NSW Waratahs coach Rob Penney has been abruptly sacked after his team’s abject 0-5 start to the Super Rugby AU season.
New Zealander Penney was told of the decision on Sunday morning, with his assistants Jason Gilmore and Chris Whitaker named as interim head coaches for the remainder of the season.
The board says its decision was taken after consultation with the chief executive Paul Doorn and the high-performance committee following five consecutive defeats, three of them record losses.
Saturday night’s 46-14 defeat by the unbeaten Queensland Reds proved the final straw.
In the second season of a three-year deal, 56-year-old Penney was battling to extract consistent performances from an inexperienced squad after a host of high-profile players departed the cash-strapped organisation in recent years.
In the past two years alone, the Waratahs have lost more than 1800 Super Rugby caps in experience, including Wallabies captain Michael Hooper, playmakers Kurtley Beale, Bernard Foley and 100-plus Test forwards Sekope Kepu and Rob Simmons.
The Tahs have also endured a wretched run with injury this campaign, losing captain Jake Gordon and several other senior players.
“The Waratahs acknowledge that Penney has been coaching an inexperienced roster of players relative to the other states,” the board said in a statement.
“However following match reviews, the board was not convinced there was enough significant improvement in the team to have him continue in the role.”
Penney’s sacking came just hours after he called for more resources and better-targeted recruiting to fast-track progress as the Waratahs face the prospect of becoming the first Australian team in 25 years of Super Rugby to endure a winless campaign.
“We need resources and we need to strategically recruit in a couple of areas so the organisation can move forward more quickly than just relying on the youthful guys to come through,” Penney said after Saturday night’s loss.
“There’s a whole lot of issues that have culminated in what now is a very ugly-looking run of games.
“If it wasn’t for the calibre of people in the organisation and the calibre of men that are in the group trying to do the jersey proud, then this would have blown up and disintegrated massively.
“No one likes it. No one is enjoying it, in terms of the results, but there’s a real resolve to try to get better every week.”
He insisted he wanted to stay in the job, saying from experience he believes “the worm turns” in these situations.
“I love what I’m doing,” Penney said. “With the initial stages when I was brought in, it was (a question of) could I bring a young group through?
“Of course I can. I would back my record against anyone to be able to do that.
“(But) you do need to have a combination of youth surrounded by experience.”
Also speaking post-match, Queensland coach Brad Thorn urged the Waratahs to “play the long game” with Penney as the Reds did with him during their rebuild.
GoodSport
Roar Rookie
Thank you Jez. I wish the Board presented such an analysis! I am a Perthite, but I can tell you that I am dreadfully saddened by this. Not good for our game as a whole either.
Zenn
Roar Rookie
Penny was useless as his results showed. I presume that you have not ever coached based on this ridiculous sentence.
I will say it again the problem belongs to the Board and they should resign en-masse.
piru
Roar Rookie
Cheers mate I tried getting some of the Sea of Blue on board with calling our boys the Dunedain, but they threw beer cups at me.
Busted Fullback
Roar Rookie
Your a funny bloke mzil. :silly: The point is, Ballymore gave somr coaches lomger than they should have, if at all, and wanted instant success from some who only got "half an hour" and at least one didn't really want the job but who took it on because of some (misplaced) sense of loyalty. Link was a respected coach by the time he got here AND they built a good coaching team around him. BT had success at U'20s and NRC (fancy that), a good coaching team and time. A head coach can't do it all on his own or overnight. Usually it takes time to get the balance right. And that's what the Reds board have finally done, allow the team to get the balance right and improve together. :happy:
Waxhead
Roar Rookie
@Double Agent Almost everyone but you describes it as such - even members of real fascist parties. The fact you don't see yourself as an ultra right wing conservative is just another one of your problems :happy:
Waxhead
Roar Rookie
@Ken Yes I agree mostly. One problem for NSW Rugby is it has clear political and class affiliations. Both right/left and class should be irrelevant in Rugby administration. In NSW you can't get on the Board unless you're a member of their private school, right wing conservative party affiliated old boys (and girls) club... No, I can't list the honest multi-nationals. Some are just more criminal than others is all. News Corp is a particularly nefarious one. One other comment Ken - if you want any organisation to embrace progressive change don't let it be run by people in conservative political parties. "Conservative" means averse to change. These people hate progressive change, that's why they're conservatives :silly:
Kashmir Pete
Roar Guru
Received a phone call from Harrison once. Memorable despite the passing decades. :thumbdown: Cheers KP
LED
Guest
See the Herald today. Davis apparently not wanting his apparently agreed stepping down from the board at May AGM to be associated with the current Waratahs issues. In other words "I take no responsibility". This is despite being Chair for last 8-9 years, the last 7 of which have seen the Waratahs squad get weaker and weaker as the best talent leaves for elsewhere (everywhere else!). Virtually each season of this last 7 years has resulted in successive new records being set for losses, blow out margins, and lower and lower crowds. The Corporate equivalent of this would be being Chair of a company that was in the top 50 and ending 7 years later being chucked out of the ASX 200 index because its shrunk so much. Do you reckon the Chair of such a company would have "no responsibility" for that? It beggars belief that the corporate governance structure of NSW and Australian rugby is so broken and twisted that "accountability" is a word that apparently only has meaning for the team / not the rest of the organisation. This will take years to fix.
Objective Observer
Roar Rookie
That’s what the article is about - but let me give you my summation - essentially it appears that he has been unable to make a positive impact. To that I would add - just like his predecessor.
mzilikazi
Roar Pro
"I am relieved Alan Jones is not in the running." I would not be so sure...this Board is capable of even greater stupidity.
mzilikazi
Roar Pro
"BT." So who is that, BF......can't be Brad Thorn ....do enlighten us please.
mzilikazi
Roar Pro
Merlin – Dumbledore – A Unicorn Have also heard: Norwegian Troll, Irish Leprechaun, Billy Connolly.
mzilikazi
Roar Pro
I have utter contempt for the NSW Board. How can these people ever again look anyone in the eye. Penney has shown his ability as a shrewd coach under very difficult conditions.
Brian
Guest
He copped some stick. And still is despite the results. As I say, if he wants to get rid of the old guard then his contract has to stipulate no running off to Wallabies. Locked in for years
Brian
Guest
Thanks for the commentary and insight. But why sack a placeholder? I gues it won't cost them anything by using the assistants. And they kind of look like they are doing something. Is good for NSW to have an old stalwart as coach.
Derek Murray
Roar Rookie
It appears that Cron resigned in Japan and so is unavailable for the role. I'm sure our competent board checked that out before pulling the trigger on Penney though so presumably have no interest in him as a replacement.
Ken Catchpole's Other Leg
Roar Guru
Bring back Quade.
Ken Catchpole's Other Leg
Roar Guru
You don’t say why Penny .had to go.’.
Ankle-tapped Waterboy
Roar Rookie
that deserved many more likes, Piru.