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Louie Douvis / Sydney Morning Herald
Rob Penney was fired by the Waratahs after Saturday’s tough loss to Queensland.
NSW Waratahs coach Rob Penney has been abruptly fired after his team’s abject 0-5 start to the AU Super Rugby season.
New Zealander Penney was informed of the decision Sunday morning, and his assistants Jason Gilmore and Chris Whitaker were named interim head coaches for the remainder of the season.
The board says its decision was made after consulting with CEO Paul Doorn and the high-performance committee following five consecutive losses, three of them record losses.
Saturday night’s 46-14 loss to the undefeated Queensland Reds was the final straw.
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In the second season of a three-year contract, the 56-year-old Penney was struggling to extract consistent performances from an inexperienced team after a slew of high-profile players left the organization with cash problems in recent years. .
In a brief statement to the Sydney morning herald, the former Canterbury coach said he was “desperate to stay and be a part of rebuilding.”
In the last two years alone, the Waratahs have lost more than 1800 international Super Rugby matches in experience, including Wallabies captain Michael Hooper, playmakers Kurtley Beale, Bernard Foley and more than 100 test forwards Sekope Kepu and Rob Simmons.
The Tahs have also endured a miserable injury streak this season, losing captain Jake Gordon and several other senior players.
“The Waratahs acknowledge that Penney has been training a roster of inexperienced players relative to the other states,” the board said in a statement.
“However, after the game reviews, the board was not convinced that there would be a significant improvement in the team for him to continue in the role.”
Mark Kolbe / Getty Images
The Waratahs have lost their first five games in Super Rugby AU this season.
Penney’s firing came just hours after he called for more resources and better targeted recruiting to accelerate progress as the Waratah face the prospect of becoming the first Australian team in 25 years of Super Rugby to endure a campaign. no victories.
“We need resources and we have to recruit strategically in a couple of areas so the organization can move faster than just relying on young guys to get through,” Penney said after Saturday night’s loss.
“There are many problems that have culminated in what is now a very ugly-looking game series.
“If it weren’t for the caliber of the people in the organization and the caliber of the men who are in the group trying to take pride in the jersey, then this would have exploded and massively disintegrated.
“Nobody likes it. Nobody is enjoying it, in terms of results, but there is a real determination to try to improve each week.”
He insisted that he wanted to stay at work, saying from experience that he believes “the worm spins” in these situations.
“I love what I’m doing,” Penney said. “With the initial stages when they brought me in, it was (a question of) could I bring a young group?
“Of course I can. I would back up my record against anyone to be able to do that.
“(But) it is necessary to have a combination of youth surrounded by experience.”
Also speaking after the game, Queensland coach Brad Thorn urged the Waratahs to “play the long game” with Penney as the Reds did with him during his rebuild.
