June 12 (Reuters) - ACT Brumbies head coach Stephen Larkham will lead the Australia A coaching staff this year alongside departing Wallabies boss Joe Schmidt and Western Force's Simon Cron, Rugby Australia said on Friday.
Larkham previously worked as attack coach for the test team under Michael Cheika butwas sacked in early 2019 and spent three years in Ireland as an assistant coach at Munster.
He returned to the Brumbies in 2023 and has since led the team to three straight Super Rugby semi-finals.
"We are pleased to have assembled a highly credentialled and experienced Australia A coaching staff for this year," RA's Director of High Performance Peter Horne said in a statement.
“To have Stephen, Simon and Joe driving this program will ensure our next cohort of players get access to an elite-level environment where they have the opportunity to grow and develop their games."
The appointment will also keep Schmidt in Australian rugby after he steps down as Wallabies coach in July, providing a major boost to the development program ahead of next year's World Cup in Australia.
Schmidt, who has been in charge of the Wallabies since 2024, is set to be replaced by Les Kiss.
"With the home World Cup firmly on the horizon, building genuine depth is one of our key priorities and this campaign will allow us to do exactly that," Horne added.
RA added that Australia A’s fixtures for 2026 would be released later this month.
(Reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru, Editing by Ken Ferris)
