When he puts his bags down in Australia next July, on the eve of the 2020 international season, he will be the second New Zealander to coach the Wallabies. Robbie Deans blazed the trail in 2008, when John O'Neill selected him to take over from John Connolly. Deans did a lot of the hard work for Rennie, which is to say that he weathered many a blow, and has smoothed the way for the 55-year-old from Lower Hutt in the Wellington region. But he will still face scepticism from many Australian rugby fans, and certainly from the small and conservative section of the rugby heartland for whom Marks purports to speak. It will not be an easy task putting those people at ease. Rennie started smartly by pre-empting the misgivings, saying he understood why Australians wanted an Australian in the coaches box at Test matches. "I get it, Australians want their national team coached by an Australian and I’m okay with that," he said. "I think hopefully they’re feeling that way because they care about Aussie rugby and all I can say is that everywhere I’ve gone I’ve immersed myself in the community and the culture.

Loading "We’ll be judged by what we do rather than what I say now, but I can assure you I care about the future of Australian rugby." That's a good start, but the reality is 2020 could be a lean year for Wallabies' fans. The World Cup cycle has seen off many of Australia's most experienced players and not all of them past their prime. Samu Kerevi, off to Japan's Top League at just 26 years old, joins the likes of departing stars David Pocock, Will Genia, Bernard Foley, Sekope Kepu, Tatafu Polota-Nau, Tolu Latu and Nick Phipps. A host of talented players remain but, with the exception of Michael Hooper, Kurtley Beale, Nic White, Matt Toomua and James Slipper, they are young and relatively inexperienced. Think Allan Ala'alatoa, Taniela Tupou, Jordan Petaia, Marika Koroibete, Isi Naisarani, Scott Sio, Izack Rodda, Jake Gordon, Reece Hodge and Jack Maddocks.

Which is to say nothing of the fact there isn't a classic five-eighth in that list, a problem Rennie and director of rugby Scott Johnson will need to solve and solve early. All that said, he remains easily the best qualified person for the role and the potential game-changer the Wallabies need. We’ll be judged by what we do rather than what I say now, but I can assure you I care about the future of Australian rugby. New Wallabies coach Dave Rennie Rennie is considered firmly anti-establishment in the New Zealand context. He is not from the Canterbury/Crusaders dynasty (think Steve Tew, Graham Henry, Steve Hansen, Wayne Smith, Robbie Deans, Scott Robertson) which has long held the balance of power across the ditch. He was known to have a prickly relationship with recently-departed NZ Rugby boss Tew and marched to the beat of his own drum. He did not wait for the All Blacks to come knocking but moved overseas to forge his own path and, when taken seriously by Australia, chose to honour that genuine and early interest in what he had to offer. Who better to coach a proud nation of upstarts than another upstart, whose career to date suggests he understands Australians' hunger to do things their way?

There is also the cultural aspect. Eddie Jones read the writing on the wall in April when he ruled himself out of contention. While few could better him on the coaching front, Jones was correct to point out that Australia needed generational change. Almost half of the Wallabies proudly call themselves Tongan-Australian, Fijian-Australian, or Samoan-Australian. One of Rennie's best attributes at the Chiefs was bringing together the side's many different cultures. Sonny Bill Williams, who played under him there, was a huge fan and remains so to this day. His comments last month that a Maori or Pacific Islander should coach the All Blacks went to the heart of this point. Sonny Bill Williams, centre, with Dave Rennie, right, after the Chiefs won the Super Rugby title in 2012. Credit:Getty Growing diversity in Test playing groups is requiring diversity in coaching set ups. Michael Cheika knew this and helped the Australian playing group refashion the Wallabies identity to reflect its modern cultural make up. The side's results mean Cheika will never be properly acknowledged for that contribution but it is crucial groundwork on which Rennie, the son of a Cook Islander, can build. Loading