Schmidt could be the best thing to happen to the Wallabies since George Gregan
FINALLY, the Wallabies could be back in business. For those of us old enough to remember the wonderful Australian touring side of 1984 — featuring all-time greats of the game in David Campese, Mark Ella, Michael Lynagh and Nick Farr-Jones — there is a genuine sense of sadness in how far the aura of the famous green and gold jersey has fallen.
So reports that former Ireland coach Joe Schmidt is to take over the Wallabies herald the best news Australian rugby has heard in 20 years. Indeed, it is the most positive development for Aussie rugby since George Gregan (arguably the finest No9 to have played the game) won his first cap way back in 1994.
The Wallabies were in transition when the 21-year-old Gregan came into the fold, with the Lynagh-Campese era winding down, and when he hit his straps in the late 1990s, it was the catalyst for a period of unprecedented Aussie dominance of the world game.
Between 1998 and 2002, the Gregan-inspired Wallabies won five Bledisloe Cups in a row (they have not managed to win it since), the 1999 World Cup, two Tri Nations titles and a Lions series in 2001.
They were still a decent side through the mid-2000s when Gregan was captain but since his retirement after the 2007 World Cup, Australia have been in steady decline.
However, with Schmidt at the helm, there is the genuine prospect of Australia recapturing some of the glories of the Gregan years.
Schmidt still has scores to settle and points to prove, which is worrying for Australia’s opponents.
Ireland are well aware just how potent this motivation can be. Despite being the most transformative coach of the Ireland team in history, Schmidt’s legacy was routinely derided once his successor Andy Farrelly started racking
up wins with a more attractive brand of rugby.
Indeed, with the Irish rugby media still smarting from their tense relationship with the former coach, ill-judged and unmerited Schmidt dismissals continued well into the recent World Cup, where he was serving as All Blacks assistant coach under Ian Foster.
This came back to bite badly in the quarter-final where New Zealand’s win had Schmidt’s stamp all over it, notably for the tries by Will Jordan and Ardie Savea, with James Lowe exposed in defence on both occasions.
Despite being the primary tactical influence in New Zealand’s march to the final, Schmidt’s time with the All Blacks was difficult.
The notoriously demanding New Zealand rugby public and media gave that All Blacks outfit an unmerciful kicking after a run of poor results (especially the series loss at home to Ireland in 2022) and while Foster was the primary focus of their ire, Schmidt was wounded in the crossfire.
That will not be forgotten and will strengthen the 58-yearold’s resolve to make a success of an extremely challenging task with the Wallabies.
Kiwis and Aussies have a long history of antipathy towards each other and the two New Zealanders to take on the Wallabies head coach role – Robbie Deans and Dave Rennie – never managed to win over the locals.
Schmidt is a different beast. His forensic attention to detail and dictatorial methods (apparently toned down a degree since his Ireland days) are just what Australia require after years of bluff and bluster.
Wallaby fans should be celebrating their best chance of a revival in two generations – and the Lions can also break out the high fives as next year’s limp tour Down Under has suddenly become a lot more interesting.
The Joe Schmidt show is always a must-see.