Joe Schmidt’s time as Wallabies coach ended on 18 July 2026 with the team’s best performance of his tenure: a 57–10 Nations Championship win over Italy in Perth. Weeks later, his former assistant Les Kiss was in charge. Now that Kiss has completed his first set of Tests, it is worth looking back at what Schmidt left behind.
The record
Schmidt took over in early 2024, after the Wallabies failed to advance from the pool stage at the 2023 Rugby World Cup under Eddie Jones. He finished with 12 wins from 31 Tests, according to the ABC, which noted that a defeat against Italy would have left him with the worst winning percentage of any Wallabies coach in the professional era.
His tenure included memorable wins. The ABC highlighted the 42–37 upset of England at Twickenham in 2024 and the 38–22 victory over South Africa at Ellis Park in 2025, Australia’s first win at the ground in 62 years, according to Rugby Australia. But consistency was elusive. Before the Italy Test, the Wallabies had lost nine of their previous ten matches.
The final campaign
Schmidt’s last three Tests came in the new Nations Championship. Australia lost 33–31 to Ireland and 42–26 to France before beating Italy. Against Italy, the Wallabies scored nine tries to two, and lock Josh Canham became the first second-rower to score a hat-trick for Australia, according to Super Rugby Pacific’s report. It was the team’s largest winning margin since the 2015 World Cup.
After the match, Schmidt was characteristically wry. “I’m going to try and celebrate until midnight and then I might celebrate as a retired gentleman for a couple more hours,” he said.
His assessment
Speaking to Rugby Australia’s website after his departure, Schmidt admitted to lingering frustration. “I thought some of the stuff we played in the first half against Ireland was top-notch,” he said, before describing missed chances that cost the team the result.
But he was confident about the direction of the team. “We certainly never got near perfect, but we’re in a better place, in my humble opinion, than we were when I arrived,” Schmidt said. “I do think there’s some belief there now.”
The case for and against
Critics will point to the win-loss record. Twelve wins from 31 Tests is a poor return by any historical standard, and the team’s inconsistency was a source of frustration for supporters and the game’s administrators.
Supporters of Schmidt will point to the circumstances. He inherited a squad in crisis after the 2023 World Cup, oversaw a rebuild that brought through younger players, and delivered a handful of results, notably at Twickenham and Ellis Park, that few expected.
The handover
Kiss’s first months suggest some of Schmidt’s groundwork is bearing fruit. The Wallabies won four and drew one of their first five Tests under the new coach, including a 42–38 win over South Africa in Perth. The heavy Bledisloe losses that followed show how much remains to be done.
For Rugby Australia, the transition from Schmidt to Kiss was a planned succession, announced well in advance. In its 2025 annual report, the governing body thanked Schmidt for his “significant contribution”. With a home World Cup beginning on 1 October 2027, the success of that succession will be judged soon enough.