After an appalling first season in command, head coach Rob Penney of the Crusaders is expected to announce his departure prior to the 2025 Super Rugby Pacific season.
Prior to the 2024 season, Penney inked a two-year contract with the team, taking over as head coach from the wildly successful Scott Robertson following his appointment to the All Blacks coaching bench.
Rob Penney’s first season in charge
The Crusaders won seven straight Super Rugby titles while Robertson was their coach. Although many people had anticipated a decline and rebuilding phase, Penney’s first season was completely disastrous.
Although the Crusaders are known for their sluggish starts in Super Rugby, they had their worst-ever start in the history of the league in 2024 after losing their first five games.
The reigning champs would go on to win just four games all season long and were eliminated from the playoffs by a margin of two points.
According to reports from New Zealand, Penney appears certain to hold onto the top spot for at least one more season, despite a dismal start to his term. According to Stuff, the Crusaders would reveal their choice to the public the following week.
After the team missed the playoffs for the first time since 2015, CEO Colin Mansbridge declined to promise Penney would stay in the position, but it appears Penney will get a break.
Mansbridge is expected to make the announcement following the conclusion of a thorough season evaluation conducted with the assistance of Australian company Gain Line Analytics, which involved player interviews and a discussion of the team’s chronic injury problems.
The losses of Sam Whitelock and Richie Mo’unga, as well as the absence of captain Scott Barrett for the majority of the season, did not improve the Crusaders’ performance.
Further controversy
Penney was under fire for the team’s dismal performance, but he made things worse by spraying a nasty substance at a journalist at the end of the season, which was captured on camera.
Penney had sharp responses when asked about his future with the Crusaders. Later, he was caught on camera chatting with his media manager, during which he said, “He’s a disgrace, that c—-.” Who is he?
Many thought Penney would be gone before the new season due to the Crusaders’ incredibly bad season and the aforementioned outburst, but it appears the former Munster and Waratahs coach will at least finish out his contract with the team.
After 2025, Penney’s replacements are probably going to come from inside the current coaching structures; Tamati Ellison, an assistant coach now serving as a former All Black, is one candidate for the position.