Dave Rennie ‘Cheating’ Video Resurfaces As All Blacks Face Springboks in Baltimore
- A video from Dave Rennie’s Wallabies days has resurfaced, showing the coach giving players instructions at the breakdown
- The footage has sparked a reaction amid the latest accusations and counter-accusations involving the Springboks and All Blacks
- The timing is raising eyebrows with the All Blacks preparing for their fourth Test against South Africa in Baltimore
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A video from Dave Rennie's time as Wallabies coach has resurfaced online, with the current All Blacks boss shown instructing his players on how to clean out opponents at the breakdown. In the Wallabies training clip, Rennie specifically tells his players to “drop the shoulder” when cleaning out an opponent.
He also discusses getting down around the opponent's knees.
The footage has now attracted attention because the All Blacks have themselves faced accusations over their breakdown tactics during the current series against the Springboks.
The clip was shared on X on 8 September 2026 by Springbok supporter account @bokpeiteepompie, with the caption:
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“You know who doesn't listen to the laws...”
What the video in the X post below:
The footage dates back to Rennie's tenure as Wallabies coach, rather than his current time in charge of New Zealand.
Rennie's old video meets the latest cheating row
The timing of the video's resurfacing is what makes it particularly interesting. Rennie is now preparing the All Blacks for their fourth Test against South Africa. The series has already been dominated by accusations and counter-accusations over the legality of tactics.
Before the series, Springbok assistant coach Felix Jones raised concerns about New Zealand's breakdown techniques. South African rugby figures have also criticised the All Blacks for their approach to contact and cleanouts.
Rennie, meanwhile, has repeatedly complained about the Springboks' tactics. After the second Test in Cape Town, he claimed South Africa were able to “walk around” at scrum time and go straight through the All Blacks' tighthead.
Erasmus was furious with the accusation. The Springbok coach said the claim was being pushed into the media and rejected the suggestion that his forwards were illegally moving around at scrum time.
“We scrum straight,” Erasmus said, while pointing out that New Zealand's first six scrums had collapsed and been reset.
The row subsequently became part of a wider debate about whether the All Blacks were trying to deflect attention from their own problems by focusing on South Africa's scrum.
Former Springbok coach Nick Mallett also weighed into the dispute, accusing New Zealand of “basically cheating” by deliberately collapsing scrums to create a 50/50 decision for the referee.
That makes the resurfaced Rennie footage particularly awkward.
The video does not prove that Rennie was deliberately teaching his players to cheat. But it does show the current All Blacks coach telling his former Wallabies players to drop the shoulder when cleaning out an opponent.
That instruction is now being viewed against the backdrop of a series in which the All Blacks have themselves been accused of crossing the line.
Baltimore gives the controversy a new backdrop
The timing could hardly be more significant. South Africa beat New Zealand 29-24 in Johannesburg on Saturday to take an unassailable 2-1 lead in the four-Test series.
The All Blacks now head to Baltimore needing a victory to finish the series 2-2. The fourth Test takes place at M&T Bank Stadium on Saturday, 12 September.
Rennie has admitted that the All Blacks' scrum needs to improve, despite his earlier complaints about how it was being officiated.
So as New Zealand prepare for Baltimore, the old Wallabies training video has added another layer to an already bitter battle.
All Blacks make changes for Baltimore
Briefly News previously reported that Dave Rennie was already preparing to make changes to his All Blacks side for the fourth Test against the Springboks in Baltimore.
The New Zealand coach said rotation was always part of the plan, but a string of injuries has added further selection headaches ahead of the clash. Rennie remains confident his team has enough left for one final push.
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Source: Briefly News
