SYDNEY • Newly appointed Wallabies coach Dave Rennie said yesterday that Australia's players need to be fitter and quicker to challenge top teams, and the New Zealander wants to see results quickly.

The 56-year-old recently ended a four-year spell at Glasgow Warriors to replace Michael Cheika.

Ordinarily, he would have debuted as an international coach next week against Ireland in Brisbane, but those plans were wrecked by the coronavirus pandemic.

He has been holed up for the past fortnight in quarantine in Auckland with no firm date for his arrival in Australia and uncertainty about the international calendar.

Doubts remain over whether the Rugby Championship can be held, with the likelihood that Australia will instead face the All Blacks in up to four Tests. That suits Rennie, who considers New Zealand the benchmark.

"What we know is that we should get to play the All Blacks a number of times this year if nothing else, and that is a great introduction for us," he said in a video call from his hotel room.

He challenged his players to improve their fitness and ability to get back on their feet more quickly.

"That's a massive part of it. We reckon if we can work hard for each other and get a wall in front of teams, we can defend for long periods and hopefully create opportunities to score off those, and likewise in attack," he said.

"Ultimately we want results quickly... we need to front (up) from the start."

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE