No news is good news, right?
The fact there hasn’t been an announcement yet is a good sign for Wallabies fans. It means Joe Schmidt is really grappling with this decision.
It’s a real testament to the man and how he’s dealt with the media this year, that his situation is getting so much respect. We’re not entitled to know the goings on behind the scenes, but Schmidt’s honesty from day one means he’s being afforded time and space to make his decision and so far, I’ve found that everyone who references his family’s circumstances, they’ve done so delicately and respectfully.
So as we say in Ireland, a big Bualadh bos (round of applause) for all the respectful coverage so far.
I do think Schmidt will extend his time with the Wallabies, the progress they’ve made this year has been exponential and the chance to bring this team to a home World Cup will be too tantalising.
However, Rugby Australia need to tailor their approach to Schmidt’s situation, needs and they’ll do that. If the 59-year-old does choose to see out his current contract and finish post-Lions tour, he’ll owe this team nothing.
Wallabies fans will look back on his tenure as the pivotal period that changed not only the team but perhaps the sports fortune in Australia moving forward.
(Photo by Ross Parker/SNS Group via Getty Images)
However, if Joe Schmidt does choose to see out his current contract, here are a few names I’d like to see Rugby Australia consider.
Stuart Lancaster
Currently the head coach of Racing 92 in the Top14, Stuart Lancaster would be a bold but astute acquisition. His time with England ended in a record-setting fashion, with the team being the first home nation not to make the knockout stages for the first time in the tournament’s history.
The England team he inherited was in disarray after an embarrassing 2011 World Cup that was littered with issues off the field. Lancaster reshaped the team in a very non English way, instilling humility and discipline throughout the squad.
The team was built on quite hardworking and talented players. Chris Robshaw, Tom Wood and Joe Launchbury were mainstays in the team. Lancaster led England to four consecutive second-place finishes in the Six Nations and was a win against Wales in the RWC from progressing to the knockout stages.
After his dismissal, Lancaster took his time choosing his next role. His time off even included tackling seminars with the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons, the team who later went on went to lose to Tom Brady in the Super Bowl that year.
After expanding his horizons, Lancaster was signed by Leinster which was considered a bold move, considering Dublin’s proximity to Twickenham and their pool stage exit. It somehow just felt fresher there than if he popped up in Japan or Super Rugby.
However, Leo Cullen recognised his wealth of experience and desire to return to on the field coaching. Something that would marry well with Cullen’s General Manager approach.
Leinster’s senior coach Stuart Lancaster during a training session at the Leinster Rugby HQ, Rosemount, University College Dublin in Ireland. Picture date: Monday May 23, 2022. (Photo by Niall Carson/PA Images via Getty Images)
Lancaster reignited Leinster’s attacking philosophy and further upskilled the team which is filled with Irish internationals. Lancaster’s tenure with Leinster was trophy laden and the Irish province hasn’t quite hit the attacking heights since he’s departed.
Spearheaded by Johnny Sexton, Lancaster’s phase play was as exciting as it was inevitable and would suit Australia’s attacking weapons perfectly. Players like Tate McDermott, Tom Wright, Noah Lolesio and even Harry Wilson would flourish under his tutelage.
His time with Racing hasn’t gone as smoothly. Two-time World Cup-winning captain Siya Kolisi was effectively shown the door after the team’s owner questioned his work ethic and conditioning behind the scenes.
Owen Farrell has missed significant time and now that the team is struggling, the finger is beginning to be pointed at the Englishman. Michael Cheika has reiterated how difficult it is for a foreign coach to excel in the French league.
If Lancaster was hired by Rugby Australia, I’d like to see them follow a model similar to what was at Leinster. Hire Lancaster to coach the team and bring in another face to manage the team and the media duties.
Conor O’Shea, the RFU’s current Director of High Performance would be an interesting name or Kieran Crowley who’s currently coaching Honda Heat in Japan. He’s a little more old school, as shown in Netflix’s Six Nations series, but might be a nice balance of thunder with Lancaster’s lightning.
