He said he had benefited from having more rest time in Japanese rugby.
“We play in four‑week blocks with a bye week, and that recovery time has been huge. As I got older in New Zealand, I just didn’t recover as quickly. That’s probably the biggest factor in being able to keep up with the quicker players here. So I don’t know – there’d be a massive question mark over whether I’d still be good enough.”
Retallick’s connection with the new All Blacks boss goes back more than a decade.
“He was my first coach when I went to the Chiefs in 2012. It’s funny how rugby works sometimes – he’s now my coach again. I’ve had a long-standing relationship with Rens, that’s for sure.”
The Chiefs won back-to-back to titles in 2012-13, Rennie’s first two years in charge of the side.
Retallick commended Rennie’s thorough approach to running a rugby side. “Being my first professional coach, I didn’t really understand how much work he actually does. But the bottom line is he has everything in place in terms of culture and running a team, and he leaves no stone unturned to get performances out of players and make them better. That’s what stands out the most – he’ll go as far as he needs to for the team to perform.
In their time together at the Chiefs and in Kobe, Retallick said he saw a “tough” edge to Rennie.
“Sometimes he gets tough – even over here in Japan, when he gets frustrated if we’re not getting things right. But in a good way – he gets around you when he needs to, and he’s harsh when he needs you to perform.”
Retallick said Rennie would bring broad experience to the role, after coaching in Glasgow and internationally with the Wallabies, where he had a 38% win ratio and was sacked ahead of the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
“I’m sure that scarred him a bit, but he’s grown from it. You can see the wealth of knowledge he’s gained from all those environments.”
The big lock said his game had improved under Rennie.
“He’s got clear expectations. I still have the drive to perform, but what I like about Renz is he always said he’d coach you – good or bad – and keep challenging you. As an older player, having a coach who keeps pushing you to be better plays a massive part.“
