Former Australian rugby union player David Campese has stated that former Ireland coach Joe Schmidt "hasn't actually won anything" with the Ireland team.
The New Zealander led the Irish rugby team from 2013 to 2019. During his six-year tenure, Ireland won three Six Nations Championships, including a Grand Slam in 2018. There were also significant victories against his native New Zealand, marking Ireland's first-ever win over the All Blacks, both in America and in Dublin.
As of 2024, Schmidt is coaching the Australian national team, having taken charge in January.
This week, former Wallabies player Campese appeared on the Rugby Paper Podcast to review the Rugby Championship and Australian rugby.
During the podcast, the winger/fullback brought up Schmidt's time with Ireland, claiming that he hadn’t actually won anything of major significance while in charge.
“I was in New Zealand for a recent Test match. Someone said, ‘Isn’t Schmidt a good coach?’ I said, "Why? What has he actually won? Yes, he might have won a Six Nations, but the World Cup is the ultimate for any player or coach, and he has not won one. And we always seem to get a coach who has not won anything,’” said the 61-year-old.
Campese, regarded as one of the greatest rugby union players of all time, also expressed frustration that Australia has never secured the best New Zealand coach, often settling for second-best. He argued that Schmidt’s philosophy doesn't align with Australia’s traditional counter-attacking style.
“We always seem to get the second-best Kiwi coach, never the best one. The Kiwis are a very ordinary team at the moment. Joe Schmidt has no idea about our culture. We are mauling the ball from 22 metres out. That is not Australian rugby. We are used to counter-attacking and attacking from anywhere. I don’t believe we should have a Kiwi coach.”
Schmidt and Australia will have the chance to prove themselves against the best of the Northern Hemisphere when the British & Irish Lions tour Australia in 2025.
The Lions will play three tests, with one match in each of Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane next year.
