfully the idiots in blazers at the Welsh Rugby Union were not stupid enough to consider the Toxic Hobbit.        I think him referring to Wales as "a little shit place" might have had something to do with it. 

I'm genuinely amazed Aussie (even if they are in a bad bad place)  have decided to go back to this bellend.      It's like the Brexit affect. you make people suffer enough, they will eventually put the gun in their own mouth. 

[JohnS]

As Ken implied, Eddie Jones has a number of old-time friends from Randwick Rugby Union Club (in Sydney) that have backed him here. This suburban club has a long history of success. A number of players that played or coached at the highest level came through that club in the past.

So, in brief, it's not hard to understand therefore where Eddie garnered the necessary support for this move.

[Ken Gargett]

5 minutes ago, JohnS said:

As Ken implied, Eddie Jones has a number of old-time friends from Randwick Rugby Union Club (in Sydney) that have backed him here. This suburban club has a long history of success. A number of players that played or coached at the highest level came through that club in the past.

So, in brief, it's not hard to understand therefore where Eddie garnered the necessary support for this move.

my apologies, John. i was not trying to "imply". rather just stating it as a bold disgraceful fact. 

a lot were shoehorned into sides way above their abilities - lloyd walker, david knox, finnigan and so on. finnigan was not too bad, just not as good as some others at times when he was preferred. 

plenty who were decent still got the nod ahead of better players - the ellas for example. 

the old saying was you had more chance of playing for the wallabies if you were in the randwick reserve grade team than if you played for Qld - kearns for example. any wonder there is still resentment and mistrust from the good guys. it never ends. jobs and positions in the team for old mates. they really are as bad as politicians. 

[JohnS]

Ken, there's not much needed to add to that.

We need to remember that the last great era of the Australian Rugby Union team included players outside the Randwick Rugby Union club. Such famous Queenslanders as John Eales, Michael Lynagh, Tim Horan, Jason Little, Daniel Herbert etc.

A similar thing could be said for Australian Cricket administration in the recent past. The late David Hookes (prior to his passing in 2004), during his playing days for South Australia, famously lamented that the easiest pathway to playing cricket for Australia was to been a member of an ordinary New South Wales state side.

Maybe, not much has changed since?

[Ken Gargett]

4 minutes ago, JohnS said:

Ken, there's not much needed to add to that.

We need to remember that the last great era of the Australian Rugby Union team included players outside the Randwick Rugby Union club. Such famous Queenslanders as John Eales, Michael Lynagh, Tim Horan, Jason Little, Daniel Herbert etc.

A similar thing could be said for Australian Cricket administration in the recent past. The late David Hookes (prior to his passing in 2004), during his playing days for South Australia, famously lamented that the easiest pathway to playing cricket for Australia was to been a member of an ordinary New South Wales state side.

Maybe, not much has changed since?

for years, it was well known that playing cricket for Qld meant you were ineligible for australia in the eyes of the selectors. unless you had moved from nsw. i think most states have long felt that. 

we saw it with league - the shame of not picking big artie for that english tour for a start. the number of times we won origin, thumping the blusers, and then were lucky to get a handful into the roos. 

the last great wallaby team, world cup winners in 1999, had 9 qld starters i think. 3 or 4 from the ACT and three from NSW. and none of them were from randwick.