Rugby Australia is moving closer to naming their new director of high-performance, with World Rugby’s director of high-performance Peter Horne set to take on the role – and the move could help land highly-regarded coach Joe Schmidt for the vacant Wallabies job.
As The Roar reported last week, Horne had emerged as the leading candidate in recent weeks.
It’s believed he has edged out former Sydney University, Australian Sevens and Harlequins’ director of rugby Billy Millard for the role.
The finer points of the negotiations are being out, but it’s likely Horne will be announced over the next week once the sports administrator wraps up a crucial series of meetings this week with World Rugby.
Horne is leading World Rugby meetings with tier-two nations this week in Sydney, with former Fiji coach Simon Raiwalui in attendance before he officially wraps up and joins World Rugby.
World Rugby high-performance director Peter Horne (2nd right) is expected to be named as Rugby Australia’s new high-performance director. Photo: World Rugby
His appointment reflects RA’s desire to go down an administrative path rather than former coach of any standing like Millard would have offered.
Horne, who joined World Rugby in 2015 as a general manager of high-performance before moving into his current role, will sit at the top of the high-performance tree, with the next Wallabies coach to report into him.
During his tenure with World Rugby, the Sydneysider has played an important role in setting up competitions, high-performance structures and pathways across developing countries.
He also played a role in helping Super Rugby integrate Fiji Drua and Moana Pasifika into the competition.
Those successes played out in the recent Rugby World Cup, with Chili, Fiji, Georgia and Portugal delivering encouraging performances that positively reflected World Rugby’s desire to spread and build the game. Horne briefly worked at Saracens as a general manger.
RA always said they wanted to have the role filled by Christmas, with chief-executive Phil Waugh saying the successful candidate had one of the biggest jobs to change the game’s standing in Australia.
“It’s a big job,” Waugh said. “It’s the biggest job on my leadership team in terms of the impact it has on the general sentiment around the game.”
Rugby Australia chief-executive Phil Waugh has overseen the process to hire the new high-performance director. (Photo by Daniel Pockett/Getty Images for Rugby Australia)
Horne will oversee all of Australia’s men’s and women’s high-performance programs.
He will also be tasked with “integrating” the programs, with RA trying to centralise all of the Super Rugby’s high-performance programs.
Perhaps most pressing will be building a list of coaching candidates to take over from Eddie Jones, with RA wanting to have the new Wallabies coach set in stone by the start of Super Rugby.
Horne’s close relationship with former Ireland coach and All Blacks assistant Joe Schmidt could be one of the keys to landing the 2018 World Rugby coach of the year.
After leaving his Irish post after six years following the 2019 World Cup, Schmidt worked alongside Horne at World Rugby.
It’s believed the duo have a strong working relationship.
While Schmidt’s Irish side bombed out in successive quarter-finals under his leadership, the New Zealander took the Emerald Isle to the top of World Rugby’s rankings.
Along the way, Schmidt played an instrumental role in not just seeing them become one of the world’s best teams but helped usher through transformational change off the field, as Ireland moved to a centralised system.
Schmidt briefly exited the international coaching scene following the 2019 World Cup, citing a desire to move home to New Zealand to be closer to his family.
But after initially moving back into the coaching fray with the Blues in Super Rugby, he joined the All Blacks ahead of last year’s Rugby Championship as New Zealand Rugby shook the All Blacks coaching team up following their historic series loss to Andy Farrell’s Irish.
Joe Schmidt (C) has emerged as the favourite to take over from Eddie Jones as Wallabies coach. (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)
Schmidt’s expertise proved telling, with he and Jason Ryan transforming the All Blacks and helping Ian Foster’s side reach the final of this year’s World Cup after stunning wins over Ireland and Argentina in the knockout stages.
Importantly, the 58-year-old, The Roar understands, is interested in the Wallabies coaching job.
Dan McKellar, Stephen Larkham, Andy Friend and Ian Foster remain interested in the role.
Should RA move on him, Schmidt’s backing would be largely supported by the Super Rugby franchises, with several sources telling The Roar that the experienced coach is exactly the type of person the Wallabies need.
After a year in where the Wallabies’ detail and nous was clearly absent on the field, the highly detailed Schmidt would help bring rugby smarts to the Australian program.
Indeed, the manipulation and ability to play both sides of the ruck was clearly visible by Ireland during his Irish tenure.
What’s more, should RA go down a path of bringing Schmidt into the fold, his own relationship with Ireland’s long-time director of high-performance David Nucifora could see the Australian reconsider his position with the governing body.
Last year Nucifora told The Roar he would unlikely consider returning to RA when he leaves his post with Ireland following next year’s Olympics.
“I don’t think it’d be wise to revisit,” Nucifora said.
“I think that you have a go at something once, you do your best and then if it’s not good enough or it didn’t work you move on, do something else.
“What’s changed back there that I could think that, what I can offer, can change what they’re doing still?
“I’ll always love rugby. I’ll always love Australian rugby. Could I see myself working in Australia again? I doubt it.”
David Nucifora is set to return to south-east Queensland when he finishes up with Ireland following the 2024 summer Olympics. (Photo By Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile via Getty Images)
But RA have been making moves to try and twist Nucifora’s arm.
While Nucifora was never in the running for the director of high-performance, it’s understood they are trying to get him on board as a consultant when he wraps up with Ireland.
