Wallaby coach Joe Schmidt says his side must avoid “Cryptonite” if there is a chance of knocking the Lions in England and Ireland, giving hope to the wide net of Australian players and showing that he can hold “Bolter” in blood in the highly anticipated series later this year.
Schmidt sat down with Australian media in Sydney on Monday. His first solo was his first solo appearance in front of wider conditions that year, and the approach that gives him much at the same time, is what he considers as his idea after spending ten years of coaching at the elite level.
While the Kiwis have been deemed impossible to face the Lions, even if they are headed or already based offshore, giving hope to Will Skeleton, Sam Kelevi and Marika Koroybete, Schmidt has picked out several minor individuals who have caught their eye beyond this year’s Super Rugby season.
However, it was his reflection in 2024 that perhaps became the most obvious after Schmidt became modest since Schmidt finished last year’s campaign with a narrow loss to Ireland. That’s because he didn’t want to affect his search to find a replacement. It has since been confirmed to be Les Kiss, but after Schmidt himself agreed to a second extension that will take him mid-next.
“There are a few things,” Schmidt replied when asked about the biggest improvements to the Wallabies since 2024.
“There were countless things we really felt when we broke down (seasons)… We really had to target and we knew we had to get better. So set pieces have always been one of them… One of the biggest improvements was the consistency of the set pieces and those kinds of connection pieces.”
After starting the season with a 3-0 sweep of the July series, both will face Georgia ranked under them, but the Wallabies can only win one rugby championship game in Argentina and were beaten comprehensively in everything else but the first Bladis Low Test with the All Blacks.
However, there were signs that things were gradually falling into place, which upset England at Twickenham to begin their spring tour, leading to the complete demolition of Wales in Cardiff.
A week later, their grand slam hopes were finished by Scotland, with Australia building a half-time lead in Dublin in Ireland, an older side of Schmidt. Sadly, for the Wallabies, they found themselves stuck in their half of their own in most of the second 40 – Schmidt’s men learned one tough lesson, watching hopes of victory gradually escape.
“The biggest task is probably consistency throughout the game. Perhaps one of my biggest disappointments in the Irish game. You’re 13-5 at halftime and we all promise we’ll continue to play.
“And we tried to protect the lead and in Ireland it wasn’t as efficient as they were, but when we approached close to 22 times and got a 5m lineout platform and something like that, it becomes our Kryptonite.
“We are very, very, very confused as we try to protect those things in a row as they accumulate, so for us it is really important to commit to what we are doing.
“We don’t think we’re going to shut down the game by saying that’s right. They have the power, skills, speed, so they can play in many ways.
Looking forward to the Lions Series, Schmidt is working towards an original team of around 38 players who will gather two weeks ago to prepare for the test against Fiji, and will be named after all the Super Rugby seasons for all Australian teams.
Ideally, Schmidt wants to go all the way to the final day of the season, with Brunby or Red, or both, but Waratha and Force remaining in the scrapping of the final few spots in the playoffs.
The team may then be reduced by several players after the Fiji Test, but there may be situations where players will be given the final opportunity to make an impression as part of the Australian New Zealand invitation squad to face the Lion a week later.
Schmidt will also release players who are perceived not to Wallabies 23 at the start of the Lions Tour in late June to the super franchise, playing against tourists. It gives potentially 15 players another opportunity to shift his thinking for his first test in Brisbane.
And he doesn’t want Waratha to wrap Joseph Oakso Suaari in cotton wool if NSW loses to the Crusaders and slides more games into the ladder as a result of the star code hopper officially ending their playoff hopes, except for The Playoff Hopper, which already has a concussion, on Friday.
Schmidt also confirmed that coach Dan McKellar had asked Schmidt if he wanted him to play Suariy in midfield.
“I think he’s already missed a few games this season. He doesn’t have that many anyway, so I think it’s important for Joseph to keep him playing when he’s healthy and can play,” Schmidt said.
“He’s probably going to miss this game with the Crusades, but everything’s going to go well. I hope he’ll come back to the next one… I’m so glad Joseph plays wherever Dan needs to play him. Dan and I had a conversation and I said, “I just want him to have his boots to play the game.”
“I think one of the beauty of playing 15 is seeing the entire game in front of you. For Joseph, he had that opportunity. But they don’t use him like the usual 15.
“So, yeah, for Joseph, it’s great to be playing around with him watching him there. He thought he was really good until he got that knock in Friday’s game. But he’s fine, that’s the main thing going forward.”