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Joe Schmidt sets deadline on Wallabies coaching decision
By Henry Lee
Joe Schmidt has shared his thoughts on his important future coaching decision coming up, that he has publicly stated he will be making this December.
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The Wallabies head coach has stated that he will make his decision on a future with Australia Rugby this December after his contract ends after next year’s British and Irish Lions tour of Australia.
This will determine whether the 59-year-old will continue with Australia rugby as the Wallabies coach ahead of the home World Cup in 2027.
Schmidt, who coached Ireland for six years previously, was unable to enjoy a famous victory in Dublin to end Australia’s 2024 Test campaign.
When asked about whether this performance in Dublin will affect his future with the Wallabies after the British and Irish Lions tour in 2025, Schmidt was hesitant to give a strong answer but was happy with the growth and belief this Wallabies side has gained on the end-of-year tour.
“I’m heartened by where we’ve got to, and determined by what’s in front of us,” said Schmidt to the media after the 22-19 defeat.
“I think, I’d already known that this group of young men had that in them, and it was just for them to find it and galvanize each other and then deliver it. I felt that at times in that first half, we didn’t quite capitalize on some of the line breaks that we made.
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“We did get to the ball, and we did keep the ball, and I felt Max Jorgensen’s try was really well worked to finish that after going side to side.
“So in the second half, probably my one disappointment around the game is that I felt we got quite conservative. And when you do that against Ireland, and you’re hanging on and you’ve got to, you know, you’ve got a four-point lead, and you’re hoping that’s enough, but I just think we tried to do that from too far out.”
Schmidt pointed out that his team struggled to gain any sort of hold of the match, and to beat Ireland you have to play the full 80 minutes at your best.
“We had a lot less ball in Ireland. You can’t beat them with a sledgehammer. You got to get the scalpel out, and you’ve got to be accurate. That’s probably a disappointment, as I felt we probably opened them up just enough times to get enough scoreboard separation,” Schmidt said.
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“When you get 13 and five, that’s a nice separation, if we could have scored first after halftime, and it’s our kickoff, and we’re kicking deep, then suddenly give up a penalty.
“I just felt if we could have built on that lead in the first 10 minutes after halftime, it could have been, it could have been just to emphasize the pressure that Ireland were under.”
Schmidt should go. He is a good tactician but a poor selector and stuck with the kiwi mind virus of not selecting OS players. Rassie has demonstrated how silly that approach is. The wallabies need to win and to do that they need to select from the biggest player pool possible and utilise the better coaching standards OS.
Eg Scott Sio scrummed very well for Exeter v du Toit and Stewart this weekend. SA and England props. Yet our scrum was weak against Ireland. He’s not utilised Philip, Kerevi, Latu, Ulysse, Perese, Hodge
Ainsley or Samu. Kerr Barlow is also eligible and he is better than McDermott who runs too much and passes too late.
Get someone in with a better strategic sense who is going to forge good links with OS clubs and get the standard up like Rassie did.
In fact let’s try to clone Rassie.
I hope he stays on post the Lions series but I think he'll walk away win, lose or draw against the Lions.
Just go away Schmidt. We don't need a kiwi to teach us how to lose. At least with an Australian coach we can lose with some dignity and know that our players have actually played for their country and not some mercenary who lives in NZ and doesn't even like Australia.
Schmidt's win ratio is 46%. Less than Cheika's and less than Ewen McKenzie's at 50%.
The Wallabies are playing at no more than 65% of their ability because Schmidt is a terrible selector and a poor tactician. They are playing like a dull boring kiwi, not surprisingly. That is not acceptable for Australia.
Schmidt will try and hang on for the money and to make sure the Wallabies don't beat his beloved All Blacks.
If Oz don't want Schmidt to continue to resurrect their nearly comatose team then the ABs would no doubt be only too glad to have him as an assistant. He did wonders with Ireland and OZ now are much better than they were before he commenced his overhaul of them. Good things take time to realize and no coach is an immediate miracle worker.
You mean the same way Schmidt coached Ireland to win repeatedly against his beloved All Blacks…???
🙃😂
You are a very sad man!