Noel McNamara/Andy Friend
Who? Even rugby’s most astute aficionados might be unfamiliar with the name and trust me, his employers want to keep it that way. McNamara is in his second year as the attack coach for Bordeaux Begles who currently sit second in the league table. Last year they finished third in the standings and progressed to the final before eventually losing to Toulouse.
Bordeaux have just finished the opening stint of the European Champions Cup, where they recorded 42 points against Michael Cheika’s Leicester Tigers and 40 points away to Ulster in Belfast. They’ve come out of the blocks in Europe firing.
McNamara is spoiled with the array of talent he has to work with. Bordeaux have current French internationals Damian Penaud, Louis Bielle-Biarrey, Yoram Moefana, Maxime Lucu and Mathieu Jalibert on the books.
Wallabies Adam Coleman and Pete Samu form the spine of their pack alongside the likes of Ben Tameifuna, Jonny Gray and Guido Petti. Bordeaux have scored some electric tries already this season and their attacking rise has coincided with the arrival of Noel McNamara.
Having cut his cloth as Ireland’s U-20 coach and Leinster’s Academy manager, McNamara spent two seasons with the Sharks in Durban before arriving in Bordeaux.
The attack savant is considered one of Ireland’s hottest coaching prospects and now is the perfect time to sign him before he becomes unaffordable. He signed an extension earlier this year, but that wouldn’t rule him out of an international job, his release may cost RA a pretty penny however.
(Photo By Harry Murphy/Sportsfile via Getty Images)
McNamara’s inexperience as a head coach leads me to pair him with a steady and experience hand, Andy Friend.
The Australian did an excellent job managing Connacht in the URC and was credited with developing coaches throughout his time. Connacht’s current head coach Pete Wilkins was an assistant under Friend and was brought on Ireland’s successful tour of New Zealand in 2022 to experience the environment under Andy Farrell.
Friend’s experience being the face of an organisation would free up McNamara to instill his game plan on the Wallabies. His knowledge of the landscape here means he would be a trustworthy face for the Wallabies moving forward. McNamara could also be supported by the current coaching ticket who have years of experience.
Ronan O’Gara
The current head coach of La Rochelle is mentioned every single time there’s an opening across the world. With back-to-back Champions Cup trophies, the next item on his list is the Bouclier de Brennus, the Top14 title.
O’Gara has revolutionised the small port town on the west coast of France. The former Munster 10 is incredibly demanding but marries his attention to detail with a rather modern approach of empathy and familiarity with his players.
But make no mistake, while O’Gara takes part in team activities and is constantly mindful of his players’ mood and circumstance, his goal is to win silverware and his approach to date has reaped the rewards.
Last year was a down year for the club, the team looked like they had simply played too many minutes in recent seasons with a rather anticlimactic loss to their ultimate rival Leinster in the opening stages of the knockouts of the Champions Cup.
Once again their domestic dream was ended by Toulouse in the semi-finals, meaning there’s a massive onus on them to return to form this year.
La Rochelle are absolutely lethal when their ball carriers get their hands free post-contact. There are an array of support runners ready to receive the ball at full speed and when their players connect they force opposition to scramble like they’ve never scrambled before.
O’Gara has a chequebook to work with, but it’s not bottomless. He’s taken several players who have been dismissed like Dillyn Leyds, Ihia West, Ultan Dillane and France’s Brice Dulin and pieced them together to win trophies. There is a spine of stars throughout the team. Will Skelton fits that bill, so too does Gregory Aldritt and Tawera Kerr- Barlow.
This Australian team has a similar level of quality to the side O’Gara inherited. Players with fantastic potential with a spine of stars who are waiting to erupt.
O’Gara has been vocal about his ambitions to coach at an international level, often citing Ireland, England or France as his preferred destinations. However, perhaps Joe Schmidt has shown O’Gara what’s possible with this current crop of players.
Could Will Skelton convince his club coach to wear a different shade of gold and coach the Wallabies? It’s becoming an increasingly appealing argument.
