Joe Schmidt without ‘an answer’ to crucial Wallabies’ selection for British and Irish Lions Series
Wallabies head coach Joe Schmidt and an inset of Harry Wilson.
Wallabies head coach Joe Schmidt is still stamped on who his captain will be for Australia’s three Tests against the British and Irish Lions Series.
Several players took on the leadership role under Schmidt’s first year in charge of the Wallabies, with Harry Wilson closing out 2024 in the role after initially being overlooked for the opening Tests of the year.
Veteran props Allan Alaalatoa and James Slipper also captained the side, while Liam Wright was initially unveiled as the new skipper but was unable to fill the role due to injury.
Wright has continued to have a troublesome time with injury, playing just two games for the Queensland Reds this year, which leaves the Wallabies captaincy up in the air again heading into what is a pivotal series against the Lions in July.
Wallabies captaincy headache
Schmidt is not overly concerned about the headache just yet as he was pleased by the performances of those who held the position in 2024.
“It’s a really good question and unfortunately it’s one that I don’t have an answer for,” the current head coach said when asked about the captaincy during a press conference confirming Les Kiss as Schmidt’s successor in 2026.
“I thought Harry Wilson did a really great job last year in the back-end of the season.
“The gravitas that Allan Alaalatoa has, James Slipper was captain for one and Liam Wright was captain first up and hasn’t played since with his injured shoulder.
“So, I guess that is one thing that we will throw back into the coaching group.”
The Wallabies boss says that getting the squad selection right is crucial, and then they can zone in on who best suits the leadership position.
“We have a strong leadership group, and they can even contribute to how they perceive the leadership best falls onto somebody’s shoulders for a particular weekend,” he added.
“As I said, I felt Harry finished strongly, and the others did a good job when they were in the breach. It is something that we try to sort, but we will try to get our selection right first, and then we will narrow to pinpoint positions of leadership and captaincy.”
The big news in Australia is that Kiss will replace Schmidt as the Wallabies boss, but the latter has agreed to extend his stay in the position until mid-2026, having previously announced that he would leave the role after the Rugby Championship.
Schmidt has agreed to stay on a while longer to ease the transition and hand over to Kiss, who will finish up with the Queensland Reds next year.
Head coach transition
Phil Waugh, Rugby Australia’s chief executive, said the transition of the Wallabies head coach position from Schmidt to Kiss in 2026 was the best possible outcome for the Wallabies and the broader Australian rugby ecosystem.
“We are delighted Joe will continue as Wallabies’ head coach for an additional year before handing over to the vastly experienced and credentialed Les Kiss in 2026,” Waugh said.
“I have always been a big believer in the importance of team culture and, in Joe and Les, we have successive Wallabies head coaches who have built some of the strongest cultures in Australia and around the world.
“RA made clear from the outset our goal of achieving continuity with the Wallabies and minimal disruption to Super Rugby clubs. Joe remaining with the Wallabies for an additional year and Les taking over after completing his final year with the Reds means we have achieved both outcomes, which I’m sure will be welcomed by rugby fans across the country.
“We are confident we have landed on the best possible outcome which allows Australian Rugby to enter its next, exciting chapter with confidence and clarity.”
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