DEPARTING WALLABIES COACH Joe Schmidt will remain an integral cog in Australian rugby after agreeing on Friday to be part of an Australia A coaching setup led by the ACT Brumbies’ Stephen Larkham.
The veteran New Zealander is due to hand over the reigns to Les Kiss after home Tests against Ireland, France and Italy in July.
He had remained coy about his next move, but has now agreed to stay involved and help develop the next generation of players ahead of the 2027 home World Cup.
Larkham was named head coach with Schmidt and the Western Force’s Simon Cron assisting him.
“We are pleased to have assembled a highly-credentialed and experienced Australia A coaching staff for this year,” Rugby Australia high performance director Peter Horne said.
“To have Stephen, Simon, and Joe driving this programme will ensure our next cohort of players get access to an elite-level environment where they have the opportunity to grow and develop their games.
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“With the home World Cup firmly on the horizon, building genuine depth is one of our key priorities and this campaign will allow us to do exactly that,” he added.
Convincing Schmidt to help out is a coup with the 60-year-old bringing more than 100 Tests of experience as head coach of Ireland and Australia.
Stephen Larkham, pictured in 2022, during his time coaching Munster. Bryan Keane / INPHO
Bryan Keane / INPHO / INPHO
Larkham, long-touted as a potential future Wallabies coach, is also an experienced operator, coaching both the Brumbies and Munster.
He was Australia’s attack coach under Michael Cheika between 2015-19.
Australia A’s 2026 fixtures will be released later this month.
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Joe Schmidt to coach Australia A squad alongside Stephen Larkham
DEPARTING WALLABIES COACH Joe Schmidt will remain an integral cog in Australian rugby after agreeing on Friday to be part of an Australia A coaching setup led by the ACT Brumbies’ Stephen Larkham.
The veteran New Zealander is due to hand over the reigns to Les Kiss after home Tests against Ireland, France and Italy in July.
He had remained coy about his next move, but has now agreed to stay involved and help develop the next generation of players ahead of the 2027 home World Cup.
Larkham was named head coach with Schmidt and the Western Force’s Simon Cron assisting him.
“We are pleased to have assembled a highly-credentialed and experienced Australia A coaching staff for this year,” Rugby Australia high performance director Peter Horne said.
“To have Stephen, Simon, and Joe driving this programme will ensure our next cohort of players get access to an elite-level environment where they have the opportunity to grow and develop their games.
“With the home World Cup firmly on the horizon, building genuine depth is one of our key priorities and this campaign will allow us to do exactly that,” he added.
Convincing Schmidt to help out is a coup with the 60-year-old bringing more than 100 Tests of experience as head coach of Ireland and Australia.
Larkham, long-touted as a potential future Wallabies coach, is also an experienced operator, coaching both the Brumbies and Munster.
He was Australia’s attack coach under Michael Cheika between 2015-19.
Australia A’s 2026 fixtures will be released later this month.
– © AFP 2026
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