Rob Penney Coach of the Crusaders during the Super Rugby Pacific match, Crusaders Vs Hurricanes, at the Apollo Projects Stadium, Christchurch, New Zealand, 15th March 2024. Copyright photo: John Davidson / www.photosport.nz Photo: © Photosport Ltd 2024 www.photosport.nz
Crusaders coach Rob Penney has kept his job.
The Crusaders failed to reach the Super Rugby playoffs for the first time since 2015 this year and finished ninth with just four wins from 14 games.
The franchise has completed its review of the season and despite the poor results Penney, who signed a two-year contract when he replaced Scott Robertson after the 2023 season, has been retained.
Chief executive Colin Mansbridge insisted Penney has the support of the Crusaders players and organisation as a whole.
"Rob's got the backing of the senior leadership group, he's got the backing of the players, he's got the backing of the staff in the back office and commercial marketing, the way he's engaged them. He's got the backing of the high performance staff, he's got the backing of the board and my backing," Mansbridge said.
Colin Mansbridge Photo: Photosport
Australian company Gain Line Analytics was contracted to help the Crusaders complete the review and determine the reasons behind the disappointing season.
That involved players being interviewed, while Penney's team selections and game preparation processes were examined, among other things.
"There's a few changes we'll make for next year, but most of them are around processes and approach to the way we work. A change of coaching personnel is not part of the 2025 plan," Mansbridge said.
"We're keen to improve on the results of last season, but we've got a broad list of things to work on across the whole system which we're confident will make a difference in 2025 and put us back in a finals situation and hopefully winning a championship.
The Crusaders finished ninth this Super Rugby season, missing the playoffs for the first time in nearly a decade. Photo: Andrew Cornaga/www.photosport.nz
"We will do some things differently, but if I go and detail all of the things we'll change, I may as well just write it out and give it to our competitors which we don't want to do. There are about 50 action items out of the report, some are subtle, others are more material, but not changes in the coaches."
Mansbridge believed the results of the 2024 Super Rugby season didn't necessarily reflect the way the Crusaders performed, especially given the large injury toll the squad suffered.
"Fourteen games, four wins and ten losses, but five of those defeats were by five points or less in a competition where there were more 14-plus point results this season than there had been for many years.
"We were beaten in the closing minutes by the Chiefs, Hurricanes, Waratahs and Brumbies and the insight that Gain Line gave us during the review is that they predicted we were going to end up a semi-finalist or finalist at the start of the season, but based on the combinations we were forced to put together throughout the season they were unsurprised by our finish.
"That doesn't mean we use that as an excuse not to be dissatisfied, everyone is gutted and no-one is happy with where we're at and that's why we've got 50 things to do now and next season rather than three or four things and don't worry, the coaches, staff, management and CEO feel the pressure."
Mansbridge said at this point the Crusaders don't have any options in place to replace Penney next season should the franchise not see an improvement in results.
"I have woken up with sleepless nights thinking of if we're zero and six next year (six losses from first six games). But normally I wake up and wipe the brow and go back to bed. I think if we do the 50 things (identified in the review) right, the story of the Crusaders in the final next year would be a pretty outstanding story and that's what we're banking on."