Rennie hopes more players will follow the towering lock’s lead.

“There’s been criticism of Izack and that he left based on money. I don’t think that was ever the case,” Rennie said. “He’s coming back for a fraction of what he was on. That shows he’s desperate to be a Wallaby. And he’s willing to take a big pay cut.

“But he’s going to have to earn it. I think it just highlights what the Wallaby jersey means to him.”

The Waratahs’ woeful start to the season has made earning a Wallabies jersey a tough task for NSW players.

Will Harrison, James Ramm, Harry Johnson-Holmes, Tom Horton and Jack Maddocks are just a few of the players that will be sweating on being included in Rennie’s 40-man Wallabies train on squad, which will be revealed on Sunday.

But Rennie isn’t disheartened. The Wallabies coach has liked what he’s seen at Daceyville this week.

“We’re going to pick on what we see. It’s not always about results,” Rennie said. “It’s a challenge. Some guys are playing really well and are putting pressure on us to pick them in this group.

“But we’re going to pick 40 guys. It’s not concrete. There are a few spots where we want to see what plays out in the next three months and [the camp] is the chance to gather these guys in and learn more about them.

“There’s no doubt it’s tough for some guys to shine when the team isn’t going so well but I genuinely believe based on what I saw this week, there will be positive change. Hopefully this week.

“But it’s not an easy side to turn it around against. No one else has beaten [the Reds].”

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The Wallabies will spend the majority of their three day Sanctuary Cove camp taking care of logistics – uniform fittings, photo shoots and other commercial arrangements – but will do some training.

Taking care of the off-field commitments next month will allow Rennie to immediately dive into the areas that let the Wallabies down last year ahead of the July Test series against France.

“There are a number of things we need to improve,” he said. “The quality of our skill set. The quality of our work in contact. We need to tackle better. Our footwork in contact and winning races to create quicker ball. And then a lot of work ethic stuff.

“Getting back on our feet and back into position quicker. We need to work harder to get back into position, whether that’s with or without the ball. So we can stretch the opposition.

“They’re things we were well aware of during the period (last season) and areas we need to grow and get better.

“I’ve certainly seen more emphasis around the country on that in Super Rugby and we’re certainly seeing change.”