WHEN HIS FINAL campaign as Wallabies boss is done and dusted at the end of this month, Joe Schmidt will take a trip back to Ireland.
His son, Tim, lives in Dublin and works as a finance business partner for Leinster.
There has been good news recently, with Schmidt’s grandson welcomed into the world.
There’s another Dublin connection in Schmidt’s brother, Jamie, who lives in Blackrock and is a partner at Deloitte.
And of course, there’s Schmidt’s own bond with Leinster, who he coached to Heineken Cup success in 2011 and 2012.
So it’s only natural that former Ireland boss Schmidt’s name has been linked with Leinster, who are now looking for a head coach to take over from Leo Cullen when he leaves his role in 2027.
Schmidt has three more games as Australia head coach – this weekend’s meeting with Ireland in Sydney, then home clashes against France and Italy – before he hands the reins over to Les Kiss.
Schmidt has committed to being an assistant coach for Australia A later this year, but he would potentially be available for exactly when Leinster need a new head coach.
“They’ve already got my son working for them, so I don’t think they need the whole family,” said Schmidt when asked if he would be interested in the Leinster job.
“I think Leinster, they’re a juggernaut. I know silverware in Europe is the massive benchmark for them, but they’ve done everything but that and been so competitive and so consistent.
“You see other teams, big teams like Toulouse, they weren’t in the final this year. They’ve done a fantastic job, and I’d have a massive amount of time for what Leo has done and what he’s overseen there.
“I’m proud to say that I was associated with Leinster because I just think that they’re an incredible outfit. I probably quietly still support them at times, particularly in those big European games.
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“Ironically, you’ve got Noel McNamara in the opposition helping Bordeaux undo them, and Bordeaux have a couple of handy players who can undo a lot of people.”
Schmidt with Len Ikitau at Wallabies training in Sydney today. Ben Brady / INPHO
Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO
Schmidt was asked again if he would consider returning to Leinster if the province got in touch.
He didn’t completely rule it out, as he did his characteristic thing of saying he’s only focused on what’s in front of him.
“Not at the moment,” said Schmidt. “You guys know me well; I’m very short-term focused. I’m just trying to get through these last three games to help as best I can and help the group grow a little bit further.
“I feel like they are great. I feel like I can take a few steps back, and they can really lead themselves now. I think that’s a great transition for Les in that they can grab the reins.
“I fly to Ireland on 10 August to go up and see my new grandson. I’m certainly going up there, but not to be coaching really. I’ll be looking forward to that heatwave.”
Schmidt has always painted himself as an accidental rugby coach, and during his time with the Wallabies, he has spoken about probably having moved on earlier but for his desire to help Australian rugby.
He took a brief break from full-time coaching at one stage, spending a year as World Rugby’s director of rugby and high performance, but it has always been hard to imagine him stepping away from the job permanently.
Schmidt suggested today that he’s looking forward to a break from it, and being around his family in New Zealand full-time, but the suspicion remains that a man with his experience, knowledge and love for the game won’t be long out of it.
“I didn’t really plan to be here still,” he said of his role with Australia.
“It was really just the fact that Les was contracted to the Reds and the continuation just was easier rather than putting an interim coach in, and that would have been a little bit unsettling.
“The team wasn’t settled enough post the 2023 World Cup. I think we’ve certainly made progress since then and that’s been evident in some of the results and in some of the performances, but we need to marry those two things up and start getting some performances that are consistent enough to provide results. We know that these next three games are a pressure point for us.
“For me personally, I don’t really have any ambition to keep coaching as a head coach or anything else. I think when I get back, I’m going to go and help King Country in the Heartland competition for a training.
“Go and have a look at what they’re doing and stay nice and close to home and help out again just with the pathway.
“I’m really comfortable there. I don’t feel like I need to be a head coach and I certainly don’t need to be a national head coach.”
Schmidt in Dublin last November. Nick Elliott / INPHO
Nick Elliott / INPHO / INPHO
So it remains to be seen if anything more comes of the link between Leinster and Schmidt.
For now, Schmidt is full steam ahead with the Wallabies as they prepare to take on Ireland this weekend.
Schmidt has made a few surprise selections in his starting XV, but he said the Ireland team is along expected lines.
“It’s very much what we’d anticipated,” said Schmidt. “I think it’s their strongest team that they can put out. They’re a mature, very settled team.”
The game at the 42,500-capacity Allianz Stadium in Sydney sold out very quickly.
Schmidt expects that there was a strong Irish influence in that, with the expats keen to see their team playing on Australian soil.
“I know that County Coogee and County Bondi are going to be there in full,” said Schmidt.
