Former Ireland coach and All Blacks assistant Joe Schmidt is new Wallabies coach

The Wallabies have confirmed the man given the task of rebuilding the mess left behind by former coach Eddie Jones

Joe Schmidt is the new Wallabies coach s. / AFP PHOTO / Andy BUCHANAN

The Wallabies have confirmed New Zealander Joe Schmidt has been given the task of rebuilding the national team in the wake of Eddie Jones’ disastrous short second tenure as coach.

Schmidt, 58, who coached Ireland and has been an All Blacks assistant coach, will be the third Kiwi to take over the role and will have to turn around a team which failed to make the knockout stages of the World Cup for the first time ever in Paris in 2023.

Jones quit after the failed campaign and despite repeated denials, eventually signed on as Japan’s new coach.

Needing someone with a history of success, Rugby Australia CEO Phil Waugh said Schmidt he was a proven performer and the right man for the job as a testing time for the sport in Australia.

“Joe has delivered success at every stop in his career – winning European titles with Leinster, winning Six Nations championships, leading Ireland to world number one for the first time and, most recently, his role in the All Blacks’ run to the Rugby World Cup final”, Waugh said.

“He has also been a world Coach of the Year after he won the Six Nations Grand Slam in 2018.

“Given our stated plan to build a unified Australian Rugby system, Joe’s experience with Ireland and New Zealand – two of the most aligned Rugby nations in the world – will no doubt prove valuable as we move forward.

“He has a global view of the game from his experience in both the Northern and Southern hemispheres, and his appointment puts us in a strong position as we build

towards the 2025 British and Irish Lions Tour.”

Joe Schmidt with All Blacks Coach Ian Foster. (Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images)

Schmidt said he was well aware of the task in front of him needing to get the Wallabies back to the standards of the other powers in world rugby in time for the

British and Irish Lions tour Down Under in 2025 and before Australia hosts the next World Cup in 2027.

“I am conscious that the Wallabies have weathered a difficult period, and I am keen to help them build a way forward, with greater alignment and clear direction from RA,” Schmidt said.

“The upcoming Test matches against Wales will arrive quickly, post-Super Rugby, and the program through to the British and Irish Lions Tour next year presents plenty of

opportunities and challenges – which I am sure will invigorate players and staff.

“I am looking forward to connecting with Super Rugby coaches, RA staff, and getting to observe and meet players in the coming months.”

Schmidt has a history of success as the 2018 World Rugby Coach of the Year who spent more than six years as Ireland’s head coach, winning three Six Nations titles (including the 2018 Grand Slam), beating the All Blacks for the first time, winning in South Africa for the first time, and leading Ireland to the World Number One ranking for the first time in 2019.

Joe Schmidt replaces Eddie Jones who quit the Wallabies to take over as Japan’s head coach (Photo by Richard A. Brooks / AFP)

Before being elevated to Ireland’s national coach, Schmidt spent three seasons as head coach of Irish club Leinster, where he won two Heineken Cups (European Champions), as well as both the Challenge Cup and Pro 14 in 2013.

Most recently, Schmidt was an assistant coach for the All Blacks, where he helped guide New Zealand to the 2023 Rugby World Cup Final against South Africa.

The Wallabies have had a rough history with Kiwi coaches with Robbie Deans quitting and Dave Rennie getting the sack last year so RA could hire Jones.

Schmidt will officially take over on March 1 and has yet to name his assistants.

The Wallabies face a busy schedule in 2024 with 13 matches pencilled in, starting in July with two Tests against Wales then one against Fiji.

They also have two matches each against New Zealand, South Africa and Argentina before travelling to Europe in November to attempt the Grand Slam - against England, Ireland, Wales and Scotland.