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'I would be honoured to coach the Wallabies': Brad Thorn keen on Australia's top job
All Blacks great Brad Thorn has expressed his interest in coaching the Wallabies, saying it would be an honour to take charge of the Australian national side.
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Speaking to the Sydney Morning Herald in the wake of his side’s 21-7 Super Rugby Pacific win over the Brumbies in Brisbane a fortnight ago, the Queensland Reds boss outlined his intention to one day coach the Wallabies.
“Australia is where the challenge is for me and where I’m connected to,” Thorn said.
“I hold the Wallabies coaching role in high esteem. It’s a privilege and a responsibility. I don’t believe you should just walk in there and get the job. You have to earn the right.
“Right now, I’m really enjoying my time with Queensland. We feel we have built a quality program here and that’s where our focus remains.
“If the opportunity presented itself at the right time later down the track, I would be honoured to coach the Wallabies, but that’s for other people to make that decision.”
A 59-test lock who was an integral member of the 2011 World Cup-winning All Blacks squad, Thorn has strong ties to Australia.
Born and raised in Mosgiel, just outside of Dunedin, Thorn moved to Australia with his family at the age of eight, relocating to Queensland.
It was in the Sunshine State where the 47-year-old first made his name as a cross-code legend as he made his first-class rugby league debut for the Brisbane Broncos as a teenager in 1994.
Thorn went on to make 200 appearances and won three NRL titles, as well as a Super League crown and a World Club Championship, across two separate stints with the Broncos between 1994 and 2007.
He also represented Queensland 14 times during his two rugby league spells between 1996 and 2005, and played eight tests for Australia in 1997 and 1998.
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After having starred as a rugby union player in New Zealand, Thorn closed out his playing career in Australia, acting as a player-coach for Queensland Country in the now-defunct National Rugby Championship in 2016.
After assuming the head coach role the following year, Thorn was appointed Reds boss ahead of the 2018 Super Rugby season after the dismissal of Nick Stiles, who led the franchise to a 14th-place finish.
Since then, Thorn has overseen a significant change in fortunes, guiding the Reds to the 2021 Super Rugby AU title after having led them to a runner-up finish the season beforehand.
Under his stewardship, the Reds were also one of only two Australian teams to beat Kiwi opposition in last year’s Super Rugby Trans-Tasman, and the franchise currently sits comfortably in the top four on the Super Rugby Pacific table.
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Thorn has also been largely responsible for the development of current Reds stars such as Taniela Tupou, Jordan Petaia, Hunter Paisami, Tate McDermott, Harry Wilson, Fraser McReight, Filipo Daugunu and Liam Wright.
All eight of those players either became Wallabies or have become key members of Australia’s national squad under Thorn’s guidance.
The latter can certainly be applied to James O’Connor, the veteran Reds playmaker who was recalled by Thorn for a fruitful third stint in Australian rugby after two troubled spells earlier in his career.
O’Connor has since blossomed into a vital figure in Australian rugby, providing leadership and performing well consistently for both the Reds and Wallabies.
All of that paints a picture that Thorn would stand as a highly-credible replacement to Wallabies incumbent Dave Rennie if he is to step away from his current role following next year’s World Cup in France.
Thorn wouldn’t stand for that position unchallenged, though, as outgoing Brumbies boss Dan McKellar stands as his biggest contender to succeed Rennie.
Thorn’s Reds and McKellar’s Brumbies have developed a strong rivalry as Australia’s top two Super Rugby franchises in recent seasons.
Both teams met in the 2020 and 2021 Super Rugby AU finals, with each team sharing a title apiece, while Thorn holds a slender 7-6 lead in head-to-head matches against McKellar.
However, McKellar was last year recruited by Rennie to act as Australia’s defence coach, a position the Brumbies head coach will move into on a full-time basis following this year’s Super Rugby Pacific campaign.
That suggests McKellar is viewed favourably by Rennie and Rugby Australia, which may work in his favour should the Wallabies job become available.
Nevertheless, given his proven coaching pedigree and on-the-record expression of interest in taking charge of the Wallabies, Thorn remains a top-class option for Rugby Australia if Rennie opts to move on in a year-and-a-half’s time.
Comments on RugbyPass
Bell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
13 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
4 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
4 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
26 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
13 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
26 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
13 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
84 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
2 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
4 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
13 Go to comments9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
13 Go to commentsI like this, but ultimately rugby already has enough trophies. Trying to make more games “consequential" might prove to be a fools errand, although this is a less bad idea than some others. Minor quibble with the title of the article; it isn’t very meaningful to say the boks are the unofficial world champions when it would be functionally impossible for the Raeburn trophy not to be held by the world champions. There’s a period of a few months every 4 years when there is no “unofficial” world champion, and the Raeburn trophy is held by the actual world champions.
13 Go to commentsIts a great idea but one that I dont think will have a lot of traction. It will depend on the prestige that they each hold but if you can do that it would be great. When Japan beat the Boks (my team) I was absolutely devestated but I wont deny the great game they played that day. We were outclassed and it was one of the best games of rugby I have seen. Using an idea like this you might just give the the underdog teams more of an opportunity to beat the big teams and I can absolutely see it being a brilliant display of rugby. They beat us because they planned for that game. It was a great moment for Japan. This way we can remove the 4 year wait and give teams something to aim for outside of World Cup years.
13 Go to commentsHi, Dave here. Happy to answer questions 🥰
13 Go to commentsDon’t think that headline is accurate. It’s great to see Aus doing better but I’m not sure they’ve shown much threat to the top of the table. They shouldn’t be inflating wins against the lousy Highlanders and Crusaders either.
3 Go to commentsSuch a shame Roigard and Aumua picked up long term injuries, probably the two form players in the comp. Also, pretty sure Clarke Dermody isn’t their coach. Got it half right though.
3 Go to commentsOh the Aussie media, they never learn. At least Andrew Kellaway is like “Woah, yeah it’s great, but settle down there guys” having endured years of the Aussie media, fans, and often their players getting ahead of themselves only to fall flat on their faces. Have the “We'll win the Bledisloe for sure this year!” headlines started yet? It’s simple to see what’s going on. The Aussie teams are settled, they didn't lose any of their major players overseas. The Crusaders and Chiefs lost key experienced All Blacks, and Razor in the Crusaders case, and clearly neither are anywhere near as strong as last year (The Canes and Blues would probably be 3rd & 4th if they were). The Highlanders are annually average, even more so post-Aaron Smith and a big squad clean out. The two teams at the top? The two nz sides with largely the same settled roster as last year, except Ardie Savea for the Canes. They’ve both got far better coaches now too. If the Aussies are going to win the title, this is the year the kiwi sides will be weakest, so they better take their chance.
3 Go to commentsThe World Cup has to be the gold standard, line in the sand. 113 teams compete for what is the opportunity to make the pool stages, and then the knockout games for the trophy. The concept is sound. This must have been the rationale when the World Cup was created, surely? But I’m all for Looking forward and finding new ways for the SH to dominate the NH into the future. The autumn series needs a change up. Let’s start by having the NH teams come south every odd year for the Autumn/Spring series games?
13 Go to comments