Schmidt sweats on Taniela’s form and career call, sends message to Noah after Japan move
Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt says he’s disappointed that first-choice No.10 Noah Lolesio has decided to quit Australian rugby and made it clear his rivals have priority to feature in the Test series against the British and Irish Lions.
Schmidt moved to clarify his stance on players who have decided their futures are better served away from Super Rugby, while also reacting to reports that Taniela Tupou is in talks to sign for French club.
Schmidt has kept his profile low since the end of last year, but came into the public arena on Wednesday alongside Les Kiss, the man who will succeed him as Wallabies coach mid next year.
Noah Lolesio. (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)
Earlier this month, Lolesio revealed he would leave for Japan at the end of this season – and made it clear the uncertainty over the Wallabies coaching role was a main driver for his decision.
“Just the unknown of who the next coach will be. And me potentially, if I do stay, then go through the whole cycle again.”
Asked if he had spoken to Lolesio since the decision was made, Schmidt responded: “I speak to a number of those players who were regular starters for us but also try to stay out of the way of of the Super coaches because I know their relationship with the player is what’s most important in the present time.
“I had a couple of discussions with Noah in the lead-up to the decision he made and while disappointed with the decision, it’s not a long-term decision and I think Noah is still a young player and can still have a future with the Wallabies.
“In the longer term I’ll have a discussion with him for sure.”
Schmidt has shown a tendency to back players who have stayed loyal to Australian rugby, and he said they would continue to have priority in close selection calls.
“I think we were pretty consistent last year around prioritising the players who’ve committed their future to Rugby Australia but no one is out of the mix,” said Schmidt.
“If Noah’s at the top of his game or Langi Gleeson or Tom Hooper or Rob Leota some of those guys …
“At the same time there’s about a dozen guys who are either announced, or on the way to being announced, who are staying and will be committing their futures to Rugby Australia. We think there’s merit in [supporting] that because we’ll see them at the Allianz Stadium playing for the Tahs or up in Suncorp or across in Perth or Canberra.
“We want those players to put a stake in the ground in their Super teams so that we’re strong and super because we know that the stronger our Super base … then that helps the Wallabies, because those players get momentum.
“They’re well-coached, they have confidence, belief gets built in those four Super clubs. That’s a great base for us to springboard into a more confident Wallabies environment.
“So clarity is that we’ll prioritise them, but clarity is also that nobody is out of the mix. So if there is someone we believe that will add value and is clearly out-playing his opponents as far as selection is concerned, then we know how tough the Lions are going to be, we know how deep they’re going to go with really experienced athletic and combative players, so we know that we’re going to have to be as close as we can to the best group to compete against those guys.”
Although nothing has been confirmed, it seems likely that Tupou, who has struggled with form lapses over the past two seasons, will be departing for an overseas club at season’s end.
Schmidt said he’d prefer the giant prop to stick around.
“I’d love for Taniela to get the best out of himself and in the very near future,” said Schmidt.
“Because he is an immensely powerful man, he’s got good Test match experience. We don’t have massive Test match experience, in fact if James Slipper doesn’t get picked we lose a quarter of our caps in one man.
“When you compare what we’re going to be playing against with the Lions, to have his experience, to have the power he brings, and the confidence he can give around our scrum set piece, it’d be great for him to be at the peak of his powers.
“How do we get there? I think [Waratahs coach] Dan McKellar has done a great job, Tom Carter in the background with his S&C work they’ve done a great job, in trying to get Taniela closer to where he needs to be – the best version of himself on the field.
“I’m still hopeful that we can see the best of him because if we can see the best of him, I’d love to see him in Australia because I’d like us to make the best use of what could be a really pivotal player for us.”