Joe Schmidt's next coaching gig revealed

Brumbies boss Stephen Larkham will lead a high-powered Australia A coaching ticket in 2026, with current Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt and Western Force coach Simon Cron alongside him.

Schmidt will conclude his time as Wallabies coach following the opening slate of Nations Championship games in July, handing the reins to Les Kiss before joining Larkham to lead the best of the rest from Australia’s talent pool against a yet-to-be-revealed slate of opponents.

Larkham has been handed the top job as a reward for his continued success across 16 years of professional coaching, which includes stints with Munster and the Wallabies in addition to the Brumbies. Cron, meanwhile, is fresh off leading the Force to their best season in 12 years.

Rugby Australia Director of High Performance, Peter Horne, said the strength of the group’s coaching ability underscored how important the Australia A program is to building the country’s depth, especially ahead of next year’s home Rugby World Cup.

“We are pleased to have assembled a highly credentialed and experienced Australia A coaching staff for this year,” Horne said.

“To have Stephen, Simon, and Joe driving this program will ensure our next cohort of players get access to an elite-level environment where they have the opportunity to grow and develop their games.

“With the home World Cup firmly on the horizon, building genuine depth is one of our key priorities, and this campaign will allow us to do exactly that.”

The Australia A schedule will be released later this month. In previous years, the team has participated in the Pacific Nations Cup and travelled to Japan and the UK for a variety of fixtures designed to bridge the gap between domestic and international rugby.

The team has achieved six wins and a draw in its 11 games since returning from a 14-year absence in 2022.