Wallabies give Schmidt perfect send-off as lock makes history
Where to start with that one?
Josh Canham made history with a hat-trick of tries, a non-playing Italy prop was sent off in chaotic sideline scenes and the Wallabies saved some of their best rugby for the last game of Joe Schmidt’s coaching tenure.
Joe Schmidt hugs Harry Wilson. Stan
Saturday night’s 57-10 rout of Italy in Perth got Australia off the mark in the new Nations Championship after second-half fadeouts in losses to heavyweights Ireland and France.
It was much more comfortable than most expected, given Italy had won their previous two matches against the Wallabies.
But the men in gold were determined to send Schmidt and his ‘Dad’s Army’ sidekick Laurie Fisher out in style.
It took just three minutes for Canham to score the first of his three tries as the breakout star of July became the first Wallabies lock to score a hat-trick.
There was something old: James Slipper becoming the second-most-capped player in Test rugby history, surpassing Sam Whitelock’s mark of 153 Tests.
The only man in Slipper’s sights is Wales and Lions legend Alun Wyn Jones, who played 170 Tests.
And there was something new: Waratahs firebrand Miles Amatosero taking the field for his Test debut.
Schmidt called Amatosero a “likeable rogue” and he was quickly at the centre of a chaotic sideline skirmish at HBF Park.
It resulted in a red card to Marco Riccioni, who was not part of the match-day 23 and got involved in the fracas while wearing a tracksuit.
Riccioni wanted a piece of big lock Amatosero and was banished to the changing rooms for his sins.
“There’s no way someone on the bench should be involved in that,” Michael Hooper said on Stan Sport.
Italy were already without coach Gonzalo Quesada, who was banned for his criticism of the officials in last weekend’s loss to the All Blacks.
Victory meant Schmidt finished his Wallabies career with a strike rate of 38.7 per cent (12 wins, 19 losses).
He avoided owning the worst winning percentage of a Wallabies coach in the professional era, with now All Blacks coach Dave Rennie sitting at 38.2 per cent.
“Just two hours to go,” a happy Schmidt told Stan Sport.
“I finish at midnight, and I’m going to enjoy those two hours and maybe a couple after that as well.”
Schmidt inherited the Wallabies at a low ebb, after Eddie Jones had crashed and burned at the 2023 Rugby World Cup, where they failed to reach the quarter-finals for the first time.
The 60-year-old New Zealander was asked whether he was happy with the progress he had made.
Wallabies head coach Joe Schmidt (left) and incoming head coach Les Kiss at a Rugby Australia announcement in April 2025. Getty Images
“I’m happy, but I’m never satisfied,” Schmidt replied.
“There’s always going to be regrets, but I am delighted tonight that for the sixth time in a row, we had a full house. The people are coming back.
“We’ve got to make sure that we confirm it’s worth coming back to see these guys, and I think they demonstrated that tonight.”
The Wallabies scored nine tries to two as new No.10 Declan Meredith had a much easier ride behind a dominant pack.
“We’ve got to stop beating ourselves,” Schmidt said.
“There’s a bit of maturity, starting to develop, but we’re still young. Josh Canham running the lineout, he’s still a kid in terms of Test footy.”
Schmidt’s former Ireland assistant Les Kiss now takes the reins.
England coach Eddie Jones talks to London Irish coach Les Kiss in 2019. nna\sworthington
Kiss’ first assignment will be against Jones’ Japan in Osaka on August 8,
“I think if you look back two-and-a-half years, I think we’ve definitely made progress,” Schmidt said.
“The players are more connected... our fundamentals, our set-piece is getting better, our fundamentals around the carry/clean, around our connection in defence, they were in evidence tonight.
“To the rugby public, thank you for sticking with us. We’ve just had massive support, and it makes a difference to the players. They know they’ve got to keep earning it, but I’m loving the support that we’ve had.”
