Cooper and McKellar commend new All Blacks head coach Dave Rennie
NSW Waratahs head coach Dan McKellar and former Wallabies playmaker Quade Cooper have extended their congratulations to Dave Rennie on his appointment as the All Blacks’ coach, occurring just three years after he was let go by Rugby Australia.
On Wednesday, Rennie was officially named the head coach of the three-time world champions, with the 62-year-old succeeding Scott Robertson on an 18-month contract that currently runs until the conclusion of next year’s Rugby World Cup.
His elevation to this prominent position adds another dimension to the already compelling Pool A encounter in Sydney next year, where the Wallabies will face the All Blacks at Stadium Australia, and Rennie will be positioned against many players he previously coached.
Cooper will not be participating, having retired following last year’s Japanese League Two season. However, the fly-half, who was remarkably recalled from the Test sidelines by Rennie in 2021, quickly expressed his support for Rennie’s new role while also taking a jab at Rugby Australia.
“Shout out to coach Dave Rennie. 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,” Cooper posted on X on Wednesday afternoon.
“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. That will play a huge role in their culture.”
Cooper’s return to Test rugby in 2021 came after he had been largely sidelined by Rennie’s predecessor Michael Cheika, with the New Zealand-born playmaker reaching out to Rennie to offer assistance at Australian training sessions.
His influence on both Rennie and the Wallabies was significant, leading to him being awarded the No. 10 jersey and playing a crucial role in Australia achieving a 4-2 record in the 2021 Rugby Championship, which included consecutive victories over the reigning world champion Springboks.
Injury and an unfortunate player release situation limited his participation afterward, but Cooper’s match-winning penalty against South Africa on the Gold Coast remains one of the standout moments of his career.
However, the bond between the two will not have Cooper supporting Rennie next year, at least not against Australia, as the 37-year-old remarked that the Kiwi is now “the enemy.”
McKellar, on the other hand, was another individual who thrived under Rennie’s guidance, having been brought in as a Wallabies assistant in 2021. At that time, it appeared McKellar was being prepared to take over from Rennie, only for Rugby Australia to completely dismantle the setup when they dismissed the New Zealander and appointed Eddie Jones.
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McKellar declined an offer from Jones to remain with the Wallabies, and while his stint with English giants Leicester did not yield success, he has since returned to Australia and taken the helm at the Waratahs.
Also commenting on Wednesday following Rennie’s appointment, McKellar expressed his excitement for his former mentor.
“I think I’m probably one of Dave’s biggest supporters to be honest,” McKellar told reporters. “He gave me an opportunity at the international level. I think he’s a tremendous coach, but he’s an even better bloke, a great family, and I don’t think I’d be alone in saying that I’m incredibly happy for him and [wife] Steph and the kids.
“It’s probably a dream come true as a New Zealander, he gets the opportunity to coach his country. Just really pleased for him.”
“My joy for Dave has nothing to do with what’s happened with Rens and the Wallabies. We all move on. It’s high performance and decisions are made, Dave moved on quickly. I don’t think Dave’s ever addressed it publicly, and that just says a lot about the man.
“He’s had a successful period up there with Kobe, and there’s no doubt that he’s made them better, I think they’re sitting second or certainly in the top three of the Japanese League One. I’m just really pleased for him… I just think personally for him and his family, it’s a great story.”
Reflecting on his experience with the Wallabies on Wednesday, largely for the first time since his dismissal at the beginning of 2023, Rennie chose to take the high road. Instead of criticizing RA or its now-former chairman Hamish McLennan, the Kiwi instead acknowledged the group of players, including Michael Hooper and Len Ikitau, who were later overlooked by Jones for the World Cup in France.
“I’ve got no regrets. I’ve got a lot of strong relationships there, I learnt a lot from coaching at that level,” Rennie said regarding his tenure with the Wallabies.
“It wasn’t an ideal end, obviously I didn’t get the chance to go to a World Cup, but I felt more for probably about 13 or 14 players who would have gone to a World Cup with me who didn’t get to go either.”
