Reawakening the Sleeping Giant: Joe Schmidt's Impact on Australian Rugby's Revival
Image Credit: Marc
Australia has become what many people know in sports as a sleeping giant. The two-time Rugby World Cup champions have regressed year after year from a disastrous 2023 World Cup campaign due to an equally devastating second spell of coaching by Eddie Jones, leaving fans and media wondering if the side will ever reach the level of what they once were. However, Wallaby fans should have some faith restored from now until the next World Cup; with the exciting acquisition of Joe Schmidt as the new head coach, the side can now look to build a new sense of style while learning under a coach who has spent time with such giant nations as Ireland and the All Blacks. The article shows how Schmidt, with his proven coaching success, can rejuvenate the squad and lead them to new heights.
Joe Schmidt
Schmidt is well regarded in the rugby community, having spent his time in Ireland as the head coach from 2013 to 2019, where he managed an impressive 72.37% win rate, along with a grand slam and triple crown in 2018. The former 2018 World Rugby Coach of the Year also took his talent back home to New Zealand, where he was referred to as an integral part of the coaching team. Schmidt delivered an impressive campaign in the 2022 Rugby World Championship as an attack coach and further carried on success by leading the All Blacks to the final of the Rugby World Cup, narrowly missing out on the win. Despite such honors and accolades, Schmidt has recently claimed that he has always been prepared for coming into a job in his whole career. Many could assume this is due to squad selection issues, as we know from the departure of once-promising Carter Gordon and Mark Nawaqanitawase, who took their talent to rugby league. Another issue could be captaincy; it was heavily discussed in their last World Cup campaign that no real leaders were on that team. Eddie Jones picked a raw side and disregarded veterans such as Michael Hooper and Quade Cooper. Hopefully, Schmidt can look to these three players to rejuvenate the side.
The Squad
A fantastic start that Schmidt made from the get-go when announcing the squad for the test match against Wales was bringing back veteran Kurtley Beale. The Wallabies were screaming for some experience in the 2023 World Cup, and what player has more experience than Beale? The back can be there to guide and nurture talent like Donaldson or Paisami, on and off the field. Maybe the role of captain could be a bit of a stretch; however, the players in green and gold should look to Beale as someone who is going to guide them out of such a gloomy period by taking in what he says. Beale's leadership and experience will be crucial in shaping the future of the team, providing a sense of reassurance and confidence in the team's leadership to the readers.
A New Generation
The Wallabies must look to build on youth these next couple of years. This is another favorable decision by Schmidt, who announced that 13 uncapped players were coming into the side. It's a strong start from Schmidt with selections, but an even stronger play to progress would be to build around the powerhouse that is Rob Valetini. The 25-year-old number eight has been nothing short of brilliant since the first moment he put on the green and gold and has established himself as what many can argue is one of the best eights in the world. Being only 25 means Valetini has yet to come into his own, so Schmidt should look at him as the epitome of what it means to be a Wallaby and give players around him the same talk. This focus on the new generation should instill hope and optimism in the readers about the team's future.
Changing of the Guard
Although we gave Beale a lot of praise, at some point, there needs to be a passing of the torch in that backline and in that national side. If there is one player who deserves this more than anyone, it would be none other than Ben Donaldson. At the same age as Valetini, Donaldson showed his quality at the Rugby World Cup in 2023 and became a shining light of a dull campaign. Before heading into France, many favoured Gordon to discipline and lead the backline of the Aussies, but Donaldson spoke to the team through his performances and, by the end of it, was even put in the fly-half role instead of Gordon. Donaldson oozes quality and will have a further boost with Beale in the next couple of months. Mentorship can give Donaldson even more confidence to take the reins of the international team back to exciting years. This emphasis on the changing of the guard should make the readers feel the urgency and importance of this transition.
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