Nine months ahead of the 2025 British and Irish Lions tour, Wallabies great David Campese insisted Australia “should not have a Kiwi coach”, adding that three-time Six Nations title winner Joe Schmidt “hasn’t won anything”.
Schmidt, who took over as Australia coach on a two-year contract in January following Eddie Jones’ disastrous second underperformance, coached Ireland from 2013 to 2019, winning the Six Nations in 2014, 2015 and 2018. The latter was a grand slam. In 2018, he was named World Rugby Coach of the Year.
He also led Ireland to a 2-1 series win over the Wallabies in Australia in 2018.
The 59-year-old has been an assistant coach for the All Blacks since 2022, working as part of their preparations to take New Zealand to the 2023 World Cup final in Paris, where they narrowly lost to South Africa by a point.
“I don’t think we should have a Kiwi coach,” Campese, a 1991 World Cup winner for Australia and a Sport Australia Hall of Famer, told The Rugby Paper.
“I went to New Zealand last week for a Test and everyone was saying, ‘Isn’t Schmidt a good coach?’ and I was saying, ‘Why? Did he actually win anything?’ He didn’t win anything.
Campese, now 61, told The Rugby Paper:
“Yes, he may have won the Six Nations, but the World Cup is the greatest competition for any player or coach in any sport and he hasn’t won anything.
“We always seem to get coaches who have never won anything. We always seem to get second-best New Zealand coaches, not first-class coaches.
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Highlights from the Rugby Championship match between Argentina and Australia as the Wallabies scored a record number of points in a Test match.
“Nevertheless, you have to admit that Team New Zealand are nowhere near where they should be. What I mean is, even though they beat us last week, they are a very average team at the moment.
“Joe Schmidt has no idea about our culture or history. We’re hitting the ball 22 meters out. We don’t do that. That’s not Australian rugby.
“We are used to counterattacking and attacking everywhere. We can’t do that either.
“I think it’s very sad to have to go through this again with another New Zealand coach.”
As part of his outstanding career, Campese won the 1991 Rugby World Cup as a player.
Schmidt began his career as coach of Australia with a 2-1 series win over a struggling Wales side at home last July, but a Rugby Championship campaign followed.
The Wallabies have suffered five defeats in six Tests, including an embarrassing 67-27 defeat in Argentina, back-to-back home losses to South Africa and home and away defeats to the All Blacks.
These performances left them rotten in the final Rugby Championship rankings.
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Schmidt: The way Australia lost to Argentina is unacceptable.
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Australia captain Harry Wilson has spoken out after his side suffered a record defeat to Argentina at the Rugby Championship.
Australia’s next autumn schedule includes matches against England (9 November), Wales (17 November), Scotland (24 November) and Ireland (30 November).
The Wallabies will then welcome the British and Irish Lions to Australia, with Tests taking place on July 19, July 26 and August 2. Sky Sports.
Sky Sports announces 2025 British and Irish Lions tour of Australia
sky sports It will feature exclusive coverage of the 2025 British and Irish Lions tour of Australia, with all three Tests and six warm-up matches broadcast live.
I see an agreement sky sports They have broadcast eight consecutive Lions tours of the partnership, starting with the iconic 2-1 series win over South Africa in 1997.
The Lions tasted success when they last came to Australian soil in 2013 with a dramatic 2-1 series win following a memorable performance in the crucial final Test.
The Lions, who lost their 2021 coronavirus-affected tour of South Africa, will be aiming for a second successive series win in Australia as they begin the first Test at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane.
The Lions will play nine games across Australia, starting with a match against Western Force in Perth on June 28, 2025.
Further tour matches are against the Queensland Reds in Brisbane on 2 July, the Waratahs in Sydney on 5 July, the Brumbies in Canberra on 9 July, the Invitational Australia & New Zealand team in Adelaide on 12 July and the Rebels in Melbourne on 22 July. It continues.
The match will be played after the opening test in Brisbane on July 19, the second test at Melbourne MCG on July 26, and the final test at Sydney’s Accor Stadium on August 2.
The Lions will also play in Ireland for the first time when they take on Argentina in a warm-up match in June 2025. sky sportsWe are about to embark on an Australian tour.
Sky Sports+ has officially launched and will be integrated into Sky TV, streaming service NOW and the Sky Sports app. This will give Sky Sports customers access to over 50% more live sport at no additional cost this year. Find out more here.
