David Campese said Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt had ‘no idea'. What does he think now?
Campese also revealed he planned to quit social media after he and his family were subjected to a torrent of abuse following the Wallabies' 38-22 triumph at Ellis Park, which snapped a 62-year losing streak at the venue.
In the lead-up to Australia's Rugby Championship opener in Johannesburg, the outspoken former winger took a shot at Schmidt over his Wallabies selections, which included installing James O'Connor at No.10 after Tom Lynagh, who started in all three Lions Tests, was ruled out with concussion.
'I can see why Joe Schmidt has never won a RWC [Rugby World Cup]. He has no idea about rugby. Clueless. This shows us why,' Campese wrote on X to his 23,000 followers.
'Very happy for James, who should have been on the bench for the Lions. Ben [Donaldson] at 10. Under [incoming Wallabies coach Les] Kiss, it is not going to look any better.'
Campese said he was not criticising the selection of O'Connor for the Springboks Test because he believed the 35-year-old should have been involved in the Lions series off the bench.
With O'Connor playing his first Test in three years, Australia trailed 22-0 before pulling off a famous win at altitude.
Former Wallaby Peter FitzSimons wrote on Sunday: 'Rugby Australia ought to put David Campese on retainer and get him to do what he now does best: bag the Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt and say our blokes can't win – only for them to EXPLODE in most magnificent fashion.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
West Australian
41 minutes ago
- West Australian
Super Rugby AUS: Wallabies great Kurtley Beale headlines Western Force squad for mini-tournament
Wallabies great Kurtley Beale headlines the Western Force's squad for the looming, four-week Super Rugby AUS campaign, with the 95-Test veteran set to extend his acquaintance with the blue jersey. Beale, who has played 10 games over the past two seasons for the Force — either side of a torn Achilles — is the biggest name in the 31-man squad named for the four-week tournament, which starts in mid-September. While the Force will be sans their Wallabies contingent for the tournament, Beale will be joined by fellow international veteran Darcy Swain, coming off the back of an impressive first season out west. Swain formed one of the best second row duos in the league alongside skipper Jeremy Williams, and earned a brief Wallabies recall before missing out on selection for the British and Irish Lions and South Africa series. Fresh off a similarly strong debut season, capped by an eye-catching showing against the British and Irish Lions at Optus Stadium, full-back Mac Grealy is also part of the squad. Issak Fines-Leleiwasa will play his final games for the Force before his impending move to Fijian Drua, and homegrown talents Marley Pearce and Kane Koteka will also line up for the Force. They will be joined by fellow Force regulars Will Harris, Vaiolini Ekuasi, Max Burey, George Poolman and Henry Robertson. Divad Palu, who saw a potential breakout Super Rugby Pacific campaign derailed by a shoulder injury, has also been included, as has Australian youth international winger Ronan Leahy. Bayley Kuenzle and Nic Dolly are both unavailable as they recover from post-season surgery, while Harry Hoopert, Harry Johnson-Holmes and Doug Philipson are also unavailable as they rehabilitate knee injuries. Back-rower Papillon Sevele could make his Force debut for the first time in competitive action following knee injuries, while the squad also features 12 members of the Force's academy, including the club's Rising Star winner Albert Alcock. Acting Force head coach James Stannard, who will lead the side while Simon Cron takes a back seat to oversee proceedings, said there was a good mix of youth and experience in the side. 'The wider group returned to training a fortnight ago, putting in a good block full of hard work as we build towards the tournament,' he said. 'We're looking forward to playing some meaningful games at this time of year to help progress the ongoing growth and development of our playing squad. 'It's also an exciting opportunity for some of our younger members and academy players to play at a higher level as they transition into Super Rugby ranks.' Forwards Front-rowers: Albert Alcock, Ollie Barrett, Riley Brewis, Bradley Kuhn, Marley Pearce, Max Sawers, Tiaan Tauakipulu. Locks/back-rowers: Billy Browne, Vaiolini Ekuasi, Will Harris, Kane Koteka, Titi Nofoagatotoa, Dane Sawers, Papillon Sevele, HD Stemmet, Darcy Swain, Mitch Watts Backs Half-backs: Luke Aiken, Max Burey, Issak Fines-Leleiwasa, Finn Prass, Henry Robertson. Centres/back three: Kurtley Beale, Boston Fakafanua, Mac Grealy, Justin Landman, Ronan Leahy, Ryan McGloin, Divad Palu, George Poolman, Tiam Toufan.
