Ireland great and La Rochelle coach Ronan O’Gara has thrown his hat into the Wallabies coaching ring as Rugby Australia confirmed they are open to sourcing overseas candidates for the Wallabies job.
Less than 24 hours after Joe Schmidt announced he would leave the post after this year’s Rugby Championship, O’Gara became the first to express interest in taking the top spot leading into a home World Cup in 2027.
On Thursday night, O’Gara revealed to this masthead that he is interested in taking over from Schmidt.
RA chief executive Phil Waugh said he wants to ensure that the progress the Wallabies made under Schmidt is continued and the New Zealander’s insights will be valuable in assessing prospective coaches.
“We need to keep the same level of progression that we see in the Wallabies environment and I think that’s been largely driven by the culture that’s been created by both Joe and his coaching team,” Waugh said.
“And if the best candidate to continue that trajectory is an overseas candidate then we’ll be making the right choice for the players’ development.”
Ronan O’Gara playing for Ireland against Australia in the 2003 Rugby World CupCredit: Steve Christo
“You look across our high-performance team and [Director of High Performance] Peter Horne, who is clearly well-connected internationally and domestically around rugby, about who is in the market and who are the best operators, and then you’ve got Joe Schmidt, who’s travelled the world and been a world leader in his field for many years now.
“So clearly we’ll discuss and ask for his guidance and counsel at the appropriate time, but it certainly won’t be putting unnecessary pressure on Joe, given that he’ll have his job to complete as we go through the Lions series and the Rugby Championship.”
O’Gara recently made it clear that he was keen to test himself as an international coach after success with La Rochelle where he won Champions Cup titles in 2022 and 2023.
The former Irish international is a popular figure in La Rochelle where his club currently sit sixth in the Top 14 league, and he enjoys a strong relationship with Wallabies second-rower Will Skelton.
In December, O’Gara said he wanted to take the next step in his career as an international coach.
“There are Test jobs I’d bite people’s hands off for,” O’Gara said. “That usually works itself out if you’re good enough at your club. You’ve got to have those ambitions, I think, because you want to be the best you can be.”
O’Gara also ruled himself out of running for the Wales job, saying that he would prefer to coach Ireland, England or France.
Schmidt’s decision to step down from the Wallabies’ coaching box after the final Test of the Rugby Championship against New Zealand on October 4 in Perth hasopened an opportunity for O’Gara.
Joe Schmidt will stand down as Wallabies coach after this year’s Rugby Championship.Credit: AP
O’Gara confirmed his interest in the Wallabies’ role to this masthead by saying in a text message, “Yes. Keen. Be a great team to work with.”
He has strong knowledge of Super Rugby after working under current New Zealand coach Scott Robertson with the Crusaders and helping to steer the side to titles in 2018 and 2019 as an assistant coach.
The appointment of O’Gara could also open the door to the Wallabies retaining the services of Schmidt. Schmidt is keen to remain working with the Wallabies beyond the Rugby Championship as an advisor, but only if the new head coach wants him involved.
O’Gara didn’t play under Schmidt for Ireland, but is an admirer of the New Zealander and briefly worked under him as a skills coach on Ireland’s tour of the United States in 2017.
Meanwhile, leading Australian candidates Dan McKellar and Les Kiss are keeping their focus on their positions at the Waratahs and the Reds.
In an interview with BBC Sport ahead of a pre-season game against Ulster in Belfast, Kiss refused to be drawn on the vacant Wallabies coaching position.
“In this game, when you look too far ahead it finds you out. This game will give you uppercuts before you know it,” Kiss said.
“You focus on the next day, the next job. That’s a very coach thing to say, but it’s the truth. If you start wandering and lose sight of what’s important, that’s a dangerous place to be.”
Waratahs coach Dan McKellar was similarly focused on his club duties when contacted by this masthead.
“My focus is 100 per cent towards winning round one [against the Highlanders],” McKellar said. “I am not interested in anything that distracts me from achieving that.”
The first round of Super Rugby starts in one week and Waugh is keen to get the next Wallabies’ head coach in place to allow plenty of time for a handover with Schmidt.
