Joe Schmidt has refused to commit to any involvement with the Wallabies beyond July 2026, leaving the door tantalisingly ajar as the 2027 Rugby World Cup draw throws up one of the most mouth-watering pool clashes in tournament history. The 60-year-old New Zealander, who answered Rugby Australia’s SOS call to extend his tenure twice over, insists he is not currently looking to stay on — but he has not slammed the door shut either.
Joe Schmidt’s Wallabies Future Remains Uncertain Ahead of 2027 Rugby World Cup
Wednesday night’s 2027 Rugby World Cup draw dropped a bombshell — Australia and New Zealand land in Pool A together for the very first time in the tournament’s history. Chile and Hong Kong China complete the group, making both southern hemisphere giants near-certainties to progress, but the Bledisloe Cup-style showdown between them will decide who tops the pool and who faces the harder knockout route.
Schmidt hands the Wallabies coaching reins to Les Kiss next August, after staying on beyond his original end date — which was supposed to come after this year’s British and Irish Lions series — to cover Kiss’s Super Rugby commitments with Queensland through 2026. When asked directly whether he might stay on as an advisor to his long-time friend Kiss, Schmidt kept it typically measured: “Not at this stage. At the end of July is when I finish.”
Furthermore, Schmidt pointed to personal priorities back home in New Zealand, where his son lives with severe epilepsy. “I’ve had two weeks at home in the last five months,” he said. “Getting home a bit more often will be the preference at this stage.” That context matters. This is not just a coaching decision — it is a life one.
All Blacks, Springboks and a Path Through Hell
Meanwhile, Schmidt did not fully rule out returning to the All Blacks setup either, telling reporters he was “not looking to be involved at all, either side” — but that he might well be watching from the stands. Having served as an All Blacks assistant at the 2023 World Cup in France, where New Zealand lost a gut-wrenching final 12-11 to South Africa, his experience and inside knowledge of the Wallabies would make him an obvious NZRU target given the group draw.
For the seventh-ranked Wallabies, that Pool A clash defines everything. Beat the All Blacks and they almost certainly meet two-time defending champions South Africa in the quarter-finals. Lose, and the hosts would likely face Eddie Jones’ Japan in the round of 16, before England in the quarters and either Ireland or Argentina in the semis. As skipper Harry Wilson put it bluntly after the draw: “If you want to win it, you’ve got to beat the best teams.” Exciting? Absolutely. Nerve-wracking? Schmidt would know better than most — and perhaps that is precisely why he fancies watching it from the terraces for once.
For more on the historic pool match venue, check out our earlier piece on the Wallabies vs All Blacks clash at the 82,000-capacity Accor Stadium.
