Rebels players have been unable to resolve their futures as the club remains under administration. The Rebels’ creditors will vote on their desired path on Friday, but even that may not influence RA’s decision as to whether it will return the Rebels’ licence and continue to fund the club.
RA has held off contracting talks given the situation, and though “frustrated”, Schmidt said he’d been trying to “build relationships” with Rebels players to keep them in Australian rugby, regardless of the outcome.
Rebels star Carter Gordon.Credit: Getty Images
As he looks towards picking his first Wallabies squad in June, Schmidt said he’d been encouraged by the competitive form of the Australian teams in Super Rugby, particularly in the trans-Tasman clashes. But Schmidt was quick to add the competitiveness is still too spotty, and looking ahead to the Bledisloe Cup clashes, the inability of Aussie teams to ice close games also needs fixing.
“It’s probably fluctuated a little bit like the Bledisloe have in the last two years as well, where being competitive one week hasn’t necessarily materialised into being competitive the next week. Driving that consistency of performance is massively important,” he said, citing the Brumbies losing heavily to the Blues and beating the Hurricanes in successive rounds.
Schmidt said he and his coaching staff are yet to narrow down the picture for selection for the first Wallabies squad. Asked when he would know his best 15, a smiling Schmidt replied: “Early December.”
Schmidt gave a little more away when it came to his view of selecting overseas-based players via the “Giteau Law”, strengthening his previously stated view by saying he planned to not use the likes of Marika Koroibete and Will Skelton in June.
Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt and ex-Wallabies star Matt Burke pose during a Rugby Australia press call.Credit: Getty
“At this point, we’d never say never, but our priority is the home base players,” Schmidt said.
“Those first three tests, it is [a] very short [build up] and it makes sense to go local. Beyond that for us, it still makes sense to go local, if our endpoint is going to be the British and Irish Lions tour.
“We’ve got to build [and] we want to be as competitive as we can be when the Lions arrive. That’s my massive target. That’s the pinnacle event that’s next up. How do we do that?
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“We want to be more and more competitive in Super Rugby and you don’t do that if your best players don’t stay and commit and play within the Super Rugby teams that are based here.”
Meanwhile, the Waratahs have “rotated” Max Jorgensen out of their side to meet the Hurricanes on Friday night in Wellington after some lacklustre form in recent weeks. Mark Nawaqanitawase moves to fullback and Dylan Pietsch returns to the side after playing club rugby last weekend. Jorgensen will play for Randwick on Saturday.
Hunter Ward has come into the NSW side at No.7, with more injuries at the Tahs. Ned Hanigan (neck) and Jed Holloway (concussion) have been ruled out.
In other news, NSW Rugby Union reported a $4.8m loss for 2023, due to a sizeable drop in revenue and RA funding, and increased professional costs. The union’s annual report showed NSWRU flagged potential issues around it being a going concern in 2024, prior to the deal being struck with Rugby Australia for head office to take full control of the Waratahs.
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