'You don't coach someone for 10 years and not have a relationship with them'
Mention of the Lions brings you swiftly back into the media room at MacDonald Jones Stadium in Newcastle, a couple of hours north of Sydney.
Schmidt's Wallabies have just squeezed their way to a 21-18 victory over an exciting Fijian team, a late try from captain Harry Wilson sparing the hosts from defeat in their first Test of the year and their only game before the Lions series.
The former Ireland head coach is relieved and frustrated. He knows his side haven't played well but is keen to stress that Fiji deserve respect. Schmidt mentions that England only just beat the Fijians in quarter-finals of the 2023 World Cup, a tournament in which Eddie Jones' Australia lost to Fiji.
Schmidt admits that it was 'inevitable to a degree' that his Wallabies players have been thinking about the three-Test series with the Lions that lies ahead. Well, now there are no distractions as he and his players hone in on the first clash in Brisbane in two weeks.
Schmidt will be up against many familiar faces, with his former Ireland assistant Andy Farrell leading a Lions coaching staff that includes Schmidt's old defence coach Simon Easterby and his former on-pitch talisman Johnny Sexton.
Schmidt has already coached against Farrell and Easterby, with some success. It was impossible to miss Schmidt's fingerprints all over New Zealand's 2023 World Cup quarter-final win over Ireland when he was an All Blacks assistant. Schmidt's Wallabies also gave Farrell's side a serious test last autumn in Dublin.
But Sexton being in the opposition coaching box is a new one for Schmidt.
'I'm sure I will have a coffee with them at some stage,' he says.
'You don't coach someone [Sexton] for 10 years and not have a relationship with them and the same with coaching with Andy. It's one of the things I love about rugby.
Joe Schmidt and Johnny Sexton in 2016. Billy Stickland / INPHO Billy Stickland / INPHO / INPHO
'I caught up with Mick Byrne [the Fiji head coach] on Friday and some of the coaches, and it was great. Their analyst was our analyst at the Blues in 2007 so there is so much overlap between people that are good people, and you enjoy their company and you know not to talk rugby anyway.'
Yet Farrell and Schmidt have spoken about rugby in recent times.
It's understood they agreed that the Lions and Wallabies would do their utmost to keep the media chat to rugby during this series. No one wants a repeat of the toxic vibes of 2021 in South Africa.
What they do want is a genuine battle in this series. The Lions are viewed as favourites, largely due to the Wallabies still being in recovery mode after the disastrous Eddie Jones experiment. The Australians improved under Schmidt last year but they are ranked eighth in the world. Their performance today against Fiji will only add to the sense that this is a prime opportunity for the Lions.
Schmidt knows that his men are underdogs.
'It's not really a mindset that we've have time to consider, but I'm sure externally it'll look like that,' he says.
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'We didn't play well enough today for people to have expectation that we'll come bowling into Brisbane and knock the Lions over.
'I'm not sure that expectation was there before today, and so we're going to have to build that quiet resolve and inch by inch we can work our way towards that.'
Schmidt and the Wallabies will be watching closely tomorrow when the Lions name their team to face the Brumbies in Wednesday's warm-up game in Canberra.
'I'll be interested to see who plays against the Brumbies because I think shaking towards the Test match that will give us a little bit more prediction in terms of who's going to be where and that will give us an indication of what might best help us to put pressure on them,' says the New Zealander.
Schmidt was disappointed at how his Wallabies side became loose against Fiji, as well as missing a few key opportunities to score tries and give themselves breathing room on the scoreboard.
Schmidt before today's game in Newcastle. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo
He was happy to report that out-half Noah Lolesio should be OK. The Wallabies playmaker was carted off in a neck brace after suffering a head injury in the second half against Fiji, but Schmidt believes he will be fine.
The Wallabies are due to name their squad for the Lions series on Friday and it sounds like Lolesio will be part of it.
'Noah's first question he asked me was, 'Did we win?' He was still very much focused on the game and appeared to be in good shape,' says Schmidt. 'That's the first thing and the most important thing.
'I think it was whiplash and his head hit the ground, so I'm hopeful that that's going to be something that will resolve itself reasonably quickly. But at the same time, we're going to make sure that he's OK and we don't take any risks we don't need to there, which is the same as Dave Porecki who came off with an HIA.'
Schmidt is also hopeful that lock Will Skelton, back row Rob Valetini, and scrum-half Jake Gordon – who weren't involved in the Fiji game due to injury – will be back for the first Lions Test.
Skelton and Valetini's directness was missed against the Fijians, as was Gordon's calm and accurate play at number nine.
The reality is that Schmidt knows he needs everyone fit and firing if he's to pull off a series victory over the Lions.
Asked about his confidence levels, Schmidt says he just wants to make Australian people proud.
'I'm not a really confident sort of person. There's not real confidence but there's a quiet resolve.
'And that quiet resolve, hopefully over the three-match series can build to something that will earn us the support of a very interested group. It's a great opportunity for us to bring the game back to the focus point that we'd love it to be in Australia.
'We've loved our week in Newcastle. People have stopped us in the street, they've taken a real interest in the game, they've milled around the team hotel and encouraged players in passing. You saw the crowd there today.
'If that's a taste of what's to come, I know that was a small bite and there's some big mouthfuls to come.'
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