Feeding a coaching addiction: The game that reveals the secret of Joe Schmidt’s success

There is a businesslike, transactional nature to Joe Schmidt’s appointment as Wallabies coach that gives it the best chance of succeeding despite the ongoing volatility in Australian rugby.

The Wallabies will give Schmidt the chance to feed his addiction to coaching at the highest level, while the team gains access to one of the sharpest minds in global rugby.

There really isn’t any more to it than that. Schmidt isn’t going to save Australian rugby, he’s going to teach good running lines and breakdown discipline, and the clarity of that mission is a blessing when there is so much uncertainty in the rest of the game.

His two big impediments are time and any restrictions there might be in terms of his assistants. His coaching panel shouldn’t have to have an Australian flavour, as seems to be RA’s preference. Ireland, so often referenced as the model for Australia to aspire to, have been “nationality blind” in terms of assistant coaches, and have reaped the benefits.

In terms of time, the question will be: “When we will see Schmidt’s influence on the Wallabies?” We really won’t see it until the first Test against the British and Irish Lions next year.

Ireland’s victory over the All Blacks in November 2018 paints a picture of Joe Schmidt’s coaching style.Credit: AP

Between now and then is enough time for Schmidt to really have an influence. In fact, Schmidt is probably already looking at how many sessions he can get in during that two- or three-week period before the first Test in 2025. Repetition, repetition, repetition will be the key for Schmidt, and Ireland’s victory over the All Blacks in Dublin in November 2018 is the game I would advise Wallabies fans to take a good look at. It’s practically a living manual that explains Schmidt’s coaching.

Yes, in some ways a game that took place five years ago is ancient history, but the fundamentals around Ireland’s clean and carry that Andy Farrell built upon were already in place by then.

On that day in Dublin, the All Blacks had the better team on paper (Aaron Smith versus Kieran Marmion at halfback, Sam Whitelock-Brodie Retallick-Liam Squire-Ardie Savea-Kieran Read against Devin Toner-James Ryan-Peter O’Mahony-Josh van der Flier-CJ Stander), but Ireland’s breakdown work was so superior that the 16-9 victory did not flatter them at all.

This is why Schmidt did not give a straightforward answer to Nine colleague Michael Atkinson’s recent question about Australia’s “talent pool”. Schmidt won’t be looking for “talent”, he’ll be looking for players who have drive, and – even more significantly – are coachable.

Ireland hooker Rory Best wasn’t more talented than his All Blacks opponent, but he had more breakdown accuracy.Credit: Getty

Was former Ireland hooker Rory Best more talented than All Blacks No.2 Codie Taylor in 2018? Probably not, but he had more breakdown accuracy on that day, as All Blacks such as Retallick and Whitelock frequently missed their cleanouts or were just beaten to the punch.

At every ruck, Ireland would send two men into the ruck, square on, to get that quick ball they were looking for. They were so regimented and confident in that approach they frequently ran from inside their own half.

Sometimes, they would only send one man to do the breakdown work – powerful midfielder Bundee Aki was a boss at it – and when Whitelock collected an Irish defender on the back of the neck at a ruck in the first half, Ireland were collectively up in arms looking for a penalty.

“The cleanout was legal,” shouted referee Wayne Barnes, but there is no way Schmidt would have endorsed that technique. Ireland were simply the far more technically correct side.

Joe Schmidt will tailor his coaching to the attributes of the Australian players he selects.Credit: Getty

How does Schmidt get anywhere near that level of accuracy with the Wallabies in 18 months? Well, he already has one side that drills the fundamentals of the game into their players as an article of faith: the Brumbies.

From a selection perspective, Schmidt’s appointment may well open the door to the significant number of Brumbies players surprisingly jettisoned in Eddie Jones’ turbulent reign.

Schmidt isn’t going to turn the Wallabies Irish. After his arrival at the All Blacks, the men in black began to execute first-phase plays that were specifically designed to use the speed of their No.10s, Richie Mo’unga and Damian McKenzie. They would have been useless plays in Ireland, so Schmidt will tailor the game to the attributes of the Australian players he selects.

But there is going to be a premium of accuracy and discipline, and any player who can’t provide that won’t last. This column understands it was Schmidt who pushed World Rugby’s referees Joel Jutge for accountability behind the scenes in relation to Aaron Smith’s disallowed try in the Rugby World Cup final.

The Wallabies will soon feel those same expectation levels.

Watch all the action from the Perth Sevens (January 26-28) ad-free, live and exclusive on the Home of Rugby, Stan Sport.

Sports news, results and expert commentary. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.