Brodie Retallick adds caveat to ‘no consideration’ response to Dave Rennie’s All Blacks return call
Brodie Retallick and an inset of new All Blacks boss Dave Rennie.
On his first day as the new All Blacks head coach, Dave Rennie already pitched the idea of selecting overseas players with Brodie Retallick at the top of his shortlist.
The legendary lock is currently plying his trade under Rennie at the Kobelco Kobe Steelers in the Japanese Rugby League One competition, and according to the head coach is ‘stronger’ and ‘fitter than he’s ever been’.
Retallick has been a try-scoring machine in Japan this season having dotted down 11 times in 10 matches, leading the competition in tries scored with Kobe sitting in second place overall on the log.
New All Blacks boss calls out Brodie Retallick
Japan head coach Eddie Jones has also hailed his performances, stating that he is the best player in the league right now by a mile. He added that if was taking over the All Blacks role, he would be attempting to lure Retallick back to New Zealand and select him.
Rennie made no bones of the fact that he is eager to get the 100+ cap lock back into the black jersey.
“I’ll comment on Brodie Retallick. I get to see him train and play every week. He’s stronger than he’s ever been,” he told reporters at his first press conference.
“He’s fitter than he’s ever been. I’m not sure if I’m allowed to, but there’s no doubt you want to win a World Cup; ideally, you’ve got your best players available.”
In an interview with Sky Sports NZ, he added: “I think there’ll be players who earned the right to go overseas and cash in, who have committed to the country with Super Rugby and to the All Blacks, so obviously, a lot of people keep talking about Brodie, I don’t know if I could talk him into coming back for a World Cup, but I’ve already mentioned it to him.”
Retallick’s response
Rennie’s comments prompted a text from Retallick’s mom, who wanted to find out if he was really considering a return to the All Blacks jersey, a question the majority of New Zealand wanted an answer to as well.
“I even had my mum text me about that, so he’s kinda of throwing me out there,” Retallick told D’Arcy Waldegrave on Newstalk ZB.
“But honestly, I’ll put no consideration into it, to be fair.”
The 34-year-old says that he was well aware of New Zealand Rugby’s selection policy when he signed a contract with Kobe after the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
Unless things change in that regard, he is set to stick to his plan of finishing his career in Japan.
“Like, under the current rules, and when I left New Zealand Rugby, I knew that you couldn’t be picked from abroad, and I was happy with that,” he said.
“So I haven’t given it much consideration. If it changes, I mean, maybe it’s a conversation, but as of now, I think it’s probably [done].
“He [Rennie] said it, but it’s probably all hearsay until there’s actually a platform in place, if that was the case.”
Retallick knows the new All Blacks head coach better than most, having started his playing career under Rennie at the Chiefs, and now does so in Japan too. Rennie hasn’t worked in New Zealand since 2017, leaving many questioning how much he has changed and what kind of coach he is.
“He was my first coach when I went to the Chiefs in 2012, and it’s funny how rugby works out sometimes because he is now my coach at Kobe,” the lock said.
“I have a long-standing relationship with Renz that’s for sure. I guess at the time, being my first year and my first professional coach, I underestimated or didn’t understand how much work he actually does.
“The bottom line to sum up Rens is, he has all the things in place in terms of culture and running a team, but he will leave no stone unturned.
“That’s what sticks out the most to me with him, that he will literally go as far as he needs to do and do what he needs to make a team perform.”
Asked if he is tough on players and a little bit old-school with Rennie being a former teacher, Retallick replied: “He sometimes gets a bit tough on it over here in Japan at times, when he gets a bit frustrated when we don’t quite get things right. But in a good way, he gets around you when he needs to and harsh when he needs to perform.”
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Rennie’s impact at Kobe
There is a school of thought that Rennie got the edge over Jamie Joseph for the position, with experience abroad working with other nationalities in different environments and still being successful.
“That’s maybe what put him into the position he is now,” Retallick said.
“He’s come to Kobe, and before he arrived, we finished 9th, then we finished 7th and then 3rd, and we’re currently sitting second on the table about halfway through our season.
“So he came here with a clear plan of how he wanted to play the game and a clear plan around recruitment and players he wanted to put in place.
“And I think that’s starting to come to fruition for him now, which is obviously what you want from a good coach, but also pleasing for him.”
