Joe Schmidt to stand down as Wallabies coach after Rugby Championship

  • Huge blow for Rugby Australia before home World Cup
  • New Zealander to face All Blacks for last match in charge

Joe Schmidt will step down as Wallabies coach at the end of this year’s Rugby Championship in a blow to Australia’s hopes in the 2027 World Cup.

The New Zealander confirmed on Thursday he would extend his contract beyond the British and Irish Lions tour, but won’t continue through to the showpiece tournament on home soil. His last Test in charge will be against the All Blacks in Perth on 4 October.

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Sydney to host 2027 Rugby World Cup final as Melbourne settles for last-16 games

  • Semi-finals and third-place playoff also to be played in Sydney
  • Melbourne to host nine matches in total; opener to be played in Perth

The eyes of the rugby world will again fall on Sydney after it was chosen to host the 2027 Men’s Rugby World Cup final, 24 years after the Wallabies’ heartbreaking defeat to England at the city’s Olympic Stadium.

Accor Stadium at Homebush, with a capacity of 82,000, will again host the decider as well as the semi-finals, the third-place playoff and two quarter-finals at the 11th edition of the global showpiece, which will take place in Australia for the first time since 2003.

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Wallabies star Jordan Petaia walks away from rugby union to chase NFL dream

  • Petaia joins international player pathway programme
  • 24-year-old heads to Florida in ‘once in a lifetime’ move

Former Wallabies player Jordan Petaia will pursue his long-held dream of playing in the NFL after being handed a prized spot on the league’s international player pathway (IPP) programme.

The 24-year-old was announced as the first athlete of the programme’s 2025 class on Tuesday. Petaia will head out to the US in January for an exclusive 10-week training camp in Florida before he gets a shot to impress club scouts and win a place on an NFL roster.

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