Joe Schmidt's departure from the Wallabies next month will not be a clean break from Australian rugby after all. The New Zealander is set to take up a coaching role with Australia A later this year, signing on as an assistant for the second-string side's two-game tour of the United States in October, according to a report in the Sydney Morning Herald.
It is a notable twist in a handover that has been months in the planning. Schmidt finishes as Wallabies head coach after the third Nations Championship Test against Italy in Perth on 18 July, with Les Kiss then taking the reins for two August Tests against Japan. The Australia A appointment means Schmidt steps back into Australian colours barely weeks after stepping down, albeit in a deliberately understated role.
He will not lead the group. Brumbies coach Stephen Larkham is set to be appointed Australia A head coach, with Simon Cron also working as an assistant. The fixtures are yet to be locked in but are expected to be two matches against the USA Eagles, who have already qualified for the 2027 Rugby World Cup on Australian soil.
For Rugby Australia, it is a partial win. The governing body has been hopeful of keeping Schmidt involved as a consultant through to the home World Cup, but he has repeatedly stopped short of committing to anything beyond being, as the SMH put it, a "phone-a-friend" option for Kiss. Informed sources cited by the paper said Schmidt is wary of Kiss taking full ownership of the Wallabies without his predecessor hovering in the background. He intends to return to Ireland for several months after the July handover.
The decision to wind down has always been about family. Schmidt is stepping away from the head-coach role to spend more time with his son Luke, who has severe epilepsy. He originally committed only through the British and Irish Lions series, then extended at Rugby Australia's request, first to the end of 2025, then to July 2026, to allow Kiss to complete a third Super Rugby season with the Reds.
Schmidt's loyalty to the Wallabies group has been the defining theme of his exit. When New Zealand Rugby sounded him out about replacing the departed Scott Robertson as All Blacks coach earlier this year, he ruled himself out, unwilling to swap sides before the World Cup.
"It is an incredible job," Schmidt said of the All Blacks role. "Obviously, I've been involved with the All Blacks before and thoroughly enjoyed it. You build a loyalty to the players you're working with and the staff that you're working with, and even to the people who've supported us."
"I feel like I can't just walk out and swap sides," he added.
He backed New Zealand to recover regardless of who took the job. "Whoever gets the job, the All Blacks are always formidable," Schmidt said. "Their player pool is evidenced by the way they finish in Super Rugby on a regular basis, playing the finals."
The Australia A role hints at a longer game. Though primarily a head coach across France, Ireland and Australia, Schmidt served as a senior assistant with the All Blacks in 2022 and 2023, and an understated return to the Wallabies set-up in a similar capacity ahead of 2027 now looks more plausible. Kiss's wider staff is taking shape too, with Scott McLeod on defence, lineout coach Tom Donnelly staying on and young scrum coach John Ulugia to be mentored by Mike Cron.