Perth Now
41 minutes ago
- Perth Now
Beale's back: Wallabies great once more one with the Force
Wallabies great Kurtley Beale headlines the Western Force's squad for the looming, four-week Super Rugby AUS campaign, with the 95-Test veteran set to extend his acquaintance with the blue jersey. Beale, who has played 10 games over the past two seasons for the Force — either side of a torn Achilles — is the biggest name in the 31-man squad named for the four-week tournament, which starts in mid-September. While the Force will be sans their Wallabies contingent for the tournament, Beale will be joined by fellow international veteran Darcy Swain, coming off the back of an impressive first season out west. Swain formed one of the best second row duos in the league alongside skipper Jeremy Williams, and earned a brief Wallabies recall before missing out on selection for the British and Irish Lions and South Africa series. Fresh off a similarly strong debut season, capped by an eye-catching showing against the British and Irish Lions at Optus Stadium, full-back Mac Grealy is also part of the squad. Issak Fines-Leleiwasa will play his final games for the Force before his impending move to Fijian Drua, and homegrown talents Marley Pearce and Kane Koteka will also line up for the Force. They will be joined by fellow Force regulars Will Harris, Vaiolini Ekuasi, Max Burey, George Poolman and Henry Robertson. Darcy Swain's presence will be a boost for the Force. Credit: Paul Kane / Getty Images Divad Palu, who saw a potential breakout Super Rugby Pacific campaign derailed by a shoulder injury, has also been included, as has Australian youth international winger Ronan Leahy. Bayley Kuenzle and Nic Dolly are both unavailable as they recover from post-season surgery, while Harry Hoopert, Harry Johnson-Holmes and Doug Philipson are also unavailable as they rehabilitate knee injuries. Back-rower Papillon Sevele could make his Force debut for the first time in competitive action following knee injuries, while the squad also features 12 members of the Force's academy, including the club's Rising Star winner Albert Alcock. Acting Force head coach James Stannard, who will lead the side while Simon Cron takes a back seat to oversee proceedings, said there was a good mix of youth and experience in the side. 'The wider group returned to training a fortnight ago, putting in a good block full of hard work as we build towards the tournament,' he said. 'We're looking forward to playing some meaningful games at this time of year to help progress the ongoing growth and development of our playing squad. 'It's also an exciting opportunity for some of our younger members and academy players to play at a higher level as they transition into Super Rugby ranks.' Forwards Front-rowers: Albert Alcock, Ollie Barrett, Riley Brewis, Bradley Kuhn, Marley Pearce, Max Sawers, Tiaan Tauakipulu. Locks/back-rowers: Billy Browne, Vaiolini Ekuasi, Will Harris, Kane Koteka, Titi Nofoagatotoa, Dane Sawers, Papillon Sevele, HD Stemmet, Darcy Swain, Mitch Watts Backs Half-backs: Luke Aiken, Max Burey, Issak Fines-Leleiwasa, Finn Prass, Henry Robertson. Centres/back three: Kurtley Beale, Boston Fakafanua, Mac Grealy, Justin Landman, Ronan Leahy, Ryan McGloin, Divad Palu, George Poolman, Tiam Toufan.
ABC News
41 minutes ago
- ABC News
Australian and Queensland governments sign agreement to fund Brisbane Olympics infrastructure
The Commonwealth has agreed to contribute just under half the cost of building the 2032 Olympic Games venues, under a deal struck with the Queensland government. The federal government will provide no more than $3.43bn towards the building of 17 new and upgraded venues for the Games, with the infrastructure expected to cost $7.1bn in total. A significant proportion of that contribution will be spent on the new 63,000-seat stadium at Victoria Park and 25,000-seat National Aquatic Centre in Spring Hill. The Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) gives the Commonwealth seats on the Brisbane 2032 Organising Committee Board and is contingent on the state government developing a plan for Victoria Park which has a "focus on improving access to green space." "We can guarantee you that every part of Victoria Park that's not stadium will be green space," Queensland Minister for Sport Tim Mander said. The Queensland government has also agreed to involve its federal counterparts in naming the Victoria Park stadium and will establish a plaque at the venue acknowledging Commonwealth support. It has long been International Olympic Committee policy that brand names be kept off venues used for the Games. However, the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games organisers recently announced they were breaking with that policy and allowing companies to sponsor stadiums and arenas. The chair of the LA Games, Casey Wasserman, said the many millions of dollars these sponsorship deals bring in is essential for an Olympic Games which doesn't have a government as its primary funding source. The IGA for the Brisbane 2032 Games also prevents the state government from selling or offering long-term leases on Olympic venues for 25 years, unless the federal government agrees to it. If they are sold or leased in future, the federal government will be entitled to a cut. Mr Mander said the Queensland government was required to demonstrate to the Commonwealth that the venues will be built on time and on budget, and represent a good use of taxpayer funds, before the funding deal could be reached. He said the IGA is an endorsement of that plan, and demonstrates a spirit of cooperation which will help make the games a success. In total, 37 venues across 11 Queensland cities will be used to host the 28 Olympic and 22 Paralympic sports. However, which sports will be included in the games won't be determined until an IOC meeting next year, leaving Brisbane 2032 organisers having to create a venue plan without knowing exactly which sports they need to cater for. "Of course, some of them will be bleedingly obvious, where they will be. There will be others that will need to be worked out," Mr Mander said. New sports can be added to each Olympic Games, on top of the 'core' events. At LA 2028 there will be six additional sports: cricket, baseball, flag football, lacrosse, squash and softball. Mr Mander said he didn't expect to be adding as many as that to the Brisbane 2032 schedule. "It is important to know that any additional sports, outside the 28 core sports, those costs have to be born by the host."
