Joe Schmidt has made a call on his Wallabies position as head coach, set to depart the post after the Rugby Championship.
Schmidt was initially contracted until the British and Irish Lions but will stay the extra months as the side moves into the new era, ironically beginning with a Test against Eddie Jones' Japan, the man Schmidt replaced
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With that comes the natural question: who will replace Schmidt as head coach?
Rugby.com.au breaks down the options.
He’ll deny it until he’s blue in the face but Queensland boss Les Kiss now holds pole position in the Wallabies’ head coach race.
Bursting back onto the Australian rugby scene after 15 years abroad, Kiss, 60, oversaw the Reds’ best Super season since 2012 spearheaded by a new-look style and positive attacking rugby.
Casual fans were taken aback by Queensland’s rapid improvement – but those in the know weren’t surprised.
Kiss first cut his teeth as a Springboks assistant coach in 2001 and has since built an impressive portfolio including stints with the NSW Waratahs (assistant coach 2002-2008), Ireland (assistant coach 2008-2015), Ulster (head coach 2016-2018) and London Irish (head coach 2018-2023).
Though Kiss is yet to deliver a major trophy as head coach, his strong ties to Joe Schmidt make a strong case for reprisal with the pair winning three Six Nations Titles with Ireland (2009, 2012 and 2014) if they want continuity.
Reds fans would be sad to see Kiss go and leave the last of his three-year contract but Kiss’ long-standing relationship with Schmidt plus existing links to a core group of Queensland-based Wallabies (including skippers Harry Wilson, Tate McDermott and Liam Wright) place him firmly in the selection frame.
It’s not just his rugby acumen either – Kiss remains a cult hero of the 13-man game after 100 first-grade games plus a handful of Origin and Kangaroos caps - and his marketability could go a long way to re-engaging dormant Wallabies fans.
If Les Kiss is the favourite, Stephen Larkham is close behind him in the race.
Larkham is one of the greatest to ever do it in the gold jersey, leading the Wallabies to World Cup success in 1999.
He’s transitioned post-career into one of the best coaches in the country, setting up the Brumbies as the premier club in Australia.
The former playmaker has had a history with the Test set-up and was seen as the heir apparent to Michael Cheika (we’ll get to him) and delivered instant success as attack coach.
His departure from the Wallabies allowed him to refine his game at Munster, one of the best clubs in the world and he returned to Canberra a better coach for it.
Under Larkham, the Brumbies have been the best finishing Australian club in every season of Super Rugby Pacific. This has included back-to-back semi-finals appearances and wins over big Kiwi sides that the other Australian sides haven’t managed.
The likes of Tom Wright, Noah Lolesio and Len Ikitau all bolted back into Wallaby contention after their controversial 2023 omission and the work Larkham did to reinstall confidence should not be overlooked.
If you’re judging the next candidate on success, it’s tough to go past Larkham as your man.
Michael Cheika has never been backwards about coming forwards - and whispers the two-time Wallabies World Cup coach is eyeing off a third Australian campaign continue to persist.
The man responsible for ending the Waratahs’ Super Rugby drought in 2014 still boasts one of World Rugby’s most impressive coaching resumes and a Cheika-Wallabies reunion is on the table with the 57-year-old set to return to Sydney at the conclusion of Leicester Tigers’ 2024/25 season.
Why shouldn’t Cheika be considered? It’s not as though he’s been cooling his heels after parting ways with Australian rugby.
In the five years since the Wallabies’ RWC quarter final exit in 2019, Cheika has helped turn Argentina into a powerhouse - first as an assistant, then as head coach - while at times simultaneously steering Lebanon’s national rugby league side.
As Los Pumas head coach between 2022 and 2023, Cheika oversaw famous away wins over the Wallabies and All Blacks before taking Los Pumas to a fourth-placed RWC finish.
Presently, Cheika has the Tigers sitting fourth on the Premiership ladder and they remain in Champions Cup contention - a significant improvement from their previous season under now-Waratahs coach Dan McKellar.
Rugby Australia CEO Phil Waugh refused to rule Cheika out when discussing head coach candidates for the Wallabies top job prior to Schmidt’s appointment and while only Cheika himself knows whether he’d be willing to work under a Director of Rugby, the opportunity to steer Australia in a home RWC would be sorely tempting.
Yes, it must be stressed that McKellar has repeatedly said that his focus is on the NSW Waratahs and he’s got a three-year deal.
But it’s the Wallabies and if Schmidt and co came knocking, there’s not many in the sky blue that would begrudge the new Tahs boss for taking that offer.
McKellar took over from Larkham at the Brumbies and delivered instant success. He led the side to the Super Rugby semi-finals in 2019 and the Super Rugby AU title the following year after a brilliant start to the COVID-interrupted season.
This caught the eye of Wallabies coach Dave Rennie and his work with the forwards turned the national side into a weapon, with Taniela Tupou especially delivering his best season in the gold jersey to this day.
McKellar was expected to take over from Rennie before the shock Eddie Jones call left him to head overseas.
Back in Australia, McKellar’s impact on the Waratahs has been felt as player after player comments about the standards he’s driving and setting.
If the Waratahs start fast and are turned from wooden spooners to contenders, the calls will go louder for the former Red to take the position that he seemed destined for three years ago.
There’s always the possibility a wider net is cast for the Wallabies’ top job.
Western Force boss Simon Cron remains well regarded after successful stints with the Australian U20s and Shute Shield’s Northern Suburbs but would have to deliver immediate Super Rugby results in 2025 to be seriously considered while ACT women’s coach Andy Friend boasts an impressive track record across the Wallabies, Australian 7s, Brumbies, Harlequins (England), Suntory (Japan) and Connacht (Ireland).
Though there’s Buckley’s of former Wallaby coaches Robbie Deans (Saitama Wild Knights) and Dave Rennie (Kobe Steelers) making an Australian comeback, there’s also an outside chance Laurie Fisher could be appointed as an interim coach for the 2025 Rugby Championship and Spring Tour.
