Schmidt backs Muliaina to give West a lift

Joe Schmidt believes Connacht’s capture of former All Black Mils Muliaina will benefit Robbie Henshaw and other young Irish backs already with the province.

Schmidt coached Muliaina with the Auckland Blues and said the signing of the 33-year-old would be a huge boost to Connacht and to young players there.

The Ireland coach briefly discussed the signing of the All Black with Henshaw yesterday when he met him at a function at NUIG, where the Connacht player is studying.

Schmidt said: “I had the opportunity to coach Mils a little bit in the Blues so I know the quality of the person and the player that he is so I think that he will definitely add value.

“And hopefully that value will extend beyond Robbie to the back three. There’s some good young players in the back three there for Connacht and there’s some good players also in the pack and obviously Kieran Marmion at nine is a guy we’ve got a bit of interest in.

The Irish coach said the signing of a player of Muliaina’s calibre sent out positive vibes and that there would be a lot of benefits for Connacht on and off the field as a result.

“So I think it’s great for Connacht, I think it has already caused a little bit of excitement and that’s what you want,” added Schmidt.

“You want people to get excited about the game in all four corners of the country.”

Schmidt also met Connacht coach Pat Lam along with Marmion and centre Eoin Griffin, who moves to London Irish in the summer, during his visit to NUIG.