Reality hits ‘unprepared’ Wallabies coach

New Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt concedes he’s never been so “unprepared” as he remains without a clear idea of his first team let alone a potential captain just nine days out from the opening Test against Wales and even after a four-day camp in Brisbane with his maiden squad.

Schmidt, the former coach of Ireland who was given the task of rebuilding the national team in the wake of a disastrous short second tenure of Eddie Jones, picked 38 players from which he will select his opening team for the clash in Sydney on July 6.

The Wallabies have tumbled to ninth in the world rankings after the World Cup failure in France, below even Italy and Argentina, with the upcoming opponent just below the Australians in 10th.

But the recent coming together of his hand-picked crew, plenty with Wallabies experience and plenty without, have left the 58-year-old, who has coached around the world with great success, “daunted” by the project in front of him.

“I’ve never been so unprepared,” Schmidt said on Thursday following the four-day camp in Brisbane that served as a meet and greet for some squad members.

“It’s a little bit daunting, to be honest, but if I wasn’t nervous, I don’t think I’d be on the edge doing my job right.

Reality hits ‘unprepared’ Wallabies coach

“So I’m happy to be nervous because it just encourages me to work a bit harder and engage a bit quicker and a bit more often with the players so that we can try to be on the same page.”

Having spent 18 months with the All Blacks coaching staff, as well as with Ireland, Schmidt has a good track record in winning.

But he’s starting from scratch, with Wallabies players keen to get a “clean slate” after the departure of Jones.

While yet to lock in a match-day squad for next weekend, Schmidt has been impressed with what he’s seen.

“It’s the bit of the job that I really enjoy, and I’ve enjoyed the enthusiasm of the players,” he said.

“You’ve always got to be a little bit optimistic, but I’m optimistic with the way they’ve come together. They’re a good group of young men.”

There’s a captain in there too, but that decision looms as a harder one to make and not one that will happen until after he picks his first team.

“The complication for me is just, first of all, I think it’s easier to select that first captain once you’ve selected your team to make sure they’re a starting player,” he said.