All Blacks' respect for Schmidt as Wallabies eye ending Bledisloe drought

By Alex Powell

If Australia are to finally end their wait to reclaim the Bledisloe Cup over New Zealand, former All Blacks assistant Joe Schmidt could be the key to seeing the Wallabies claim transtasman superiority.

After proving to be a decisive factor in the resurgence of Ian Foster’s All Blacks, 59-year-old Schmidt has answered an SOS from Rugby Australia, in the hope of rebuilding the Wallabies before next year’s British and Irish Lions tour.

Schmidt has signed on to be Wallabies head coach through to the end of 2025, but faces a colossal task in the meantime.

Through the first four tests of the Rugby Championship, Schmidt’s Australia have just one win, albeit the same record against the All Blacks.

Their last match away against Argentina in Santa Fe saw the Wallabies implode in a 67-27 loss after leading at halftime.

And with home and away tests against the All Blacks to come, it is mathematically possible one of those sides finish bottom of the table, as South Africa face Los Pumas home and away.

However, the Wallabies’ struggles are not a reflection of Schmidt as a coach, moreso a statement on those of Australian rugby as a whole over recent years.

As assistant to Foster, Schmidt helped oversee an All Blacks rebuild that started after a series loss to Ireland, and led all the way to a World Cup final in France last year.

The other side of that equation was current forwards coach Jason Ryan, who also came on board after the series against Ireland, as Foster’s first assistants - John Plumtree and Brad Mooar - were both sacked.

On Saturday, when the All Blacks meet Australia in Sydney, Schmidt and Ryan will face off as adversaries for the first time at test level.

As head coach of Ireland, Schmidt earned historic victories over the All Blacks in 2016 and 2018, and completely transformed the nation’s fortunes into becoming the elite side they are today.

And although Australia are yet to have things fall their way under their new coach, Ryan knows what to expect from his former colleague.

“They’ll want to play fast,” he said. “He puts a lot of work into the breakdown side of things.

“He’s had a good influence on their side already. He knows the game.

“I’ve got a lot of respect for him. Come this test, they’ll be right on - as we will be too.

“We’re not underestimating them at all, we’ve got the utmost respect for them. It could be a classic.”

Schmidt isn’t alone either. Former All Blacks scrum guru Mike Cron is also part of the Australian set-up, after years spent under Foster, and World Cup winners Sir Steve Hansen and Sir Graham Henry.

What’s more, Cron has made it perfectly clear how he feels about the treatment of Foster, that saw him jettisoned early so New Zealand Rugby could appoint Scott Robertson in 2023.

As forwards coach, much of the work Ryan has undertaken in his career has been with the example of what Cron was able to do with the All Blacks.

And even though seeing the pair with Australia is a surprise, Ryan holds no ill will to the pair for moving across the ditch.

“It’s New Zealand coaches, isn’t it?” he continued. “I enjoyed working with Joe, and obviously Crono has been a mentor.

“I probably didn’t think he’d be coaching Australia, to be fair. One thing I really respected about Crono is [that] he rang and told me.

“He gave me the heads up before it was public. I really respect him for that. The All Blacks were a massive part of his life.

“It’s the coaching world isn’t it? We’re in a game where you don’t know what’s next. I’ve got the utmost respect for both of them.”

As the All Blacks have so far struggled under Robertson - already with three test losses in the book before the northern tour - this Bledisloe Cup clash comes at the perfect time for Australia.

Twin defeats to South Africa and losing to Argentina in Wellington have proven the Robertson era won’t be as rosy as many hoped after seven Super Rugby titles in seven years.

But in the build-up to the 2027 World Cup in Australia, Robertson’s All Blacks are prepared to mortgage short-term pain for long-term gain.

Australia haven’t held the Bledisloe Cup since 2002. For context, that’s the year Wallace Sititi, the youngest player of this All Blacks squad, was born.

And while the All Blacks need no motivation for any test match, that case is more true when it comes to retaining the famous trophy against their closest rivals.

“Pressure is a privilege, it should never be a burden, especially when you’re coaching this team,” added Ryan.

“It doesn’t go away any week, no matter what test you’ve got. The Bledisloe means a lot, we’ve talked about it deeply this morning, we’ll layer that during the week - as it will for Australia.

“It will be a good contest, I’ve got no doubt about that.”

This article was first published on nzherald.co.nz and is republished here with permission