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Cameron Spencer / Getty Images
Dave Rennie of the Wallabies retires ahead of the 2020 Tri-Nations Cup and Bledisloe match between the Australian Wallabies and the New Zealand All Blacks at ANZ Stadium on October 31, 2020 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Cameron Spencer / Getty Images)
The size of Dave Rennie’s job at the Wallabies is now clear after his young team was ripped apart by the All Blacks in Sydney in the third Bledisloe test.
While Ian Foster had the luxury of casting high-level artists like Ngani Laumape, Scott Barrett and Rieko Ioane on the bench, Rennie had to initiate rookies Noah Lolesio and Irae Simone and paid the price on Saturday.
Rick Rycroft / AP
New Zealander Richie Mo’unga, left, beats Wallabies rookie Noah Lolesio to score his during Bledisloe III at Sydney’s Stadium Australia on Saturday.
Rennie was “smashed” after the 43-5 loss in Sydney, but then tried to strike a balance between long-term rebuilding work in Australia and the need to “respond immediately” in Brisbane next weekend.
“We’ve been five to six weeks into a four-year campaign,” Rennie said.
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“We are devastated by the result.
“I have to admit in the first game in Wellington I was nervous about an All Blacks performance that would find us under pressure, but we showed a lot of character that night.
“We’re going to keep working hard, we think we have some good guys coming out, but we have to respond immediately, and the plan is that they’ll see it next week.”
The All Blacks made sure Lolesio had a rough night. Young Wallabies No. 10 didn’t get many opportunities with the ball in hand and was exposed on defense by Richie Mo’unga when the All Blacks playmaker passed him by for his first try.
Mark Kolbe / Getty Images
Dave Rennie looks on before Bledisloe III in Sydney on Saturday. He admitted that the two teams were “polar opposites.”
Rennie acknowledged that Lolesio had struggled, but was not entirely sure that the more experienced James O’Connor would be ready for the Brisbane test.
“Hell [Lolesio] be happy to have one under your belt, ”Rennie said. “I had cramps with about 20 to go, that’s why we removed it.
“He didn’t get a lot of front ball, did he? You will learn a lot from that.
“We would expect it [O’Connor] be be [available].
“He ran reasonably comfortably in a straight line today, but we will evaluate things. We are not looking to throw Noah under the bus. “
Cameron Spencer / Getty Images
All Blacks captain Sam Cane enjoys a satisfying moment with Ian Foster after staying with Bledisloe for another year.
The All Blacks caused trouble for the Wallabies throughout the paddock. Assistant coach John Plumtree must have been thrilled by the effectiveness of the lineout and maul, which put the Wallabies on the back foot, and Rennie admitted both teams were “on pole.”
“You have to give them credit, I thought they were really sharp and clinical,” Rennie said. “His skill set was outstanding under those conditions.
“They had a really smart kicking game that they implemented well.
“I thought they were top-notch and we were a long way off tonight and that’s reflected on the scoreboard.
“We prepare well, but you can’t turn the ball as often as we did. They caught us pushing passes. “
Wallabies captain Michael Hooper, who again lost his personal battle to Sam Cane’s No. 7, agreed with Rennie that they were too careless with possession.
“We’re not flipping the ball that way in training,” Hooper said.
“We ran into a really fancy team tonight and giving them the ball like Dave is talking just doesn’t live up to the standard where we need to be, and they punish you for that sort of thing.
“We made a few small advances, then we turned the ball over and suddenly you’re under pressure again.
“It’s hard to regain momentum when faced with that.”
Cameron Spencer / Getty Images
Jordie Barrett escapes for the All Blacks’ sixth try against the Wallabies.
The All Blacks’ dominating performance will put Rennie under pressure this week as his picks and game plan go under the microscope, and he hinted that changes could be made for the Brisbane test.
“Obviously, we have to look closely at what we are doing and we need a much better performance, and I am sure we will achieve it,” he said.
“But as we’ve talked about, accuracy is key and we feel like we pursued the game from the beginning.
“We were a bit late and there were a lot of blind shots that put us under more pressure.
“I thought they were really impressive. In the first 40 minutes they kicked and found grass. They put us under a lot of pressure.
“We just felt like we needed to hold onto the ball and build some pressure and build some phases … but there was certainly a gulf between the two performances tonight.”
