Matt Williams: The ‘absolutely crucial aspect’ that has transformed the Wallabies and turned ‘Joseph O’Schmidt’ into ‘Wallaby Joe’
Wallabies boss Joe Schmidt in South Africa
Australian pundit Matt Williams has lauded the recent transformation of the Wallabies under the stewardship of Joe Schmidt – even though the improvements that have happened didn’t require “rocket science”.
Williams, whose recent commentary on the Rugby Championship resulted in a spat with Springboks boss Rassie Erasmus, was delighted with the start the Wallabies made, defeating South Africa in round one in Johannesburg and being unlucky to lose round two in Cape Town.
With the Wallabies now preparing to host Argentina in Townsville, Williams, who was head coach at Leinster in Ireland some years before Schmidt took charge in 2010, has delivered an in-depth look at what has taken place in Australian rugby in recent times.
Rugby in the home of the two-time World Cup winners endured an unprecedented embarrassment when its knee-jerk sacking of Dave Rennie resulted in the appointment of Eddie Jones as head coach, and he led the team in 2023 to a first-ever pool stage elimination at the world tournament.
“Schmidt deserves every piece of praise…”
With ex-Ireland boss Schmidt convinced to take over in 2024 following the conclusion of his stint as an All Blacks assistant under Ian Foster, the Wallabies have enjoyed an uptick in fortune.
They defeated England last November at Twickenham and were combative in two of their three matches against the British and Irish Lions before going toe to toe with the Springboks in South Africa.
“After the Wallabies came within a whisker of winning the Lions series, then defeated the world-champion Springboks at Ellis Park, Ireland are claiming the Wallabies coach as one of their own,” claimed Williams in his latest Irish Times column.
“Ireland love a winner and over the past few weeks, they have reclaimed Joe Schmidt with an embarrassing passion. As we all know, Schmidt is a Kiwi, and if you are a half-decent Kiwi, that’s close enough to being an Australian.
“So, we Aussies have him. He is no longer Joseph O’Schmidt. He is now Wallaby Joe. Jokes aside, Schmidt deserves every piece of praise that comes his way.
“However, the path he has followed to move the Wallabies from the farcical, embarrassing performances at the last World Cup to coming within a whisker of winning the Lions series before shattering a 62-year losing streak at Ellis Park, has not taken rocket science.”
Delving into the reasons for the improvement, Williams continued: “Schmidt appointed older, highly experienced coaches to his staff. Mike Cron and Laurie Fisher have both been around a long time. Old warriors were needed to help lead a young team that had lost its identity and confidence.
“For many years, I have believed that, compared to the best on the planet, the Wallaby teams have been lacking in that most basic of rugby principles: fitness.
“An absolutely crucial aspect of the Wallabies’ improvement is that Schmidt has worked these Wallabies into supreme condition. Sports psychologists will testify that a big benefit of physical fitness is a lift in self-belief and confidence.
“Schmidt has lifted the Wallabies’ belief in themselves, each other and their coaches. Key principles that have been lacking from Australian rugby for many years.
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“Schmidt has also benefited from the difficult but correct decision Herbert and Waugh made at the end of 2024 to cut the Melbourne Rebels Super Rugby franchise and concentrate the shallow Australian talent pool into four Super teams.
“Winning is a habit and in 2025 the Australian Super teams performed to far higher standards than they have for many seasons.
“In the knowledge that players need at least 20 caps before they feel truly comfortable in the chaos of Test match rugby, since his appointment Schmidt has stuck with a core group of players and his captain Harry Wilson.
“He has also fought to bring key players who are contracted overseas back into the Wallaby team. Will Skelton proved how important this policy is to a small rugby country like Australia.”
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Williams admitted it hasn’t all been good with Schmidt at the helm, citing a record loss in Argentina last year as a nadir. But he signed off with nothing but praise for the Wallabies boss.
“The culmination of all of these decisions is that Schmidt now has a competitive group of about 25 international quality players that he can select from.
“The essence of Schmidt’s metamorphosis is not just that the Wallabies have won. It is that his Irish attacking plan of 2019 can only be found in the history books, and he has returned the Wallabies to a style of game that is uniquely Australian.
“The Wallabies have played magnificent, intelligent, running rugby that has tapped into both the Australian tradition and spirit. While there remains a long season ahead, one thing is certain: all you Irish can forget claiming back ‘Joseph O’Schmidt’. Well done, Wallaby Joe.”
