KEY POINTS:
It didn't take long for Wayne Bennett to make an impact on a fresh-faced Kiwis rugby league squad yesterday.
From the moment he led them off the team bus into the Sydney Cricket Ground, lined them up for their team photo then hurried the stragglers back to the bus, the legendary Brisbane mentor was in control.
For star forward Sonny Bill Williams, crowded by 22 microphones and a lineup of cameras, it almost seemed like turning up at school for a new teacher.
"Just being around [Bennett] you get a bit scared, you don't want to say the wrong thing," Williams said.
"He looks very serious on TV but he's a very down-to-earth bloke and really easy to get along with. With him and Stephen Kearney on board ... I always thought we had the talent but now we've got the coaches."
Kearney, the former Kiwis captain and official head coach for the first time, was relaxed and mingled with his players, seemingly happy with Bennett taking charge as the teamprepared for their first training session.
Asked whether Bennett was coaching him or the players, Kearney replied: "A bit of both."
- NZPA
