AHEAD OF the New Zealander’s latest return to the Aviva Stadium this weekend, Len Ikitau has credited Joe Schmidt with saving the international careers of some of his Australian team-mates.

Having enjoyed 43 games as a head coach in the venue with either Leinster or Ireland from 2010 to 2019, Schmidt was back in the Aviva on 30 November of last year when his Wallabies side fell to an agonising 22-19 defeat against his former international charges.

Ikitau lined out at inside centre in that game, and despite being absent for their last three international tests, the Exeter Chiefs man is expected to feature in the starting line-up against Ireland at Lansdowne Road on Saturday.

It is also anticipated that Queensland Reds back-row Harry Wilson will lead out Australia as captain, and he is one player Ikitau identified as being reinvigorated by the presence of Schmidt in the Wallabies hotseat.

“I think Joe has been massive for us. Honestly, a lot of the boys in this group went to a World Cup [in 2023], and some boys didn’t go to the World Cup. I think he has saved a couple of the boys’ [international] careers,” Ikitau remarked from the Radisson Blu St Helen’s Hotel in Dublin earlier today.

“I could go on all day, but we don’t have time. Our skip [Wilson], obviously, he was kind of on the fringe of the Wallabies team, and I think the way he has transformed over the last couple of years has been awesome.

“I look at him as a genuine leader within this pack and in this team. That’s just one person out of a lot of boys in the team. I think what we want to do is give back to Joe, and no better way to do that than putting a good performance in on Saturday.”

Ikitau was one of those who missed out on featuring for the Wallabies at the 2023 World Cup in France, with then-head coach Eddie Jones deciding against considering him due to a shoulder injury he had sustained in the act of scoring a try in a game against Argentina in July of that year.

There had been a sense that he could have made the final cut for the squad, given he wasn’t far off regaining full fitness when their official squad was announced, but he was forced to watch on from the outside as Australia exited the tournament at the pool stages.

Yet Ikitau has thrived since Schmidt assumed the reins from Jones, and he started all three tests that Australia played against the British & Irish Lions earlier this year.

While admitting he can be very honest in how he deals with players in the Wallabies squad, Ikitau rates Schmidt, who is set to be succeeded by his former Ireland assistant Les Kiss in mid-2026, as one of the best coaches he has worked under.

“He is honest with his feedback. If you’re not sharp or intent on doing something, he’ll pull you up. Just having him as a coach has been awesome for us. When he first came in, he had a chat with my manager. It was Super Rugby season, and he said that I wasn’t in the squad at the moment.

“That was the honest feedback that I got, and I think it helped me to push that extra mile. Having those honest conversations with him has been good. He’s one of the best coaches I’ve ever had, and I think we’re going to miss him when he leaves.”

Over the course of the Lions’ visit to Australia earlier this year, Ikitau came face-to-face with Ireland centre Bundee Aki. The Connacht veteran was also in the Irish side that defeated the Wallabies in the Aviva a little under 12 months ago, while Robbie Henshaw and Garry Ringrose also played their part in that win for Andy Farrell’s men.

Stuart McCloskey and Tom Farrell have also seen game time in the centre during the current international window, and no matter what combination Ireland come up with for this weekend’s clash, Ikitau is expecting a tough midfield battle.

“They’ve got some big centres. I’m not a big centre myself, but they’ve got really direct ball carriers who can play out of the back as well. Also, they’ve got sharp 10s who know how to use their centres and know how to get the ball to an edge. For us as a back line, we need to be sharp and on our toes,” Ikitau added.