The Kiwi described the prospect of kicking off his tenure next week against Wales as ‘a little bit daunting.’
WALLABIES COACH JOE Schmidt tempered expectations on Thursday ahead of his first match in charge against Wales next week, admitting he had never been so unprepared.
The New Zealander was appointed in January to rebuild the team in the wake of Eddie Jones’ disastrous tenure and concedes he is still getting to know some of the players.Advertisement “It’s a little bit daunting, to be honest, but if I wasn’t nervous, I don’t think I’d be on the edge doing my job right.
So, I’m happy to be nervous because it just encourages me to work a bit harder and engage a bit quicker and a bit more often with the players so that we can try to be on the same page. Schmidt, who steered Ireland to the top of the rankings and then helped the All Blacks make last year’s World Cup final, has named a new-look 38-man squad for the first of two Tests against Wales in Sydney on July 6.
“And then from there, I think you gauge how well they go… I’m pretty sure that we’ll use more than just 15 of the same starters, so there could be a different captain for one or two of the Tests.Australia, who have slid to ninth in the rankings, last met Warren Gatland’s Wales at the 2023 World Cup in France, crashing 40-6.
It is Wales’ first tour to Australia for 12 years and they have not beaten the Wallabies Down Under since 1969, losing 11 successive Tests.
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