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The Super Round players who have caught the eye of Joe Schmidt
New Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt has shared some thoughts on what he has so far seen in Super Round this weekend in Melbourne.
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The New Zealander officially began work this weekend in a job he is contracted to do through to the completion of the 2025 British and Irish Lions tour in Australia.
All five Australian franchises are in action in Melbourne this weekend in round two of Super Rugby Pacific.
This has allowed Schmidt the perfect opportunity to run his eye across prospective Wallaby players ahead of next July’s opening Test matches – the two-game series versus Wales in Sydney and Melbourne and then the one-off fixture against Georgia back in Sydney before the start of the 2024 Rugby Championship.
The Rebels beat the Force in an all-Aussie clash on Friday and at half-time on Saturday with the Waratahs leading the Crusaders 23-10 in the match they would win 37-24, Schmidt gave an interview to Stan Sport where he revealed who had so far caught his eye in the Super Round which concludes on Sunday with the Brumbies taking on the Chiefs and the Reds playing the Hurricanes.
What a charge-down and dot down from Hugh Sinclair ?#SuperRugbyPacific #SuperRound #VisitMelbourne #CRUvWAR pic.twitter.com/ZucKdKcvxr
— Super Rugby Pacific (@SuperRugby) March 2, 2024
Asked about the first-half performance of Tane Edmed, Schmidt said: “I thought he was a really good balance of efficiency and enterprise. I thought his clearing kicks were nice and long and accurate.
“Yeah, he got that nice offload to Max (Jorgensen) and they had space just in behind that they didn’t quite finish. Yeah, he had been a really good influence around the game.”
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When Eddie Jones, the previous Wallabies coach, attended the Super Round last year, he was pictured pencilling down a list of names for his Test team.
Schmidt, though, doesn’t operate as openly like Jones, who has since taken up the Test team job in Japan following Australia’s first-ever pool stage elimination at a Rugby World Cup.
“I struggle to know what I am thinking at the best of times,” quipped Schmidt. “I’m not pencilling names in, but I’m certainly taking notice.
“There are some guys who have gone really well. We talked about Tane briefly, but there are guys like (Hugh) Sinclair and others who are unsung guys who have done really well tonight as well, and we saw both sides of the ball in the Force-Rebels game last night so it’s been good games so far.”
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What is Schmidt’s ambition in the opening weeks of his new role? “To get a few other eyes on, just to get a team around me. I know it’s never a one-man job when you are trying to lead a group and the group themselves have to give a fair bit of that as well.
“It’s one of the reasons why I caught up with the Super Rugby captains and that was profitable just to get some ideas from them around what the programme looked like and then once we get that, obviously try to make sure we get the right balance come July.
The @NSWwaratahs are on fire ?
They have a TWENTY-point lead over Crusaders with 13 left to play!#SuperRugbyPacific #SuperRound #VisitMelbourne #CRUvWAR pic.twitter.com/ggCuy8KDzR
— Super Rugby Pacific (@SuperRugby) March 2, 2024
“One of the good things is building relationships with the Super Rugby coaches. I have caught up with all of them so far this weekend except Steve (Larkham), we’re catching up tomorrow morning (Sunday) at 7:15.
“I have known him for a while, so it will be good to catch up with him. I have worked with Les (Kiss), so it’s easy with him. Darren Coleman has been great to chat with around these (Waratahs) guys. That has been a really positive part of it so far, how open the Super Rugby coaches are, what they are doing and what they are trying to do.”
Was there anything for Schmidt to inherit from the Wallabies’ disastrous spell under Jones which culminated in their early exit at France 2023, the tournament where the New Zealander was assisting Ian Foster’s All Blacks in their run to the final?
“It [the canvas] is nice and blank and it’s a little bit dauntingly blank because you like to have a little bit of continuity and I’m sure there will be some continuity but at the same time, we have got to take a big step from where things finished up at the World Cup. Some of what I have seen this weekend is part of that.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Best thing the Welsh clubs could do is apply to join Gallagher prem surely be more exciting matches for there support than they have now.
2 Go to commentsRugbyPass writers are useless! you guys should get a real job because you all suck at writing about rugby!!!
8 Go to commentslooking forward to RWC2027 …. Boks on mission impossible for the Three-in-a-row, ABs to prove they being on par, France wishing to crown the “DuPont-era”, Ireland knocking on the Semi-Door ….. until then we’ll probably have to deal with Weird Ben’s fantasy-RWC23 (fun fact is, the drivel always creates a flooding of comments) …..