“It’s going to be green and gold, but not the green we’re looking for so much for the Wallaby team. But I just think it’s going to be a great atmosphere.”
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'Leinster have my son working for them, I don't think they need the whole family'
WHEN HIS FINAL campaign as Wallabies boss is done and dusted at the end of this month, Joe Schmidt will take a trip back to Ireland.
His son, Tim, lives in Dublin and works as a finance business partner for Leinster.
There has been good news recently, with Schmidt’s grandson welcomed into the world.
There’s another Dublin connection in Schmidt’s brother, Jamie, who lives in Blackrock and is a partner at Deloitte.
And of course, there’s Schmidt’s own bond with Leinster, who he coached to Heineken Cup success in 2011 and 2012.
So it’s only natural that former Ireland boss Schmidt’s name has been linked with Leinster, who are now looking for a head coach to take over from Leo Cullen when he leaves his role in 2027.
Schmidt has three more games as Australia head coach – this weekend’s meeting with Ireland in Sydney, then home clashes against France and Italy – before he hands the reins over to Les Kiss.
Schmidt has committed to being an assistant coach for Australia A later this year, but he would potentially be available for exactly when Leinster need a new head coach.
“They’ve already got my son working for them, so I don’t think they need the whole family,” said Schmidt when asked if he would be interested in the Leinster job.
“I think Leinster, they’re a juggernaut. I know silverware in Europe is the massive benchmark for them, but they’ve done everything but that and been so competitive and so consistent.
“You see other teams, big teams like Toulouse, they weren’t in the final this year. They’ve done a fantastic job, and I’d have a massive amount of time for what Leo has done and what he’s overseen there.
“I’m proud to say that I was associated with Leinster because I just think that they’re an incredible outfit. I probably quietly still support them at times, particularly in those big European games.
“Ironically, you’ve got Noel McNamara in the opposition helping Bordeaux undo them, and Bordeaux have a couple of handy players who can undo a lot of people.”
Schmidt was asked again if he would consider returning to Leinster if the province got in touch.
He didn’t completely rule it out, as he did his characteristic thing of saying he’s only focused on what’s in front of him.
“Not at the moment,” said Schmidt. “You guys know me well; I’m very short-term focused. I’m just trying to get through these last three games to help as best I can and help the group grow a little bit further.
“I feel like they are great. I feel like I can take a few steps back, and they can really lead themselves now. I think that’s a great transition for Les in that they can grab the reins.
“I fly to Ireland on 10 August to go up and see my new grandson. I’m certainly going up there, but not to be coaching really. I’ll be looking forward to that heatwave.”
Schmidt has always painted himself as an accidental rugby coach, and during his time with the Wallabies, he has spoken about probably having moved on earlier but for his desire to help Australian rugby.
He took a brief break from full-time coaching at one stage, spending a year as World Rugby’s director of rugby and high performance, but it has always been hard to imagine him stepping away from the job permanently.
Schmidt suggested today that he’s looking forward to a break from it, and being around his family in New Zealand full-time, but the suspicion remains that a man with his experience, knowledge and love for the game won’t be long out of it.
“I didn’t really plan to be here still,” he said of his role with Australia.
“It was really just the fact that Les was contracted to the Reds and the continuation just was easier rather than putting an interim coach in, and that would have been a little bit unsettling.
“The team wasn’t settled enough post the 2023 World Cup. I think we’ve certainly made progress since then and that’s been evident in some of the results and in some of the performances, but we need to marry those two things up and start getting some performances that are consistent enough to provide results. We know that these next three games are a pressure point for us.
“For me personally, I don’t really have any ambition to keep coaching as a head coach or anything else. I think when I get back, I’m going to go and help King Country in the Heartland competition for a training.
“Go and have a look at what they’re doing and stay nice and close to home and help out again just with the pathway.
“I’m really comfortable there. I don’t feel like I need to be a head coach and I certainly don’t need to be a national head coach.”
So it remains to be seen if anything more comes of the link between Leinster and Schmidt.
For now, Schmidt is full steam ahead with the Wallabies as they prepare to take on Ireland this weekend.
Schmidt has made a few surprise selections in his starting XV, but he said the Ireland team is along expected lines.
“It’s very much what we’d anticipated,” said Schmidt. “I think it’s their strongest team that they can put out. They’re a mature, very settled team.”
The game at the 42,500-capacity Allianz Stadium in Sydney sold out very quickly.
Schmidt expects that there was a strong Irish influence in that, with the expats keen to see their team playing on Australian soil.
“I know that County Coogee and County Bondi are going to be there in full,” said Schmidt.
“It’s going to be green and gold, but not the green we’re looking for so much for the Wallaby team. But I just think it’s going to be a great atmosphere.”
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