Don’t jump Joe: Wallabies players hope Schmidt doesn’t return to All Blacks

Wallabies players are hoping coach Joe Schmidt will stay involved in their 2027 Rugby World Cup campaign after handing over to Les Kiss in July, and say it would feel “weird” if Schmidt coached against them at the tournament with the All Blacks.

Schmidt is among the top names being discussed in New Zealand as an option for the All Blacks coaching vacancy following Scott Robertson’s sacking by the NZRU last week. The other contenders include Highlanders coach Jamie Joseph and former Wallabies boss Dave Rennie. The NZRU is set to begin talking to candidates next month.

It would appear unlikely Schmidt would be appointed as the head coach of the All Blacks, given he will still be coaching the Wallabies in July before passing the role to Kiss. The Kiwis play the same three opponents as the Wallabies in the same month as part of the new Nations Championship – France, Ireland, and Italy.

But given Schmidt is departing the Wallabies to move back to New Zealand for family reasons, the prospect of the 60-year-old returning as a head of high performance or in senior role on the All Blacks staff is as he did under Ian Foster in 2022-23, is feasible. The NZRU is reportedly looking to repair relationships and bring the likes of Schmidt, Rennie, and Joseph back into the tent.

“It kind of doesn’t surprise me that his name’s been thrown up because he’s such a world-class coach, and I think for what we do know is that he’s committed to us for the first three Test matches of the year,” veteran Wallabies prop Allan Alaalatoa said on Friday.

Australia and New Zealand will meet in the pool rounds of the 2027 Rugby World Cup. Asked if it would feel weird to have Schmidt coaching against them, Alaalatoa said: “I guess it probably would be weird, and that’s coming from the perspective that the boys respect him so much ... and want to go out there and perform for him, purely knowing how much work he puts in behind the scenes, some sleepless nights, trying to think about how he runs the program or how he runs the next day, but also due to the commitment that he’s made and the sacrifice that he makes for being away from his family.

“The boys do respect him so much, and we are hoping that he stays involved with us. It doesn’t have to be the Wallabies, but Australian rugby behind the scenes.

“Because what he’s done for our team in a short period of time has been massive. I think he’d only make positive movements for us in Australian rugby as a whole if he’s involved in some capacity.”

Speaking after the World Cup draw in December, Schmidt was asked if he had considered staying on for the tournament in some capacity.

“Not at this stage,” he said. “At the end of July is when I finish, and I’ve just hugely enjoyed the group. They work really hard for what they get, and it will be tough to walk away and leave them in what, I believe, is good hands.”

Schmidt said he was good friends with Kiss “so we’d always be chatting anyway”, and there is a quiet confidence among some in Rugby Australia that the Kiwi coach will be open to re-engaging with the Wallabies in some fashion in 2027, after a break. Schmidt is notoriously inscrutable when it comes to his plans.

Speaking at the unveiling of Rugby Australia’s new kit sponsor Castore, RA boss Phil Waugh said: “I can’t answer the question for Joe, but we’ve been very pleased with what he’s contributed to Australian rugby, and we look forward to closing out those last three tests against Ireland, France, and Italy.”

Alaalatoa also welcomed the signing of Kangaroos star Angus Crichton this week, saying the Rooster will help drive competition in rugby. The veteran prop, who is set to miss the start of Super Rugby Pacific next month with a back injury, urged players in competition with the league recruit for a spot to respond positively.

As seen with Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii and Carter Gordon, Waugh indicated Crichton would be considered for an immediate call-up to the Wallabies’ Spring Tour squad in late October, after he finished his NRL season.

“I don’t want to speak for the selectors and the coaches, but I think there’s a sensible transition to hit the markers that we want to hit and our aspirations at the Rugby World Cup, the longer the team’s together, and we’re building cohesion and combinations then the better prepared we’re going to be,” Waugh said.

“So I think naturally you’d look at when the NRL season finishes and then ensuring he’s fit and ready to go when the opportunity comes.”

Waugh said RA had been targeted in its recruitment of league players in recent years, focusing on those with backgrounds in rugby.

Zac Lomax doesn’t fit that profile, and while he has received offers from the Brumbies and the Force, RA haven’t weighed in with an offer of substantial top-up money. Lomax playing rugby remains a possibility, particularly given the legal issues he is facing in his attempts to return to the NRL, but it is increasingly unlikely.