Why Australia Rugby's Joe Schmidt Is The Best Coach In Rugby
Why Australia Rugby's Joe Schmidt Is The Best Coach In Rugby
One of the most famous rugby coaches is heading to the 2025 Rugby Championship with the Australia Wallabies. But what makes Joe Schmidt the best?
The 2025 Rugby Championship will feature four of the best international rugby squads, led by arguably the most experienced coaches to ever teach the sport.
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While he’s not at the helm of either of the top two teams in the World Rankings headed to the Championship, Australia head coach Joe Schmidt is bringing valuable guidance and determination unlike any other.
“Joe, in my opinion, is the best rugby coach in the game today from a tactical standpoint,” FloRugby analysts Philip Bendon said. “What he did taking Ireland from an inconsistent side to No.1 in the world and then turning around the All Blacks from arguably their worst form of the professional era to being World Cup finalists is as impressive as just about anything any coach has ever done in the game.”
Schmidt has more than 20 years of rugby coaching under his belt, and his extensive, impressive resume has named him one of the best coaches out there, according to rugby fans and experts such as FloRugby's Bendon.
Here’s why they’re right about Schmidt:
A Memorable Leinster Rugby Tenure
In 2010, Schmidt took his first professional head coaching job with Leinster Rugby, where his highly-lauded career got its footing.
Within his first season with the squad, he led them to the finals of the Celtic League, now called the United Rugby Championship, and an Investec Champions Cup title.
Leinster's performance during the Champions Cup Final that year was the biggest comeback to date in the game’s history, with Leinster recovering from a 22-6 halftime deficit.
The following season, Schmidt and Leinster saw another Champions Cup victory to make them the second team to ever claim it twice, and first to win it with an undefeated record.
The squad similarly made it to the Celtic League final, yet was outscored at the last minute.
It wasn’t until 2013 that Leinster finally snagged the Celtic League title.
However, the team was knocked out of the Champions Cup thanks to a loss from Clermont, a team Schmidt served as the backs coach prior to Leinster. Being sent to the Challenge Cup instead, Leinster claimed that title, as well.
Schmidt’s time with Leinster ended after the 2013 season, and he left with a 77-22 record and four trophies in just three years.
Making History With Ireland Rugby
Schmidt continued to take his magic to his next head coaching position with Ireland.
The Irish started as the No. 9 ranked team in the world when Schmidt entered the picture, but would shortly end up at No. 3.
His first year with Ireland, he brought the squad to the 2013 Autumn Internationals and took a win over Samoa and a loss to both Australia and New Zealand.
In March 2014, Ireland won the Six Nations tournament, the Northern Hemisphere’s international championship.
Schmidt helped Ireland to its first series win over Argentina in Argentina, and by November, the team had wins over South Africa, Georgia and Australia to bring it to No. 3 in the world.
This feat earned Schmidt the RTE Sports Manager of the Year and the Philips Sports Manager of the Year awards.
Schmidt’s generational run with Ireland had only just begun.
In 2015, Ireland won the Six Nations again, and in 2016, Schmidt led the team to its first away win over South Africa.
In November of that year, Ireland overcame over a century’s wait of overcoming New Zealand with a 40-29 victory.
The season was capped with a victory over Australia to give Ireland a rare “triple-win.”
The 2017 Six Nations saw Ireland break England’s 18-game winning streak, and in the next year’s Six Nations, the Irish defeated every opponent to claim the “Grand Slam,” before taking their away series against Australia for the first time in nearly 40 years.
A win over New Zealand earned Schmidt World Rugby Coach of the Year.
Schmidt eventually brought Ireland to the No. 1 spot in the world for the first time in program history in 2019.
Exiting the World Cup in the quarterfinals due to a loss to New Zealand, Schmidt also exited the program as intended, taking a 53-20 record with him.
Commitment To Community
What made Schmidt a unique force with Ireland was the fact that he was committed to bettering not only his players’ skills, but their characters.
Schmidt got the team involved with charity work, including working with the homeless and elderly.
He even pushed himself during practices, tearing his hamstring during one instance, and studied leadership, psychology and probability, all to educate himself on the best approaches to rugby.
In 2018, Schmidt was given an Honorary Fellowship of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland, Faculty of Pediatrics, to award his contributions to children’s health and advocacy work for epilepsy services.
Still Making A Difference
Schmidt went back to New Zealand, his home country, in 2021 to coach the national team and later became attacks coach in 2022. He was tabbed with being an influential figure in the All Blacks' 2022 Rugby Championship win.
Now backing the Australia Wallabies as they head to the 2025 Rugby Championship, there's an opportunity for Schmidt to reignite their spark when they need it most, just like he has with every team he's led.
“Australia is one of the world’s truly great sporting nations, in my opinion, and they get behind their teams,” FloRugby analyst Philip Bendon said. “In recent years, the Wallabies haven’t really given (fans) much to cheer about.
“But if they can start winning consistently in The Rugby Championship and, in particular, start beating the All Blacks at home, then the buzz around the Wallabies will grow.”
The Rugby Championship 2025 Schedule
Aug. 16
Aug. 23
Sept. 6
Sept. 13
Sept. 27
Oct. 4
How To Watch The Rugby Championship 2025
In the United States, rugby fans can watch 2025 The Rugby Championship on FloRugby and the FloSports App.
How To Watch Rugby Matches In The United States On FloRugby
The URC will stream all its matches on FloRugby and the FloSports app in the United States. FloRugby and FloSports also are the U.S. home to:
FloRugby also is home to match archives and match replays.