Wallabies to fire under Dave Rennie after academy helps All Blacks, Springboks dominate rugby
A star-studded rugby academy that has taken New Zealand and South Africa to the top of the world is now in Australia - and Dave Rennie was one of its brightest students.
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Murray Mexted has made the admission Kiwis never thought they’d hear.
The proud former All Black, founder of an extraordinarily successful rugby development program for young players and coaches that is now starting in Australia, concedes that if the Wallabies reap the benefits of the intelligence and win the next World Cup it will benefit the global game.
Mexted and former All Blacks captain Sean Fitzpatrick started the program 20 years ago in New Zealand, where talented young players are individually mentored by greats of the game, and coincidentally the Kiwis have gone on to win 17 successive Bledisloe Cup series and back-to-back World Cups in 2011 and 2015.
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Then 10 years ago, they implemented the program in South Africa and interestingly, the Springboks won the World Cup this year.
Australian rugby fans can only dream a similar outcome is destined for the Wallabies.
“If that happened, of course that would mean we (New Zealand) wouldn’t win it,” Mexted said.
“The reason I went to South Africa 10 years ago is because [former Springboks coach] Nick Mallett said to me, ‘Murray, the big picture is rugby’. The little picture is rugby in your country, the big picture is what does rugby do, and what it does is build better people, and bring people together.
“If you look at the big picture and that did come to fruition, then that would be good for the game.”
The International Rugby Academy of Australia will start camps at Sydney Olympic Park from January, and feature personal tuition from some of the greatest minds including John Eales, George Gregan, Phil Kearns, Nick Farr-Jones, David Campese, Matt Burke, Rod Kafer, Andrew Mehrtens, Australian women’s captain Grace Hamilton, and Michael Lynagh - patron of the program.
The academy is also designed to develop coaches, and one of its success stories is new Wallabies coach Dave Rennie, who Mexted believes will turn Australia into a try-scoring force.
“He is strategically astute, he was an inside centre, the core role of an inside centre is to create space for others to score,” Mexted said.
“So he understands space. He knows how to use width, how to score tries. Dave Rennie’s teams always score tries.
“He’s had 10 years at IRANZ (the original academy in New Zealand), surrounded by the highest level of expertise in the world - that’s my claim. No other academy brings this level on a one-on-one environment.
“I’ve challenged people to find me another academy that brings a better level in a one-on-one environment, and there isn’t one. So if you’re working in that environment for 10 years, you’re going to learn a hell of a lot.
“So his in-depth knowledge of all positions, of all areas of the game, is huge.”
The not-for-profit academy is independent from Rugby Australia but encouraged by them, and allows male and female players aged between 11 to 18 to attend three-day to three-week camps.
The first week-long player camp starting January 18, 2020, costs $2850 and includes food, accommodation and coaching.
“One of the most positive aspects is the specific coaching of each position, games are broken up into quarters and you can pull your guy aside after one quarter and say this is what you did well, this is what I want you to work on for the next quarter,” 1999 World Cup-winning captain Eales said.
“You keep chatting to them and that individual feedback is so powerful for some of them.
“The exposure is unique. This creates a vehicle for young players and young coaches to get a whole raft of different experience.”
LYNAGH BACKS WAR COUNCIL TO PUT WALLABIES RIGHT
A complete overhaul of Australian rugby governance is supported by Wallabies legend Michael Lynagh following the World Cup disaster and decline in engagement.
Rugby Australia chairman Cameron Clyne announced earlier this week he’ll step down next March, while deputy chair Brett Robinson will also go having served his maximum nine-year term. The board will also need a replacement for the departed Ann Sherry. Paul McLean was also tipped to stand down, however he has indicated interest in seeking reappointment.
The fact Clyne heads a four-man nominations committee to pick his own successor has led to calls for him to step down immediately, while many rugby fans and officials have called for an entire clean-out of the board.
“I’ve read a lot about it, how it needs to be torn down and a war council put in, actually that may not be a bad idea,” Lynagh told The Daily Telegraph.
“Is the total structure of the whole constitution fit for purpose at the moment? The track record would say no.
“It’s going to take some big people that say ‘OK, we need to assess this and see how we can make it a bit more conducive to promoting and making this game back on track’.
“There’s some good signs, club rugby in Queensland and NSW, the under-20s, schoolboys. It’s more the next step up with Super Rugby and Tests.”
Lynagh, a multi-millionaire businessman who is managing director of Dow Jones for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, had given thought to running for the RA board but decided to stay in London given his three teenage children are settled.
However, he is happy to give his advice to those governing the game here, and will play a crucial role in developing the next generation of Wallaby talent as patron of the International Rugby Academy of Australia program that will also bring through local coaches.
Former Wallabies captain Phil Kearns will be a mentor in the academy and said it could begin a turning of the tide for the game.
“The World Cup was a disappointing result for us, the performances in Super Rugby has been disappointing as well, so at most levels of our professional game we haven’t excelled so you’ve got to look to change,” Kearns said.
“Something like this academy is a great opportunity to get that change going, we’re going to see it at the board level with four directors going so there’ll be change there.
“And maybe that will be good for Australian rugby going forward. If we keep on the same path we’re going to end up eighth, ninth, tenth in the world and that’s not good enough.
“Coaching in Australia has been poor for the last 15 years and to get our coaches coached properly is going to be a massive step. Some of the best coaches in the world have come through this program; Jamie Joseph, Tony Brown, Joe Schmidt – who took Ireland to No. 1 in the world – Dave Rennie came through IRANZ.
“Everything I’ve heard about Rennie has been excellent. Stephen Donald told me he’s the best coach he’s ever had, Stu Barnes told me that at Glasgow he’s done amazing things so I’m very optimistic about Dave coming on board.
“We have athletic ability in this country, it’s the skills we need to work on and the coaching.
“The negativity around the game will change when people start seeing results, and when they see their kids wanting to play rugby rather than other codes, and when they see the Wallabies and Waratahs winning.
“That’s when attitudes will change.
“That’s probably not going to happen tomorrow, it might take four or five years to come through the cycle but in the history of rugby five years isn’t a long time.”
Originally published as Wallabies to fire under Dave Rennie after academy helps All Blacks, Springboks dominate rugby