Wallabies coach Dave Rennie believes "success is only around the corner" for a 0-4 NSW Waratahs side that faces a daunting challenge against the unbeaten Queensland Reds in Sydney on Saturday.
Rennie has spent a week lending a hand at Waratahs HQ and while he was never going to throw them under the bus in front of the press pack, he presented a more upbeat tone than Rugby Australia chief executive Andy Marinos.
"You would think a team 0-4, they'd be at each other's throat but they're still pretty tight, they're working hard together and hopefully they'll put in a performance that highlights that on Saturday," Rennie said.
"There's been some really good coaching going on, some really good detail, the boys are training hard and today's training was really sharp. So if they can put that sort of performance on the park against the Reds it will be a tight game."
Queensland posted a record win over NSW in round one of Super Rugby AU and the Waratahs task has been made even harder with the loss of injured Wallabies loose forwards Jack Dempsey and Lachie Swinton.
Rennie picked 11 Waratahs in his first Wallabies squad last year, a group of 44.
He will unveil a training squad of 40 on Sunday for a three-day camp next month and that number will almost certainly drop sharply.
The Kiwi mentor agreed that a well documented lack of experience was hurting NSW.
READ MORE: Aussie rugby can thrive in spite of woeful Tahs
READ MORE: Winless Waratahs swing axe for grudge match
READ MORE: 'Beserk' contracts spell bad news for Wallabies
"It's a very young group and while they're working hard there's not an enormous amount of experience around them and most of those experienced guys are sitting in the stand injured at the moment," Rennie said.
"So it's been a challenge I reckon but if this week's anything to go by I reckon success is only around the corner."
Rennie had previously visited the Reds, Rebels and Brumbies and will do the same with the Force next month.
He said his role with the clubs was mainly to observe and form relationships while offering feedback to those who sought his counsel.
Wallabies 'mind coach' Dave Diggle has also been at Daceyville this week.
"Certainly these young boys haven't been exposed to rugby at this level, this intensity," Rennie said.
"So certainly from a mental perspective it's important. We had Dave Diggle with us for our entire campaign and he was a busy man. So certainly highly valued and I know the boys enjoyed the session on Monday."
Rennie said under-pressure Tahs coach and fellow New Zealander Rob Penney had been "very welcoming."
"I know Rob well, obviously coached against him a lot and the last few days have been good, a chance to sit around and talk.
"There would be some people in his position who maybe wouldn't be that keen for me to come in – he's been very welcoming. We've had a chance to sit around and talk about footy – he understands it's a young group.
"There's a lot of time on the grass needed and they're certainly working hard."
Waratahs aside, Rennie had been impressed with the first five rounds of Super Rugby AU, which he viewed as a clear step up from last year.
"I honestly believe the quality of the rugby has been better, certainly the other sides have all improved, and we know the Waratahs are a young side and are starting to turn the corner hopefully. Certainly I think the skill-sets have been better, the conditioning and the work around contact; we've seen some good shifts. So I think the quality of rugby has certainly been better."
For all that, Rennie knows the Aussie teams won't be fully tested unless the respective governments allow the planned trans-Tasman Super Rugby competition to go ahead.
"I think it's a step up from what we saw last year and certainly I think the athletes are better conditioned already, skill-sets are better; you look at the quality of that Reds-Brumbies game, it was as good as what we've seen over the Tasman. So we're excited. It's a young man's game here, we've got a lot of kids playing, they've still got a lot to learn but the quality is improving."
For a daily dose of the best of the breaking news and exclusive content from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here!
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.