Gatland and Schmidt rekindle rivalry in Cardiff

Autumn Nations Series: Wales v Australia

Venue: Principality Stadium, Cardiff Date: Sunday, 17 November Kick off: 16:10 GMT

Coverage: Live on S4C, BBC Radio Wales, Radio Cymru, live text and commentary on the BBC Sport website and app

Under-pressure Wales head coach Warren Gatland might be pleased to see a familiar face this weekend in fellow New Zealander Joe Schmidt.

But if the Wallabies coach inflicts yet another defeat on Gatland's Wales on Sunday then perhaps that familiarity will breed contempt.

It has been a challenging week for Gatland following the 24-19 loss against Fiji last Sunday, a 10th successive international defeat.

Another loss would see them arrive at an all-time low by surpassing their previous worst results sequence set under Gatland's fellow New Zealander Steve Hansen in 2002 and 2003.

"I'm sure Warren is feeling some pressure, just like any international coach," said Schmidt.

"He was obviously highly successful in his previous tenure with Wales.

"He was successful with Wasps. I think anyone can have a lean spell, when teams are transitioning.

"I look at some of the players he had when I first started competing with Ireland against Wales.

"There are some good players there now like Adam Beard, Jac Morgan, Tommy Reffell, Aaron Wainwright and Dewi Lake to name but a few.

"There is a period of time that it takes for them to adjust to Test rugby. That's part of that transition Gats is trying to accelerate at the moment."

In terms of head-to-head contests, this will be the 12th time Gatland and Schmidt have faced off against each other. Schmidt has the edge with seven wins, compared to three for Gatland and one draw.

Only Graham Henry and Robbie Deans (15) and Michael Cheika and Steve Hansen (14) have faced each other more among tier one nations.

The rugby rivalry that dates back decades started when they played together in the same New Zealand teachers school team together with Gatland a hooker and Schmidt a wing.

They have coached against each other since, when Schmidt was in charge of Ireland.

After returning to New Zealand, Schmidt eventually became part of the All Blacks coaching staff, helping the side to the 2023 World Cup final where they were beaten by South Africa.

Then Australia came calling and Schmidt's new side defeated Gatland's Wales in two Tests in the summer of 2024.

"Both those games were tight, in Sydney and Melbourne," said Schmidt.

"Obviously, this time last year, Wales put 40 points on the Wallabies in the World Cup.

"It's not like they've metamorphosed into a bad team. They got very close to a number of teams in the Six Nations.

"I'm expecting them to be incredibly hard to beat. They're dogmatic with the way they go about their defensive work and they are very hard to break down."