Schmidt names three fresh faces for Italy farewell as winless Wallabies chase history

Joe Schmidt has named three uncapped or returning players in his Australia squad for the Test against Italy in Perth next Saturday, his last match as Wallabies head coach, as he seeks to avoid finishing with the worst win-loss ratio in the role’s history.

The selection comes after Australia’s sixth consecutive defeat, a 42-26 loss to France in Brisbane on Saturday. The Wallabies led the back-to-back Six Nations champions 21-12 at halftime before the match unravelled during a seven-minute spell in which three French tries arrived while fullback Tom Wright was sin-binned for a professional foul. Romain Ntamack and fullback Matthieu Jalibert were the chief architects of the turnaround.

Debutant No.10 Declan Meredith, 27, was unable to steady the ship after being thrust into the starting side following calf injuries to Carter Gordon and Ben Donaldson in the previous week’s 33-31 loss to Ireland in Sydney — a match in which Australia also surrendered a 12-point lead. The Wallabies have won just once in their last 10 Tests, against Japan.

Schmidt’s win percentage now stands at 36.66 per cent — a record of 11 wins and 19 losses. A victory over Italy would lift that figure fractionally above his predecessor Dave Rennie’s 38.2 per cent; defeat would leave him with the worst ratio among all Wallabies coaches.

For the Perth squad, Schmidt has included 22-year-old playmaker Harry McLaughlin-Phillips, who trained with the group in Brisbane, after Donaldson’s fitness remains uncertain. Veteran No.10 Bernard Foley, a 71-Test cap holder, has not been called upon despite being available, with Schmidt opting to blood younger options at the position. The Wallabies have used seven different No.10s across their past 17 Tests, largely through injury.

Schmidt, who took over from Eddie Jones following Australia’s early exit at the 2023 Rugby World Cup, was persuaded to remain in the role for this three-Test window before Les Kiss — who coached the Queensland Reds this season — takes charge next month. Kiss observed last week’s match in Sydney without direct involvement.

“My time’s nearly finished and I just want to leave the house in good order,” Schmidt said. “It’s hard at the moment to rationalise the positives, and I know there were some.”

Schmidt acknowledged the urgency of converting internal belief into results. “To galvanise that we have to get results, and I feel that acutely,” he said. “You don’t take jobs on like this to come second. Internally I’m incredibly competitive and just want these guys to get a little bit of reward.”