Marika Koroibete’s international career could be over after the two-time John Eales Medallist was left out of Joe Schmidt’s Wallaby tour of the United Kingdom on Tuesday.
Koroibete had told teammates that he was retiring after the World Cup, but the sour taste of that fiasco under Eddie Jones resulted in the 63-Test winger deciding to push on under Schmidt.
The former NRL star was the sole overseas pick for Schmidt in home internationals this year, but he struggled for form and suffered through injury. Koroibete will returned to Japan where he plays for Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights.
Marika Koroibete of the Australian Wallabies makes a break during The Rugby Championship & Bledisloe Cup match between Australia Wallabies and New Zealand All Blacks at Accor Stadium on September 21, 2024 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)
Schmidt will have two overseas players in his squad of 34 – World Cup skipper Will Skelton and Samu Kerevi.
“He’s just having a break, to be honest,” Schmidt said of Koroibete. “He probably felt he wasn’t at the very top of his game, and he was a little bit flat after the season that he’d had.
“He’s required to be back and training with Panasonic reasonably soon, so he’s going to get a break and then he’ll head back.
“He’s not a player that we own, and that’s one of the flexibilities that you need to have with these guys. It’s the flexibility that we’ve tried to have with Samu and Will as well.”
Schmidt is well stocked in the outside backs and that was boosted by the first time call ups for Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii and Harry Potter, while Tim Ryan missed out through injury.
“It’s also part of our policy to try to grow our local players,” Schmidt said.
“In the absence of Marika, I thought Dylan Pietsch was super in that last Test in Wellington. He did a great job on both sides of the ball.
Dylan Pietsch of the Wallabies is tackled during The Rugby Championship match between Australia Wallabies and South Africa Springboks at Suncorp Stadium on August 10, 2024 in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Matt Roberts/Getty Images)
“It’s about trying to build confidence in our players .His association with Marika over that period of time, almost by osmosis, you’re growing other players through the experienced players coming in and giving confidence.”
Schmidt wouldn’t bite when asked if this could be the end of Koroibete’s career.
“They’re discussions that will probably take place in probably March-April next year,” said Schmidt.
“We’ll see how he’s going. I watch his Panasonic games. I know Robbie Deans well enough to have a chat with Robbie as well and see how he’s tracking.
“At the same time, we’ve got some young wingers starting to come through and put some pressure on. We’d love them to come through and put enough pressure on. It’s a time where Marika feels that pressure and it becomes a really tough decision for us.”
Skelton has faced public accusations of his willingness to wear the Wallaby jersey – and Schmidt is non plussed with that.
Schmidt expects to have both Skelton and Kerevi available for the first three Tests which are inside the international window, meaning they can play against England, Wales and Scotland but not Ireland.
On Skelton’s thoughts of the Lions tour next year, Schmidt replied: “He’s keen as mustard.
“He doesn’t take any convincing to play for the Wallabies. That’s been my impression from the very first time I spoke to him and the very first time he made contact. He’s a really positive character and he has a gravitas in the group.
“Obviously, he was captain last year and got injured. I watched his game Monday morning, the La Rochelle-Bordeaux game, played 60 minutes in there and had a couple of great involvements.
“I clipped a couple and sent them over to him just to keep him positive. Those conversations have been going on for a while.
“We haven’t talked about the Lions, to be honest. I think we’ve always said, with the players particularly, we’re short-term focused. As a coaching group, we’re long-term planners. I know that’s paradoxical, but it’s kind of the way coaches always are because we have to be.
“It’s one of those things where if we didn’t get Will and Samu involved in this window, I think it would be very difficult to have them involved for the Lions.”
