Linden: Rugby Australia going all in on Joe Schmidt, Les Kiss is a bigger gamble than Eddie Jones
Rugby Australia has put all their eggs in the Joe Schmidt-Les Kiss basket. The plan poses a bigger risk than Eddie Jones’ appointment, writes JULIAN LINDEN.
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Burnt at the stake for gambling - and losing - on Eddie Jones to revive the Wallabies at the last World Cup, the brains trust at Rugby Australia have taken an even bigger punt by putting all their chips on Joe Schmidt for another year then handing the keys to the kingdom to the untried Les Kiss for the 2027 tournament on home soil.
Hats off to all if it succeeds and they hit the jackpot, but if it fails, which seems by far the most likely outcome, everyone involved in this decision should be held to account because it will amount to the greatest wasted opportunity in Australian rugby history.
At best, the decision to retain Schmidt for another year after he made it clear he wants out, just so his good mate Kiss can complete his contractual duties with Queensland, is uninspiring, with neither man showing any real desperation to rescue the Wallabies from sliding into further mediocrity.
At worst, it’s another shameful example of virtue signalling from Rugby Australia because it reinforces the subliminal message that accepting second best is perfectly OK just as long as everyone is a good fella, or as Schmidt himself put it” “boring.”
The reminder to the rugby faithful is that the game in Australia is in safe hands and back on track because there’s a guaranteed truckload of money coming from hosting the 2027 World Cup, regardless of whether the Wallabies win or not.
But what a load of crock that is.
The code is already dying a slow and painful death in Australia because of weak leadership and shortsighted decisions that lack courage and conviction.
The few extra bucks in the bank from hosting the World Cup won’t save Rugby Australia when the expanded NRL competition comes searching for fresh talent. The Wallabies need 15 Joseph-Aukuso Sua’alii’s to hang their hat on, not one.
The only sure-fire way for rugby to survive and prosper is for the Wallabies to start winning trophies again, which is why Rugby Australia should be throwing everything at the World Cup by getting the best players and coaches available.
That’s why they made the tough call to ditch Dave Rennie before the 2023 World Cup. With a dismal winning strike rate of 36% after three years in charge, it was clear the Wallabies were heading nowhere in a hurry under the Kiwi’s guidance.
Clearly, the rushed decision to replace him with Jones backfired spectacularly when the Wallabies failed to advance past the pool phase in a disastrous World Cup campaign in France but that doesn’t mean the sentiment was wrong. It’s just that Jones had lost his Midas touch so was the wrong guy for that time.
So are Schmidt and Kiss a safer bet than fast Eddie?
Or should Rugby Australia have kept an ace up their card if they don’t deliver so they can recruit a proven winner like Michael Cheika or perhaps Ian Foster at the last minute.
Other teams have done that and won the World Cup, with South Africa under Rassie Erasmus the obvious example.
After just one year in charge of the Wallabies, the jury is already out on Schmidt.
He led Ireland to two successive World Cups, in 2015 and 2019, but failed to make it past the quarterfinals each time. At the 2019 World Cup, the Irish were beaten by Japan in the pool phase after going into the tournament as the No. 1 ranked team in the world.
Schmidt’s initial success rate with the Wallabies since taking over last year is 46%. His losses included a 67-27 defeat to Argentina, Australia’s heaviest-ever defeat since the Wallabies began playing Tests in 1899.
But that’s not to say he isn’t a highly valued asset to Australian rugby who has made some improvements.
Last year’s heart-stopping win over England at Twickenham was the first real sign he was starting to steer the ship around. A deep thinker with a clear purpose, he has also helped restore respect in the gold jersey and played a role in developing the succession plan to go through to the World Cup.
The concern though is whether Rugby Australia needs a Plan B because there will be little time for adjustments if the Wallabies don‘t quickly improve under Schmidt and Kiss doesn’t have time to fix things.
Like Schmidt, Kiss is a likeable bloke, but the timing of his appointment still poses a real risk.
He’s doing a reasonable job with Queensland so far but the worry is he has never been head coach of a national team before, let alone a side hosting a World Cup because of the added pressure that brings.
He’ll already be 61 when he takes the reins so the stakes are high, especially for the game, with no certain pay out.
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Originally published as Linden: Rugby Australia going all in on Joe Schmidt, Les Kiss is a bigger gamble than Eddie Jones