. Five coaches in six years doesn’t reflect well on any organisation, and the aftershocks of Thursday’s announcement on fans, players, administrators and coaches will be seismic. Two years out from a World Cup on home turf and the host nation is starting over. Again.
Schmidt’s decision was not unexpected. The hallmark of his 13-month tenure as national coach has been honesty. He said from the outset this was a short term deal to stabilise a Wallabies side in freefall and rebuild it so another could take the reins long-term. “Get the job done over the next 18 months [and] momentum heading in the right direction,” he said.
Schmidt has done that and more. He has given Rugby Australia plenty and owes nothing. The 59-year-old has built a 6-7 win-loss record and a winning percentage of 46%. That’s a big drop from the 71% Schmidt tallied as Ireland coach but an uptick on predecessors Eddie Jones (22%) and Dave Rennie (38%) and a boost for a side winning at 41% since 2016.
Moreover, Schmidt has steered Australian rugby through the storm of Jones’s reign and the 2023 World Cup debacle, and finally has the old gold galleon heading in the right direction. He re-grounded them in basic skills while honing the attacking edge that is their trademark. By handing out 15 new caps last year – the most in 62 years – he has blooded the next generation.
Whether Schmidt stays on in an advisory or mentoring role beyond 4 October is immaterial. The Super Rugby season which starts next Friday has now become a Wallabies casting call. Not only is the hunt on for a new head coach but a fresh coaching staff too, with Schmidt’s old cronies, scrum guru Mike Cron and assistant Laurie Fischer, flagging their intent to retire.
All the coaches of Australia’s four …
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