Chiefs captain Sam Cane hails new Wallabies leader Dave Rennie

The skipper was mentored by Rennie during his six-year stint at the Waikato-based franchise, the coach leading the Chiefs to two Super Rugby titles.

With Rennie taking over from Michael Cheika as Wallabies coach, Cane is confident he will quickly turn the Australian team around.

"Australia have done very well to grab Dave Rennie," Cane said. "He's an exceptional coach and an exceptional man.

"I'll be watching with interest to see what he can do with the Wallabies, I'm pretty sure he'll do a fantastic job. He's done a great job with every team he's worked with in the past, so I can't see why this would be any different."

The Wallabies aren't the only team to unveil a new coach this year, with the Chiefs also under new leadership in 2020.

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British and Irish Lions coach Warren Gatland has returned to New Zealand to lead the side and Cane said he has brought a fresh perspective to the team's style of play.

"We've really been enjoying Warren," Cane said. "He's come in, we've found him to be a relaxed character and he clearly knows his stuff.

"What he's brought over, he hasn't been real forceful in implementing things, it's been a transition process in making small tweaks here and there.

"Defensively, we're trying to bring a little bit more pressure. With the weather conditions in the northern hemisphere, they're used to bringing a lot of heat."

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