Brumbies coach Steve Larkham in the 2024 Heritage Jersey. Photo: Brumbies.
As a Brumbies fan, Steve Larkham’s decision to commit to the Canberra team is commendable, but he remains the most credentialed coach in the Australian Super Rugby system.
Larkham-coached Brumbies teams have made the Super Rugby finals every year he has either been the joint head coach, as was the case in 2014, or as the sole head coach in 2015, 2016,2017, 2023 and 2024.
In 2025, the Brumbies are third on the ladder, with the Queensland Reds, the next best Australian side, in fourth position.
Larkham and his NSW counterpart, Dan McKellar, have both made themselves unavailable for the Wallabies to focus on their Super Rugby teams.
This effectively leaves Queensland’s Les Kiss as the favourite for the Wallabies head coaching role.
Kiss has plenty of experience overseas, but his record pales when compared to Larkham’s.
The Reds made the quarter-finals in his first season in charge in 2024 before being eliminated. The Brumbies, on the other hand, in 2024, made it through to the semi-finals.
Brumbies coach Steve Larkham overseeing training. Photo: Jayzie Photography.
Larkham’s decision may have its roots in his previous experience in the Wallabies’ coaching setup in the lead-up to the 2019 World Cup, when he was sacked from Michael Cheika’s team months before the tournament following a couple of years of poor performances.
To a certain extent, it was a hard pill to swallow, but at the same time, it became the making of him as a coach. He has stated that perhaps he should have stayed with the Brumbies instead of joining the Wallabies full-time.
But after his exit from the Wallabies, Larkham went to Ireland to join Munster for three years before returning to Australia as a far more complete coach to take over from McKellar at the Brumbies.
Dan McKellar when Head Coach of the Brumbies. Photo: Michelle Kroll.
He was unprepared for the head coaching role at the Brumbies after it was thrust upon both him and Laurie Fisher following Jake White’s sudden departure ahead of the 2014 season.
When he returned from Ireland, there was a noticeable difference in his approach with a greater desire to embrace the Canberra community, which the Brumbies failed to use to their advantage for a number of years.
It is hard to quantify, but I feel as though this less insular approach has been reflected in the Brumbies’ performances over the past two seasons.
As he has reflected, there is far more to head coaching than simply coaching the team, a role he says he is more equipped to handle now than was the case in 2014.
It is why I feel he should reconsider the decision to make himself available for the Wallabies head coaching role, but the reasoning behind his decision is understandable.
While Larkham is not one to push his case, his record speaks for itself.
