Joe Schmidt may be stepping down as Wallabies coach, but the highly regarded New Zealander is not leaving Australian rugby just yet.
Rugby Australia confirmed on Friday that Schmidt will join an Australia A coaching team headed by Stephen Larkham, ensuring one of the game’s most respected coaching minds remains involved in developing the country’s next generation of talent ahead of the 2027 Rugby World Cup on home soil.
Schmidt is set to hand over the Wallabies job to Les Kiss following Australia’s July Test series against Ireland, France and Italy. While speculation has surrounded his future plans, Rugby Australia has now secured his services for a key high-performance role.
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The 60-year-old will serve as an assistant coach under Larkham, alongside Western Force coach Simon Cron.
“We are pleased to have assembled a highly-credentialed and experienced Australia A coaching staff for this year,” Rugby Australia high performance director Peter 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.”
ALSO: Kiss puts on Wallabies hat after Reds defeat
Retaining Schmidt’s expertise is a significant boost for Australian rugby as it builds towards the 2027 World Cup.
The former Ireland and Wallabies coach has accumulated more than 100 Tests as a head coach at international level and is widely regarded as one of the leading rugby thinkers of the professional era.
Larkham, meanwhile, continues to strengthen his coaching credentials. The former Wallabies flyhalf has long been viewed as a potential future national coach and brings experience from his time with both the Brumbies and Munster, as well as his stint as Australia’s attack coach under Michael Cheika.
– AFP
Photo: Siphiwe Sibeko/Reuters
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Joe Schmidt may be stepping down as Wallabies coach, but the highly regarded New Zealander is not leaving Australian rugby just yet.
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