Rugby: Ex-All Blacks assistant Joe Schmidt to be named new Wallabies head coach

Joe Schmidt appears to have found his next gig – and it's conveniently located right across the Tasman.

The former All Blacks assistant coach has reportedly signed on to become the new head coach of the Wallabies.

According to Sydney Morning Herald, Schmidt will replace Eddie Jones as the latest to try to lift the Wallabies back among test rugby's elite teams, with a formal announcement from Rugby Australia expected in the coming days.

Jones sensationally quit the role less than a year into his tenure, winning just two games in nine matches - including an historic exit from the World Cup in the group stage - before returning to Japan to reclaim the role of head coach of the Brave Blossoms. 

Schmidt, 58, has been linked with the Wallabies job since the appointment of Peter Horne as director of high performance and David Nucifora in an advisory role.  

Both he and Horne have worked together previously with World Rugby and could rekindle that relationship with Australia and Ireland respectively.

The Palmerston North product will become the third New Zealander to take on the Wallabies gig, following in the footsteps of Robbie Deans and Dave Rennie - who was fired 12 months before the World Cup - into the role.

Schmidt was a driving force in Ireland rising to a legitimate test rugby power. He led the Irish to three Six Nations titles, a Grand Slam, as well as a famous maiden test win over the All Blacks in Chicago in 2016, before repeating the dose two years later.

He entered the All Blacks set-up as part of a refreshed coaching staff under Ian Foster to try to revive the team after the lows of 2022, helping them to last year's World Cup final in France. 

He vacated that role after the tournament, with new head coach Scott Robertson bringing in his own regime.

Schmidt served as assistant coach to Ian Foster and the All Blacks, and was pivotal in the side's upturn in fortunes from the lows of 2022, to reaching this year's World Cup final in France. 

Schmidt has since vacated that role, as the All Blacks take a fresh approach with a new coaching staff under Scott Robertson from 2024.   

While he's been widely favoured to take up the role, Schmidt has had his detractors, with Australian-born Irish wing Mack Hansen warning Rugby Australia against appointing another New Zealander.

Joe Schmidt appears to have found his next gig – and it's conveniently located right across the Tasman.

The former All Blacks assistant coach has reportedly signed on to become the new head coach of the Wallabies.

According to Sydney Morning Herald, Schmidt will replace Eddie Jones as the latest to try to lift the Wallabies back among test rugby's elite teams, with a formal announcement from Rugby Australia expected in the coming days.

Jones sensationally quit the role less than a year into his tenure, winning just two games in nine matches - including an historic exit from the World Cup in the group stage - before returning to Japan to reclaim the role of head coach of the Brave Blossoms. 

Schmidt, 58, has been linked with the Wallabies job since the appointment of Peter Horne as director of high performance and David Nucifora in an advisory role.  

Both he and Horne have worked together previously with World Rugby and could rekindle that relationship with Australia and Ireland respectively.

The Palmerston North product will become the third New Zealander to take on the Wallabies gig, following in the footsteps of Robbie Deans and Dave Rennie - who was fired 12 months before the World Cup - into the role.

Schmidt was a driving force in Ireland rising to a legitimate test rugby power. He led the Irish to three Six Nations titles, a Grand Slam, as well as a famous maiden test win over the All Blacks in Chicago in 2016, before repeating the dose two years later.

He entered the All Blacks set-up as part of a refreshed coaching staff under Ian Foster to try to revive the team after the lows of 2022, helping them to last year's World Cup final in France. 

He vacated that role after the tournament, with new head coach Scott Robertson bringing in his own regime.

Schmidt served as assistant coach to Ian Foster and the All Blacks, and was pivotal in the side's upturn in fortunes from the lows of 2022, to reaching this year's World Cup final in France. 

Schmidt has since vacated that role, as the All Blacks take a fresh approach with a new coaching staff under Scott Robertson from 2024.   

While he's been widely favoured to take up the role, Schmidt has had his detractors, with Australian-born Irish wing Mack Hansen warning Rugby Australia against appointing another New Zealander.

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