221 Go to commentsBen Smith you really make some good points in this article, the Springboks were not close to perfect and good still beat the All Blacks, imagine if they were as good as they were against France what a hiding the All Blacks would have gotten… maybe another Twickenham drubbing
221 Go to commentsIt is a good argument to keep the Rebels for one more year but also isnt this just opening the door as well for keeping them beyond 2025. If they can create some sort of financial stability in the next year and if their performances lift as they have this season then how would RA even cull them after that? It might be the most cost effective decision at this stage and perhaps many people are guilty of keeping relationships going because of the cost to decouple but then again when does that ever work out well?
23 Go to commentsDear Ben Smith you are a genius! God please become the next all blacks coach that can take on the mighty BOKS. Your rugby acumen is second to none - imagine your dads sperm bounced as unfortunately as that oval ball did….we would not be blessed with your presence. Just as the all blacks were missing a man you too are missing a chromosome for 80% of your life, so your insights are not only profound but ring true from your own experiences. Just as the TMO interfered with citing an illegal pass I am sure your local authorities interfere with your illegal passes you make on women - How dare they!!! God forbid that rugby be officiated fairly. You are the right man for the job. Next all blacks coach is here ladies and gentlemen Miss Ben Smith (He/She/They/IT)
221 Go to commentsHuge engine this guy and great to see him back ..The amount of clean outs he does at the ruck are ridiculous !!
3 Go to commentsThe level of desperation in this article is just embarrassing.
221 Go to commentsSome silly trolling in the comments.
9 Go to commentsEverywhere you turn some irish journo is advocating Ireland as the greatest, reasoning that the wc is a 4 year cycle event so, they say wc doesn’t matter it’s the rugby in between that should account for the accolade. If there was no wc then some substance could be gained, however in my opinion the moment that defined Ireland’s fate against the abs was 37 phases of repeated head bashing against a brick wall. If a change in strategy or a tinker with the game plan was executed then things could've been vastly different. And to point a finger the let down was in the hands of the number 10.
64 Go to commentsI have heard it asked if RA is essentially one of the part owners and I suppose therefor should be on the other side of these two parties. If they purchased the rebels and guaranteed them, and are responsible enough they incur Rebels penalties, where is this line drawn? Seems rough to have to pay a penalty for something were your involvement sees you on the side of the conned party, the creditors. If the Rebels directors themselves have given the club their money, 6mil worth right, why aren’t they also listed as sitting with RA and the Tax office? And the legal threat was either way, new Rebels or defunct, I can’t see how RA assume the threat was less likely enough to warrant comment about it in this article. Surely RA ignore that and only worry about whether they can defend it or not, which they have reported as being comfortable with. So in effect wouldn’t it be more accurate to say there is no further legal threat (or worry) in denying the deal. Unless the directors have reneged on that. > Returns of a Japanese team or even Argentinean side, the Jaguares, were said to be on the cards, as were the ideas of standing up brand new teams in Hawaii or even Los Angeles – crazy ideas that seemingly forgot the time zone issues often cited as a turn-off for viewers when the competition contained teams from South Africa. Those timezones are great for SR and are what will probably be needed to unlock its future (cant see it remaining without _atleast _help from Aus), day games here are night games on the West Coast of america, were potential viewers triple, win win. With one of the best and easiest ways to unlock that being to play games or a host a team there. Less good the further across Aus you get though. Jaguares wouldn’t be the same Jaguares, but I still would think it’s better having them than keeping the Rebels. The other options aren’t really realistic 25’ options, no. From reading this authors last article I think if the new board can get the investment they seem to be confident in, you keeping them simply for the amount of money they’ll be investing in the game. Then ditch them later if they’re not good enough without such a high budget. Use them to get Jaguares reintergration stronger, with more key players on board, and have success drive success.
23 Go to commentsYeah, and ours is waaay bigger than yours. Just as you's get a semi…oh hold on that never happens
64 Go to commentsLove watching
1 Go to commentsThe Melbourne Rebels lineout is a complete disaster so not surprisingly a kiwi coach of the Wallabies hires the worst lineout coach in the country and a foreigner to boot. No surprises whatsoever here…….
6 Go to commentsThank your for wasting 2 minutes of my life Daniel. There is a useful message in there somewhere but your delivery sucks.
8 Go to commentsBen Smith, you are cry baby
221 Go to commentsSux that homophobia is still a thing though. I wonder how many players who could have become legends never kept playing rugby because they felt unwelcome.
8 Go to commentsCrazy he’s only 28, feel like he’s been around forever - don’t mind the move, safe pair of hands and creates depth in a thin position for ABs. Hopefully aides Kemara’s growth also without thrusting too much responsibility on him
1 Go to commentsMen should show strength and be mean, but they should be able to show emotion to those close yo them in certain times, birth of your child, death of family, proud moment. This article is stupid
8 Go to commentsWhat a weak article…absolute drivel and clickbait, well done. Will stick to rugby365 thanks
8 Go to comments