Nine days out from the start of the Wallabies’ year of redemption and Joe Schmidt says he doesn’t know his 23, have a captain, or ever been so “unprepared” heading into an international game during his decade-long international coaching career.
But the 58-year-old, who took Ireland from ninth to the top of the World Series rankings in the space of five years, says he’s “happy to be nervous” about the challenge ahead after finally getting his hands on the Wallabies.
“I’ve never been so unprepared,” Schmidt said following a four-day camp in Brisbane ahead of their July 6 opener against Wales in Sydney.
“This is the one time I’ve got to meet all these players and in those previous roles, I’d had three years with Leinster, and I knew a greater proportion of that squad.
“Before the All Blacks, I had the Blues.
“It’s a little bit daunting, to be honest, but if I wasn’t nervous, I don’t think I’d be on the edge doing my job right.
“So I’m happy to be nervous because it just encourages me to work a bit harder and engage a bit quicker and a bit more often with the players, so that we can try to be on the same page.”
Wallabies head coach Joe Schmidt says he’s never been so “under prepared” nor “nervous”. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)
After 18 months with the All Blacks, where he helped transform the three-time world champions under Ian Foster, Schmidt shocked many when he chose to cross the ditch – and allegiances – to join former World Rugby colleague Peter Horne with the Wallabies.
Six months since officially accepting the role to replace Eddie Jones, Schmidt finally got back to what he enjoys most on Sunday when his maiden squad of 38 players joined him in Brisbane for a rapid-fire camp.
Although it’s a hugely inexperienced squad, Schmidt was encouraged by the inroads they would make under his world class coaching group.
“One thing I would say is I’ve got real confidence in our coaching group,” Schmidt said
“Laurie [Fisher] ran a lot of today’s session with the defence and he’s a ball of energy, and he’s a catalyst for enthusiastic contribution, and did a really good job with today’s session.
“Around the edges, the unit session yesterday, I loved the way Mike Cron (scrum) and Geoff Parling (set-piece) have combined to deliver and demand what they have from the big boys up front, and Eoin Toolan (analyst) is just chipping away on some of the skill tidy-ups we think that can make a difference for our backs particularly.”
In one of the more candid moments captured in Stan’s documentary of the Wallabies’ World Cup campaign last year, Jones told James Slipper that the Australians were not “hardened to play Test match rugby consistently”.
“You know, game hardness is different to any sort of hardness. Just stick in the f–king game and do it,” said Jones following the Wallabies’ humiliating 40-6 loss to Wales.
“There’s none of that in Australian rugby now and that’s where the big gap is.
“You look at those Welsh players. They play 30 games a year. They’re hard and tough players. They can just stick at it. They know they’re going to do it.
Eddie Jones told Wallabies veteran James Slipper at a training session at Stade Roger Baudras that he didn’t think Australian rugby build players “hard enough”. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)
“We’ve just lost that in Australian rugby. We’re not, not tough but we’re not trained to be tough now. We’re not used to playing tough. Like, it’s an exception to play tough now rather than the norm.
“It stands out like dog’s balls mate, because they are good players. And they care a lot, the players, but they’re just not hardened to play Test match rugby consistently – they’re set up for failure mate.”
Does Schmidt agree?
“I’m not sure,” he said. “Eddie had more time with them at that stage than I’ve had, so I don’t know them as well.”
What Schmidt could comment on though were his early impressions, which in the New Zealander’s eyes have been one of a “growth mindset”.
“I’ve been really impressed with the enthusiasm and the willingness to take on ideas,” he said.
“I think there’s a real growth mindset within the group, and that’s very much a shared mindset.
“When you’ve got that, it allows the ideas to be implemented. But to actually then deliver them in the physical contest that Test match footy is [different], the next three weeks, we’ll know more, I think.”
After just a few on-field sessions, the Wallabies broke up on Thursday afternoon and will link back up in Sydney on Sunday for their first Test week of the year.
Does he have a matchday squad in mind?
“No, but I’ve loved it,” he said with a smile on his face.
“It’s the bit of the job that I really enjoy, and I’ve enjoyed the enthusiasm of the players.
“You’ve always got to be a little bit optimistic, but I’m optimistic with the way they’ve come together. They’re a good group of young men.”
Head coach Joe Schmidt and assistant Laurie Fisher talk during a Wallabies training session at Ballymore Stadium on June 25, 2024 . (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)
After Jones used six captains across nine Tests in 2023, the Wallabies are no closer to having their next long-term captain.
While injury played a part in Jones’ chaotic campaign, the open nature of selection has meant Schmidt will wait until Thursday’s first Test team announcement to unveil his captain. But even then there could be changes.
“The complication for me is just, first of all, I think it’s easier to select that first captain once you’ve selected your team to make sure they’re a starting player,” he said.
“And then from there, I think you gauge how well they go, and we just progressed through this first three-week block.
“Probably, there’ll be a little bit of movement in the side.
“I’m pretty sure that we’ll use more than just 15 of the same starters, so that there could be a different captain for one or two of the Tests.
“And that will also allow us to just experiment a little bit. But you can’t experiment too much when you’ve got a team like Wales coming and their leadership is strong with guys like Dewey Lake and Aaron Wainwright and Dafydd Jenkins, Corey Hill coming back in there. They’ve got lots of experience with guys who lead.
“So I think that in itself is a really good challenge for our boys to demonstrate their self-leadership and for the individual leaders to stand up.”
Although Jones attempted to implement a kick-heavy and strong counter-attacking style with the Wallabies to reflect the shorter, sharper and powerful bursts increasingly in the game, Schmidt will likely try to manipulate defence more with ball-in-hand.
Indeed, Schmidt’s sides have typically been defined by heavy possession, which needs accuracy at the ruck to ensure quick ball, and the New Zealander said it wasn’t a great surprise that he would try to play with tempo.
“Even in the broader selection, I think there’s a few different ways you can play,” he said.
“We’ve got some different size blokes who are able to play the way that they best play.
“We’d obviously like to be able to play with some tempo, and I don’t think that that will surprise anyone.
“I think it’s a way that the players like to play the game, and you want players to enjoy playing, and that would obviously be part of it.”
Despite crushing the Wallabies at last year’s World Cup to ensure they missed the knockout stages, Warren Gatland’s Welsh side is winless from six Tests in 2024.
But Schmidt said the “combative” Welsh team couldn’t be underestimated.
“I think Wales will be super tough,” he said.