Rhys Ruddock: Eight years on and Joe Schmidt still keeps everyone on their toes
Joe Schmidt has in the past that Ireland’s players, especially those who first served under him with Leinster, must be sick of the sound of his voice given eight years have elapsed since he first arrived from New Zealand via France.
Performances and results say otherwise and Rhys Ruddock, captain of the side that faces the USA at the Aviva Stadium today and one of the Leinster cohort who have been under Schmidt’s wing since 2010, is insistent that familiarity has not bred anything like contempt.
“For the playing group, I don’t think that’s an issue. Also, some of the players haven’t lasted as long as he has. The players are always changing. You can compare it to football managers. There are certain managers who seem to be able to stay and still have the backing and the respect of the team.
“For me, Joe certainly has that. He’s been around a while but he’s keeping everyone in the right frame of mind and everyone on their toes and there’s a good working environment. So as a player I don’t see that as an issue.”
“For me, Joe certainly has that. He’s been around a while but he’s keeping everyone in the right frame of mind and everyone on their toes and there’s a good working environment. So as a player I don’t see that as an issue.”
Schmidt’s future plans are due to be revealed early next week. The Kiwi’s contract with the IRFU expires after next year’s World Cup and he spoke with some emotion on Thursday about the enormity of the decision ahead.
There is a consensus, based on his words then and opinion within the game, that he is set to bring his Irish chapter to a close after the 2019 event in Japan and return home to New Zealand.
His loss to the game here would be enormous.
Schmidt has fashioned a culture and built a system that should be rooted enough to withstand whatever trials and tribulations follow if he does decide to move on. And there are a number of superb coaches already within the system if that does happen.
But Ruddock spoke of how there has always been a transition period whenever a head coach has left Leinster during his time at the club and that it had been tough when Schmidt swapped his office in UCD for one on Lansdowne Road in 2013.
Schmidt’s effect on the Irish rugby scene has been astronomical and it was a flummoxed Ruddock who digested the question as to whether there might be one thing, one characteristic or belief or talent, that set him apart as a coach.
“Like anything, there’s a number of attributes. It’s like asking ‘what’s the one thing Johnny Sexton brings into his performances?’
“There are load of things, especially when you’re in the environment, with Johnny.
“There’s actually more to his game and his impact on the team than what people see. And Joe’s the same. There’s the obvious stuff in terms of the plays and the knowledge that he has and, like I said before, there’s more to it: making sure the team performs well no matter who steps in.
“A lot of that is down to the impact that he has on the group and what he demands of the group. So you could see a different team from one week to the next and somehow the team tries to perform in the same way and guys understand their responsibilities.
“That’s a lot down to Joe and his approach but, again, I find that quite hard to answer.”
His reply when asked if he wanted the boss man to stay on was more succinct: “Yeah.”
It’s clearly a huge, difficult decision for Schmidt to make and there is no doubt but that he will be detesting the fact that the spotlight has been hovering over his head this week and not over a squad that has accounted for the All Blacks and is back on the park today.
Ireland’s record against tier-two nations under him is, predictably, superb. Fifty points have been posted on Canada, the USA and Japan and 40+ hauls were recorded in wins over Canada again, Romania, Georgia and Samoa.
The one blip in all that was the 23-20 defeat of Fiji last year. A side showing 13 changes from that which saw off South Africa the week before held a 17-3 lead at the interval before the visitors drew level and it took an Ian Keatley penalty to claim an unimpressive win.
It was a game that demonstrated the dangers of wholesale changes, even in an operation as slick and committed as Schmidt’s, and the trick today will be in ensuring players eager to make strong individual cases for themselves stick to the collective plan.
“The best way to do that is to show the strength of the collective and perform well as a team,” said Ruddock. “Looking back at some of the other games with a similar scenario, even that Fiji game stands out to be because I was playing in it.
“We maybe tried to play as individuals a little bit, not stick to what makes us strong and the collective. Everyone fully understands that. We have spoken about it but everyone’s well aware of it and the coaching staff are well aware of that.”
