Ireland’s former head coach has certainly risen to meet one of the most difficult challenges in world rugby after taking charge of the Wallabies back in March 2024. Joe Schmidt appears to have converted much of the negativity that surrounded Australian rugby union after an ignominious World Cup exit under Eddie Jones, into cautious hope.
The British & Irish Lions Tour 2025 of Australia is scheduled from 28th of June to 2nd of August; the three-test series is always a close fought encounter; join the action Down Under with ES-Sport.
One example of the advances made under Schmidt’s rugby-intelligent guidance was the success of the Australian Under-18 team who beat New Zealand schools for the first time since 2019 in October. Albeit, with some of the shine being taken off this achievement, when winger Heamasi Makasini, one of the try-scorers for Australia, was signed by professional rugby league outfit, Wests Tigers the following day. The process of ensuring that young players stay committed to rugby union must start well within the junior intake these days.
A substantial majority of Australia’s professional players hail from New South Wales and Queensland, however there are currently only 4 Australian professional rugby union clubs competing at the top level in the Super Rugby competition, involving teams from Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands. Whereas rugby league is by far the most popular winter sport among viewers, spectators, and participants across the same two states, with viewing figures boosted by the fact that the annual State of Origin series is available to fans on free-to-air television.
When master coach Joe Schmidt arrived in March, the Wallabies squad were decidedly low on morale and he had an extremely short time window in which to construct a competitive squad not only capable of contesting July’s Rugby Championship, but one that could effectively compete against the British and Irish Lions in 2025.
From the beginning, Schmidt’s approach toward the public relations aspects of the job was completely different to that of his pugnacious predecessor. Affably modest, humorously self-critical, and gracious of his time with the media, he quickly won over a disaffected and resentful Australian rugby fan base.
However, Joe Schmidt did not seem subject to the intense pressures that usually come with the Wallabies’ head coaching role. Fundamentally, the situation had reached the stage of being so dire, it allowed Schmidt to focus on producing small but tangible gains, like building a much stronger squad. He was in most senses able to put the most significant objectives such as physically competing with the current aristocracy of world rugby along with preparations for the British & Irish Lions tour to one side, at least for a while.
Australia’s new head coach took a first positive step by gathering a strong backroom team around him. Ireland’s highly rated Eoin Toolan was recruited as skills coach and head of analysis, while former All Blacks ‘scrum doctor’ Mike Cron was brought in alongside the genial ‘Lord’ Laurie Fisher to head up and fine tune defence.
Meanwhile, Rugby Australia made an astute move by hiring Joe Schmidt’s friend and former World Rugby colleague Peter Horne as director of high performance. Schmidt has benefited tremendously from Home’s tireless support work on his behalf as the new coach behind the scenes.
Overall, in Rugby Australia’s new chief executive and former Wallabies flanker Phil Waugh, Schmidt was handed an individual in the top job who completely understood the scale of the task that his head coach had taken on, giving Schmidt the freedom to totally dedicate himself to the task ahead.
Schmidt’s first action as head coach, aside from gathering a superb support team, was to build a significantly more extensive talent base than the Wallabies would be able to make use of ahead of the British & Irish Lions Tour 2025 of Australia and as host nation of the Rugby World Cup in 2027. In the months leading up to late November 2024, Schmidt has given 18 players their Wallabies debut, the biggest influx of new blood to the team since 1920 and 1928. Schmidt has also insisted on solely picking players based in Australia for the Rugby Championship tournament, providing him with a consistently available squad of players that can be developed without interruption.
Some tough results in July’s games results including defeats against South Africa, New Zealand, and a record 67-27 loss against Argentina were not the best start. However, a one-point victory against the Pumas in the first Test in La Plata offset negativity and there was flourishing evidence of a much brighter future throughout the tournament.
The British & Irish Lions Tour 2025 of Australia is scheduled from 28th of June to 2nd of August is certain to be memorable 13 years on from the last encounter; watch the live action Down Under with ES-Sport.
Debutant lock Jeremy Williams has rapidly emerged as an international quality forward, as has Perth-born and raised flanker Carlo Tizzano. Tizzano has in truth benefited from injuries to first choice starter Fraser McReight, but in performance terms in his first three games: two against South Africa and Argentina he missed no tackles and completed 57. Undoubtedly, Schmidt has already instilled a strong vein of competition throughout the Wallabies squad which has motivated players to produce stronger performances.
Beside the debutants, Schmidt has also begun to leverage the talents of players that had lost confidence under the previous coach. Rejected fullback Tom Wright, under Schmidt has been a revelation, now transformed into one of the premier attacking backs in the game. Likewise, inside-centre Len Ikitau, also sidelined by Jones, now pretty much an automatic selection on the Wallabies team sheet. A mesmerising flick pass from him on to winger Max Jorgensen secured the crucial try that beat England in the last minute at Twickenham.
Schmidt also profited from rugby union’s prominent gamble on the 21-year-old Sydney Roosters NRL star Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii. Suaalii is now contracted to Australia until the World Cup in 2027, in a deal valued at AU$ 5.35 million over the next three years.
Schmidt’s decision to debut him at 13 against England was courageous to say the least, considering his last game at fullback had been as a schoolboy, but it proved an inspired selection. Suaalii’s aerial skills caused mayhem among England’s finest at restarts and his ability to offload and draw opposition players in numbers, excited players, and fans alike.
The Wallabies see their new head coach as a man who makes a difference. They are universally delighted to be working under a coach who has rebuilt their confidence with his refreshing attention to detail in the roles they play. Their 2024 year-ending European tour started with thrilling wins against England (42-37) and Wales (52-20) but ended with a narrow loss to Andy Farrell’s Ireland (22-19) and Scotland (23-13). While there is obviously still work to do, it looks and feels like Joe Schmidt has already taken Australian rugby union to a much better place, fashioning a Wallabies squad ready to take on world rugby.
The British & Irish Lions Tour 2025 of Australia is scheduled from 28th of June to 2nd of August is shaping up to be an epic battle; join the action Down Under with ES-Sport, it is the chance of a lifetime.
Related Articles
The British & Irish Lions Tour 2025 of Australia: A Feast for Rugby Fans in Store
