Schmidt in charge of the Wallabies until July 2026: Rugby Australia confirms

The Wallabies will begin their participation in the inaugural Nations Championship against Ireland, a team that defeated them 46-19 in Dublin. This defeat was the sixth in seven matches for the Australians. The event will launch in July 2026, and despite this, Joe Schmidt will remain in charge, unless Rugby Australia changes its plans. Les Kiss, coach of the Reds, will not take over until the end of that month. Schmidt will also oversee the matches against France, who face the Wallabies this weekend, and Italy, who beat them earlier this month. Despite the coach’s unfavorable results, who has only achieved two victories in eight matches since the Wallabies surprised South Africa in August, Rugby Australia CEO Phil Waugh has ruled out any possibility of an early transition to Kiss.

I have no indication to the contrary.

Phil Waugh

Waugh added that they are aware of the external pressure and that they must ensure adequate support for Schmidt. He assured that they will continue to provide that support to maintain continuity and consistency in the environment, with Schmidt at the helm until the end of the Nations Championship at the end of July. In November 2026, Australia will undertake another tour, similar to the “Autumn Internationals”, visiting England, Scotland, and Wales, but with the competitive advantage of being part of the Nations Championship. In that tournament, they will face the six teams from the “northern hemisphere”, as well as the other five nations from the “southern hemisphere” (New Zealand, South Africa, Argentina, Fiji, Japan, the latter designated as “southern hemisphere” despite being geographically north of the equator). The North and South teams will be ranked in separate tables, and each team will face its equivalent in the final weekend at Twickenham at the end of November. The results will count towards a North versus South score, as well as determining a world champion.

The new competition, which will be played every two years in the years without a World Cup or a British and Irish Lions tour, will give context to the many matches between teams from the northern and southern hemispheres in the existing July and November windows. It is expected to generate millions of dollars in ticket sales, sponsorships, and media rights, which will boost the sport and help combat the threat of the rogue R360 event. The competition marks a tectonic shift in the sport and has the power to redefine the future of rugby. Harrison also said that the strongest rugby nations have collaborated with a clear vision to grow the game, challenging traditional ways of operating to create a tournament structure with genuine global relevance, which will unlock the true value of the sport. In recognition of logistical challenges and greater earning opportunities elsewhere, Fiji will play its home matches elsewhere, and will face England in South Africa and Wales and Scotland in the UK. To accommodate the event and the series of tests announced between the All Blacks and the Springboks next year, the Rugby Championship will not be played in 2026. In addition to the Nations Championship calendar, World Rugby also announced a second-tier competition, the Nations Cup. That competition will also have 12 teams and will be played simultaneously. There are no immediate prospects of promotion and relegation between levels.

• Canada
• Chile
• Georgia
• Hong Kong
• Portugal
• Romania
• Spain
• Tonga
• Uruguay
• USA
• Zimbabwe

The twelfth team will be Belgium or Samoa.