"I leave knowing that I had the full support of the group and the staff," said Rennie, in his first comment since the announcement of his replacement by Australian Eddie Jones, himself recently dismissed from his position as England manager.

"The support has been immense and much appreciated with the over 500 messages I have received," the New Zealander said.

"I loved my time with this team. They are amazing young players who want to learn and are prepared to work hard," he added.

Appointed coach of the Wallabies in 2019, Rennie, 59, had a disappointing year 2022, with only five victories in 14 matches, notably recording a historic defeat in Argentina (48-17) in Rugby Championship last summer.

Rennie, who could leave to coach Kobelco Kobe Steelers in the Japanese Top League, did not comment on his future, contenting himself with saying he was "disappointed not to be able to continue his contract as planned".

That of his replacement Eddie Jones, who already served as Australia coach between 2001 and 2005 with the key to a World Cup final in 2003 (defeat against England), should lead him to the World Cup 2027.

"To be honest, I didn't really think I would get the chance to coach Australia again. The first time in 2005 it was tough," Jones told reporters on Tuesday.

"I won a World Cup final (as a consultant with South Africa in 2007) and lost another (in 2019 with England against the Springboks), and now I have the chance to coach my country's team. It makes you humble," he added, before praising the work of his predecessor.

"This team isn't far off the mark. Dave Rennie has done a great job in difficult circumstances because they've probably been more hampered by Covid than a lot of countries," he noted.

Australian Eddie Jones, then England coach, during a test match against South Africa on November 27, 2022 at Twickenham © Ian Kington / AFP / Archives

Jones, soon to be 63, who has had mixed results as England manager, says he wants to 'go back to that more attacking Australian game, with more aggressive defence', adding he wants to focus on physical preparation players.

© 2023 AFP