Dave Rennie (2000 – 2002)
Dave Rennie has rugby memories all around the walls of his Upper Hutt pub, The Lonely Goatherd.
But pride of place is taken by a wall hanging put together from a Wellington Evening Post headline – “Blood, Sweat and 14 Years” and photos from Wellington’s first NPC title since 1986, won by Rennie’s Lions team of 2000.
Last year, though, he sat and watched – and filled in his spare Saturday and weekly time by coaching the Upper Hutt Rugby Club’s under-21s.
Such is the professional life of a rugby coach these days. It’s all decided on success, and Rennie is the first to admit he’s disappointed his 2001 team could finish only sixth, and the 2002 team fifth.
The aim of the team in 2002 was a home semi-final. Tough. But Rennie and assistant Ellis Meachen didn’t make it, and they suffered the consequences, despite many good things about the year – especially the introduction of young players like Ross Kennedy, Tim Fairbrother and Thomas Waldrom.
But the thing that probably cost Rennie was the last minute try that Canterbury scored to retain the Ranfurly Shield in 2001 in that epic match more remembered in the Wellington area for controversial refereeing decisions by Steve Walsh than anything else.
If Wellington had taken the Shield that day, Rennie would probably still have had the job in 2003.
Such is life for the professional rugby coach.
Rennie himself played 59 matches for Wellington as a midfield back from 1986 through to 1991, and was helping his Upper Hutt mate Wayne Guppy coach Wellington B when Graham Mourie invited him to join him with the top side in 1999.
They started to build a side that year, could have taken the shield from Waikato – but didn’t – and then beat the same side in the NPC semi before falling to Auckland at Eden Park in the final.
The All Blacks were away at the World Cup at the time, and Wellington’s young team lacked self-belief that day – only coming right when it was too late.
“That was an important year,” Rennie says. “With the big boys away we had done some recruiting and some young guys were coming through – like Jerry Collins. But I’m not really convinced the boys were confident we could beat Auckland. It was only in the last quarter they realised they could do it, they stormed home, but it was too late. But it did give us confidence for the next year.”
Mourie had to forego his Lions chief coach role in 2000 to concentrate on the Hurricanes, and Rennie stepped up to the plate, with Mourie as “technical advisor.”
It could have been awkward, but Rennie says Mourie made life very easy for him in the next two seasons.
“It was a real privilege to work with Goss (Mourie) and I learnt an enormous amount from him. He was a big support as technical advisor – but even in 1999 I had a fair say in how we played. Obviously Goss had a similar input into 2000 and 2001.”
The 2000 year started well, but then the Lions had a mid-season horror patch against Auckland and North Harbour. Rennie came out to face the media within five minutes of the end of the North Harbour game, which Wellington lost by 20 but should have lost by 40. It was a gutsy effort by a man who never failed to appreciate the part the media had to play.
“No-one, especially the players, will disagree it was a pretty horrible piece of rugby against North Harbour,” Rennie says. The team sat down and sorted a few things out, and made a few – “minor,” says Rennie – changes to the game plan.
“Attitude was the main thing though,” Rennie said. “And for the last six weeks it was outstanding.”
The team sneaked into the playoffs, went to Auckland and walloped them in the semi, and then went down to Christchurch to take on a full Crusaders-type team and grab the NPC in one of the great matches. Back home, the airport was thronged by around 3000 people on the Sunday morning, and many thousands saluted the team in the street parade early the next week.
It was the stadium’s first year, celebrated by the first NPC victory for 14 years.
Good memories for Rennie. And they could have been even better in 2001. The team had a shocking start, losing to Bay of Plenty at the Stadium, followed by losses to Southland and Waikato.
But the shield awaited, and early in the second half Wellington’s stars had come to the party – and Lome Fa’atau had sped to two tries – and Canterbury was staggering.
They came back, as they always did, a couple of questionable penalties were given, and not given, and Canterbury sneaked home in the final second.
“We have to live with that,” Rennie said. “I just felt sorry for guys like Filo (Tiatia), Inoke (Afeaki) and Jason (O’Halloran). It was their last chance to get their hands on the Log.”
It spelt the end for Wellington too. Sixth was its place as the players struggled to get their motivation going again.
Come 2002, and Rennie and Ellis Meachen decided to have a bit of a clean-out and start again.
“The whole thing was to bring through some young players, blood them and hopefully create a new base for Wellington,” Rennie said.
They did create that base, but the loss of Jerry Collins and Luke Andrews (after one game), really knocked the forward power, and Wellington missed that top four spot which would have saved Rennie’s bacon.
Rennie doesn’t harbour or hold grudges though.
“We weren’t hard done by. It’s all based on results these days and a home semi was our target. We didn’t make it.”
Similarly he and Mourie lost their Hurricanes jobs after a mediocre season.
So he had time with his family, time with his pub and time with the Upper Hutt under-21s.
“It’s been a lot of fun, and a lot of fun watching the Hurricanes.”
And that headline will stay on the wall.