LONG READ Joe Schmidt leaves the Wallabies in a far better place - but key questions loom

The Joe Schmidt era has ended the way it started: comfortably beating a team which has caused the Wallabies more than a few headaches in previous years.

In 2024, Schmidt opened his Wallabies account with wins over Wales in Sydney and Melbourne, after the Welsh ended Australia’s disastrous 2023 Rugby World Cup campaign, and Eddie Jones’ troubled return to the top job in the process.

So after Italy beat Australia in Florence in 2022, and again in Udine last season, there were plenty reasons for Wallabies fans to be nervous about the final game of the Schmidt reign.

Those nerves were cast aside within 13 minutes on Saturday in Perth, as the Wallabies jumped out of the blocks playing exactly as they’ve wanted to for ages, and supporters have wanted to see for just as long. Happily, after establishing a 19-0 lead, Australia never really took their foot off the gas. Where Australia teams of the not-too-distant past have been known to relax a little when leading into the break, this one was determined to heed the lessons of defeats by France in Brisbane, and Ireland in Sydney, over the previous fortnight.

They mauled an excellent lineout drive over in the 31st minute, had a Ryan Lonergan try disallowed after he lost control in the grounding, then Len Ikitau scored right on half-time to make it 38-5. This was one of the most enjoyable halves of rugby the Wallabies have played in years.

“I’ve massively enjoyed the group,” Schmidt said post-match, after admitting to looking forward to celebrating “as a retired gentleman for a couple more hours” after his contract expired at midnight on Saturday.

But even he expressed satisfaction at the way his team kept the pressure on the Italians, and went on with the job in the second half to kill them off.

I think this (win) might give a bit of confidence to players to be able to come back out in the second half and really sustain an effort rather than let teams off the hook.

“I think they’re a great group of young men and there are some very good footy players amongst them and some footy players who are getting better. I think we’ve seen evidence of that. As I said, it’s been frustrating (the last few weeks).

“You lead for 77 and a half minutes against Ireland and don’t quite finish it off. You’re up 21-12 against a team like France at half-time. They’re some of the big hitters in world rugby.

“I think this (win) might give a bit of confidence to players to be able to come back out in the second half and really sustain an effort rather than let teams off the hook.

“I said to the players, I felt like in some ways we were beating ourselves just by being loose, or not going out and playing the second half in the same manner as we started the game.”

In truth, that was about as far as Schmidt would be drawn on how he felt his tenure finished, typically seeking to divert attention and accolades back to the players. But he has in recent weeks been quite emotive about his achievements, and particularly his determination to leave the Wallabies in a stronger position than he found them.

“You’re a coach, you always want more from the players and you want them to want more from themselves,” Schmidt said before the Nations Championship when asked if he was pleased with where he’d taken the side.

“I do certainly feel that you can’t sell out stadia and we couldn’t have the support we had last year without having earned some of that.” Since he said this, the Wallabies played in front of three more sold-out crowds in Sydney, Brisbane, and Perth – a run of eight full houses from their past ten Tests in Australia since July last year.

So are the Wallabies in a better place than when Schmidt took charge two years ago? Comfortably so. The 2023 season is one Australian rugby fans acknowledge happened, but prefer not to talk about. But that one season had such an impact on the Australian playing stock and the Wallabies’ game itself, Schmidt almost certainly discovered a renovator’s delight of a team needing much more attention than the sales brochure hinted.

The better comparison for Schmidt’s tenure might be when the Dave Rennie residence ended. On that point, the Wallabies of mid-2026, like the Wallabies of late 2022, feel like they’re on the right pre-World Cup trajectory.

Schmidt has built strong leadership through the playing and coaching group, with 17 of the current squad falling in that sweet spot of 20-60 Tests.

Through the work of Mike Cron, the Wallabies scrum is in excellent shape and ended the July leg of the Nations Championship with a flawless 100% success rate. This is actually a continuation from 2025, when the Wallabies held a similarly perfect success rate through the British and Irish Lions Series, carried it throughout the Rugby Championship, and deep into the November internationals.

The lineout averaged 93.5% success through July, and the tweaks to the way maul defenders are policed has allowed the Wallabies go back to their lineout drive with confidence. And with three maul tries in three games, they’ve already scored 60% of the maul tries grounded in all of 2025.

Like Rennie, Schmidt has been determined to build depth in all positions, and handed out 27 debuts over his 31 Tests. Some 20 of those 27 debutants are still in or at least around the latest Wallabies squad.

Schmidt has built strong leadership through the playing and coaching group, with 17 of the current squad falling in that sweet spot of 20-60 Tests, leaving room for the influence of players such as Allan Ala’alatoa and James Slipper. For those with fewer than 20 Tests, the likes of Josh Nasser, Jock Campbell, Nick Champion de Crespigny, Carlo Tizzano and Lonergan all sit in leadership groups for their states.

By the end of the aforementioned season we dare not speak of, public confidence in the Wallabies was all but shot. Schmdit has rebuild the positivity around the national team, reflected in those impressive attendance figures.

For now, all eyes turn to Les Kiss and the answers he will provide to lingering questions on style and selection. Kiss will start with the relatively easier task of a bilateral series with Japan, for which he’ll likely name his first squad this week. After that, two far sterner Tests in Argentina await, followed by matches against the remaining SANZAAR partners but which won’t count toward a Rugby Championship.

By then, Schmidt may well have dusted off those golf clubs he mentioned from time to time during his twice-extended stint with the Wallabies. After some well-deserved time with his very understanding family, he’ll put on another Australian tracksuit in October, assisting Stephen Larkham and Simon Cron on an Australia A tour of the USA.

And then? We’re not so sure. Schmidt says he’ll enthusiastically support the Wallabies from afar, but whether he’ll be involved with the team in any official capacity next season and into the World Cup remains to be seen. And whether Kiss will want him involved might remain unanswered for a good while longer.