Who will replace Schmidt? Rating the Wallabies coaching contenders

Age: 60
Player: Queensland and Australia rugby league (4 caps)
Coach: Queensland Reds head coach (2024-present), London Irish head coach (2018-23), Ulster director of rugby (2014-18), Ireland defence coach (2009-15), Waratahs defence (2002-08), Springboks defence (2001-02).
The verdict: Kiss has come from the clouds to be a leading candidate to take over from Schmidt, particularly with the Kiwi keen to continue in an advisory role. He and Schmidt worked together for several years in the Irish national team, and wider coaching system.

The former Kangaroos winger is known in Australia for his league exploits but for his has more than done his time in the 15-man game, and is in his 25th year of coaching rugby. A majority of that has been as a defence coach, and overseas, but Kiss has experience at Test level with both Ireland and South Africa. He has a decade of head coach experience, too, after moving into broader roles with Ulster and London Irish, before returning to the Reds last year when the latter collapsed.

The Reds played with a good blend of disciplined structure and adventurous attack in 2024. A hurdle for Kiss is the fact he is contracted to the QRU through to the end of the 2026 season, and while its possible for him to have both roles (see Michael Cheika in 2014-15), that’s now seen as suboptimal.

Dan McKellar

Age: 48
Player: Queensland
Coach: Head coach Waratahs (2025), Leicester head coach (2023-24), Wallabies forwards coach (2020-22), Brumbies head coach (2018-22), Brumbies forwards coach (2014-18), NTT Docomo forwards coach (2013), Tuggeranong coach (2011-13), Souths coach, Brisbane (2008-10).

The verdict: McKellar has distanced from the Wallabies job several times, having just landed at the Waratahs on a three-year deal. But that’s not necessarily a full-stop in this conversation – particularly after the timeline moved further back in the year. As Wallabies’ forwards coach McKellar was once seen as Dave Rennie’s heir apparent, but Eddie Jones’ return saw him exit the national set-up and move to Leicester.

That stint ended after just one season, but RA still clearly rate McKellar, given they walked away from a deal with Scott Wisemantel at the 11th hour to hire him when he came on the market. Like Larkham, McKellar kept the Brumbies winning in his time as head coach and is known as a hard taskmaster, with extremely high standards. And like Larkham, his employer at the Tahs is already Rugby Australia.

Stephen Larkham

Age: 50
Player: Brumbies and Wallabies (102 caps).
Coach: Brumbies head coach (2023-present), Munster senior coach (2019-2022), Wallabies backs coach (2015-19), Brumbies head coach (2015-17), Brumbies backs coach (2011-13).

The verdict: As one of the Wallabies’ smartest and most successful playmakers ever, there was little doubt Larkham would go on to make a good coach. And his work with the Brumbies in two stints as head coach has proved that, with the ACT side finishing fourth or higher in four of five of his seasons in charge. Larkham was backs coach of the Wallabies for the 2015 World Cup, before being scapegoated out of the role ahead of the 2019 season. Three valuable years in Ireland followed before Larkham returned to Canberra, where he has maintained the Brumbies’ dominance in Australia. The 50-year-old is regarded as a thorough and analytical coach, with a proven ability to manage a roster. “Bernie” is not the most natural salesman, but he’d be a steady pair of hands. Contracted through to the end of 2026 but RA now own the Brumbies.

The next line

Simon Cron

Age: 48
Coach: Western Force head coach (2023-present), Toyota Verblitz head coach (2019-2022), Waratahs forwards coach (2018-19), Junior Wallabies coach (2017) Norths coach, Sydney (2015-17).
The verdict: Justifiably in the mix given he is one of the four Super Rugby coaches, and has built up a good coaching resume since emerging as the man who ended Norths’ longstanding drought in the Shute Shield a decade ago. He worked under Steve Hansen at Toyota and is slowly turning the Force around as not only a consistent footy team, but a club where players want to play. But with no Test experience at all, even as an assistant, this will probably be viewed as being too early for Cron to take the top job.

Michael Cheika

Age: 57
Player: NSW
Coach: Leicester head coach (2024-25), Argentina head coach (2022-23), NEC Green Rockets director of rugby (2021-23), Argentina assistant coach (2020-21), Lebanon rugby league (2020-22), Roosters NRL consultant (2020), Wallabies head coach (2014-2019), Waratahs head coach (2013-15), Stade Francias head coach (2011-12), Leinster head coach (2005-10), Randwick (2001-05), Petrarca coach (1999-2000).
The verdict: Cheika recently announced he will be He Cheika replaced McKellar at the Tigers, and only signed a one-year deal, which many interpreted as him keeping a door open for the Wallabies in the event Schmidt departs. It is a job he wants to do again and Cheika is unquestionably the most well-credentialed candidate on any list, on both the Test experience and winning trophies fronts.

Cheika coached teams to the World Cup finals in the last three tournaments. So why is still he not among the favourites? There’s the significant problem of Eddie Jones having poisoned the well at RA when it comes to returning to old coaches, but Cheika’s preferred style of calling all the shots as a supreme leader also appears to be at odds with the new RA mantra of building sustainable success under a national high-performance model. Cheika, who didn’t even get a call about the Waratahs job last year, said he regretted not quitting when Scott Johnson was put above him in the Rugby Australia food chain in late 2018.

The roughie

Ronan O’Gara

Age: 47
Player: Ireland & British and Irish Lions (130 caps)
Coach: Head coach La Rochelle (2019-present), Crusaders assistant coach (2018-19), Racing 92 defence coach (2013-17).
The verdict: O’Gara is one of the most promising up-and-coming coaches yet to make the move into Test rugby. The former Ireland No.10 helped turn La Rochelle from a middle-ranking side to one of the best in the world, taking them to three consecutive European Cup finals – and winning two – between 2021 and 2023, and winning the Top 14 in 2021 and 2023 as well. Will Skelton is one of the main men of his squad. A fiery character who is polarising and has found himself in trouble with officials several times, O’Gara is being eyed off by many major nations.

Left-field options

Steve Hansen: World Cup-winning coach who is currently in Japan but probably has another stint with a Test team in him. Spent time with Eddie Jones in Wallabies camp last year.

Stuart Lancaster: Remembered by Aussies as the coach of England when they crashed out of their own World Cup in 2015 and was replaced by Eddie Jones. But he rebounded and helped Leinster dominate Europe for the next seven years. Recently departed his French club Racing 92.

Warren Gatland: Seems a matter of time when he departs Wales (likely post-Six Nations) and is an experienced Test coach with Grand Slam and Lions series wins on his CV.

Mick Byrne: The former Wallabies skills coach is one of a small handful of Aussies currently coaching at Test level. Now the head coach of Fiji.

Toutai Kefu: Similar to the above, but just finished with Tonga. The former Wallabies great was head coach of Tonga between 2016 and 2023, and took them to two Rugby World Cups.

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Might as well ask

Vern Cotter: The Blues coach is a highly regarded and knowledgeable coach who brings success wherever he lands, in stints in France, Scotland and Fiji.

Wayne Smith: One of the greatest coaching minds in world rugby, whose behind-the-scenes input in the success New Zealand rugby’s success – both men and women – in recent years has been unheralded.

I don’t seem to have got my Zoom invite