LBJ
Roar Rookie
You're missing the point of course. It's that neither deans nor Rennie were 'special'. They were just 'fine'. While both Jones and Cheika have taken Australian teams to world cup finals.
savant
Roar Rookie
Yeah you’re right the ABs have used hard line runners at 12. From memory nearly all the kiwi 12s were bigger than Horan for example and I doubt he would played there had he been a kiwi. but the difference for me is that all the kiwis can pass. Even Ma. And that makes all the difference. The 13 needs to get it at the right time if you are using the Smith model. I found it interesting that the AB selectors weren’t keen on Laumape a real crash baller. Was that lack of distribution skill? I’m biased about Kerevi because I like the Reds and saw him play 2 seasons at 12 and we lost every game against kiwi sides and came last in the Australian conference both years. He’s a better player since Japan where he’s had kiwi coaching but even there they played him at 13 a lot. It was noticeable how much more potent the Refs backline were after Kerevi left. When COVID stopped SR they were the leading try scoring side.
AgainAgain
Roar Rookie
Not quite true.. Aaron Mauger before him was also a player who took it to the line hard and either set up play and was strong enough to get his upper body through the first line of defence to offload. And yes NZ has also had ball distributers there, but it is not either or. Conrad Smith outside Ma’a allowed the key distributer to be the centre. I personally like that mix if it is available. Len Ikatau for me is a complete centre.. so for me developing a Kerevi / Ikatau combo makes a lot of sense and a world class centre pairing. I can’t imagine a single coach outside of Eddie Jones who would not be comfortable with that and having a player like Foketi and potentially Flook as back-up. But there is no way that Kerevi is behind those two in my opinion.
savant
Roar Rookie
I said SA and England. I did not include NZ in that. The kiwis play the most intelligent and varied style of rugby in the world. Yes they used Ma well but they never played ‘ give it to Ma’. And historically the kiwis prefer a 12 who can distribute.
AgainAgain
Roar Rookie
Will pas it on to Ma'a and the ABs. It certainly slipped.my.notice how when the.human cannonball was playing, that we were playing 10 man rugby.
kingplaymaker
Roar Guru
Landing Joe Schmidt would even make us yearn for Eddie Jones...
Rolando
Roar Rookie
Deans win rate 58% v Cheika 50% Rennie 38 % v Aussie Eddie 22%
Cec
Roar Rookie
:laughing:
Cec
Roar Rookie
Fair enough cs I take your point. Perhaps by next century AUS can catch up with the rest of professional rugby in regards to coaching selections. O’Gara at La Rochell and Farrell at IRE, by god I didn’t think I’d ever see those kind of appointments in my lifetime.
Mike88
Roar Rookie
Savant, right back at you. I disagree with what you have credited to Schmidt. There are several paid rugby coaches in Ireland who I have spoken to this week who would say the same. I hope you like midfield bombs and formulaic attack because that's what you're getting.
Mike88
Roar Rookie
So Gregan, Larkham, Horan, Herbert, Roff, Tune, Burke, Mortlock et al were the benefits of a paint by numbers three phase and kick it attack? They moved the ball. They played what was in front of them and challenged defences. This is what I'm talking about. Keep Ball Alive. We were the second worst team at the RWC for moving the ball outside 12.
Biscuit man
Roar Rookie
Doesn’t matter who they bring in to whatever position. The problem is in the woodwork. The politics in Australian rugby are toxic and will make it difficult for them to succeed. Best NZ and Aus coaches on market couldn’t succeed so why is this guy any different. Another good reason to move to less SR teams. Having ex Players with state ego’s in charge of the Admin is probably the worst possible scenario. The lunatics are in charge of the asylum and professional rugby in Aus in a death spiral.
Busted Fullback
Roar Rookie
Only baby boomers remember the boom years! :laughing: :laughing:
savant
Roar Rookie
I’m with you on all but Kerevi. Quade knew how and when to use him which is why we won 5 straight with Quade. But before and after we lost so many times with Kerevi at 12. We made the WC final with Giteau at 12, a distributor. That’s what we need to maximize our attack options. Kerevi style 12s only work in 10 man rugby set ups with monster packs and great kickers. Like South Africa and England.
LBJ
Roar Rookie
You mean 'How dare anyone interrupt the roar group think! The Roar have decided that kiwis are infallible. So it nut be so!'
cs
Roar Guru
DR won wide personal respect, to be sure. Yet support for an Australian coach is merely an extension of support for the Wallabies because they are the Australian team, which is why it inevitably comes with the territory. I don't mean to argue that the coach must be an Australian, only to suggest that expecting indifference on the issue is unrealistic.
Ankle-tapped Waterboy
Roar Rookie
Yes, these days apparently it's criminal to not be an Australian. How times change!
Ankle-tapped Waterboy
Roar Rookie
Have you heard of Susan from Herne Bay?
Ankle-tapped Waterboy
Roar Rookie
yet another (mediocre) Kiwi?! How to say you haven't been watching rugby, when posting in a rugby forum.
Filstrup
Roar Rookie
Yeah, that's was all about by demonising McLennan and Jones. AR back to square one, QLD vs NSW squandering, kiwi coach, O'Keefe and Co., certifying SR bashings every week, the rogue kiwi trained media and the Stan's lot lecturing us on the game's boring laws. Centralising ? it won't happen, just back to the old rotten routines, keeping the game as secret men's business. The declining fan base, reduced to the geriatric ones who by the 2027 RWC probably will be on nursing homes singing Waltzing Matilda while watching how the wallabies are butchered by the WR designated officials and TMOs ( RFU, surely).