Ireland’s search for form has taken them from Dublin to Edinburgh, on to Rome and through to Belfast where they spent the last three days trying to rediscover their mojo ahead of tomorrow week’s Six Nations meeting with France at the Aviva Stadium.

Joe Schmidt has suggested Ireland will be in much better shape with the return of some frontline stars when France visit Dublin on March 10.

Amid some of the hysteria about Ireland’s poor performance in Rome on Sunday, a few minutes listening to Joe Schmidt offered some more level-headed perspective.

Racing 92 star Simon Zebo has said his phone "is always on" should the call to join back up with the Ireland squad come.

Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt has laughed off the suggestion that Saturday's Six Nations opener with England could be boring.

The Six Nations will boil down to a final-weekend title decider between Ireland and Wales, according to Gordon D’Arcy.

Joe Schmidt has long been preparing for this year’s World Cup with the diligence and work ethic of a beaver building a dam but the Ireland head coach still rails against the very mention of the tournament itself, writes Brendan O'Brien.

Joe Schmidt has shown there is still a chance to win Test recognition in a World Cup year, his last as Ireland head coach, after naming three uncapped Connacht backs in his squad for the first two rounds of the 2019 Guinness Six Nations.

Joe Schmidt is relying on Robbie Henshaw being his “solutions man” when the Leinster star faces England tomorrow from full-back.

Joe Schmidt has not ruled out returning to coaching some day.

Joe Schmidt has won the 2018 Phillips Manager of the Year Award.

The Irish boss rejected an offer to join Steve Hansen's backroom staff.

Irish rugby coach Joe Schmidt has encouraged families of seriously ill children living long-term in hospital to be “open” and share their personal stories to help stay positive.

Andy Farrell’s upcoming elevation to the role of Ireland head coach has been universally welcomed on these shores and yet no amount of succession planning can override the usual raft of known unknowns.

Jonathan Sexton has got a lot right in rugby but he couldn’t have been more wrong about Joe Schmidt.

It’s a great time to be involved in Irish rugby, says Ronan O’Gara

Eddie O'Sullivan believes it will be hard for Joe Schmidt to walk away from rugby.

When you are a coach who pays the closest attention to the minutest of detail and leaves as little as is humanly possible to the vagaries of chance, the manner of your departure was never really going to be a dreaded uncontrollable.

Most of us lucky enough to enjoy a good proportion of our allotted three score and ten come to understand, one way or another, that there is no such thing as a relationship that lasts forever. Even so, parting is, as Juliet assured Romeo, such sweet sorrow. Juliet was stoical, because she expected to meet Romeo again, but yesterday’s announcement that Ireland rugby coach Joe Schmidt will quit coaching after next year’s World Cup in Japan has a finality that an unknowing, still innocent Juliet had yet to imagine.

Alan Quinlan is "very excited" for the Andy Farrell era, as the IRFU revealed the successor to outgoing head coach Joe Schmidt.

Joe Schmidt's departure as Ireland head coach after the 2019 Rugby World Cup has also made big news in New Zealand.

Tributes have been pouring in for Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt who has announced he'll step away from coaching after the 2019 World Cup.

Joe Schmidt has confirmed his plan to leave the Irish rugby job just hours after Ireland completed a clean sweep at the World Rugby Awards.

Joe Schmidt will today inform his employers at the Irish Rugby Football Union of his decision to stay or leave his role beyond next year’s World Cup and no-one will be more relieved to have made it than the man himself.

Ok, what’s next? It was the question tv’s US president Jed Bartlet frequently asked during ‘The West Wing’ when he was ready to move on. Joe Schmidt did precisely that as Ireland put a hugely successful November Test window to bed.

As a sign off to what has proved a remarkable year for Irish rugby, this largely back up Irish side couldn’t have done much more.

Joe Schmidt has dropped a hint that he is set to quit as Ireland head coach when his contract expires at the end of next year’s World Cup.

The perfect team performance? It’s never going to happen from a coach’s or a player’s perspective.

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.

When it comes to getting an opportunity in an Ireland, Andrew Conway is no different from the rest of Joe Schmidt’s squad in his awareness of the need to grasp it against the USA tonight.

USA assistant coach Greg McWilliams believes Ireland’s strength in depth highlights how Joe Schmidt has absorbed the harsh lessons of the 2015 Rugby World Cup.

The ingredients for a Friday column after the Saturday night before?

Among the 23 to be granted auditions against the USA tomorrow will be Finlay Bealham.

USA flanker John Quill is looking forward to renewing acquaintances with former Dolphin team-mates Niall Scannell and Darren Sweetnam in tomorrow’s international encounter with Ireland at the Aviva Stadium.

Martin O’Neill wasn’t the only one to rein in his enthusiasm when the Nations League was thrust upon us this year but he paid a bigger price for his indifference to it than most.

Joe Schmidt has still to make the “tough” decision on his future as Ireland coach as he waits to reach a definitive conclusion following a family brunch on Sunday.

Johnny Sexton has praised Joe Schmidt for the “unbelievable mark” he has made on Irish rugby and is certain he will continue to do so if he decides to stay as head coach beyond next year’s World Cup.

It’s hard to recall any Irish coach describing the absence through injury of a Brian O’Driscoll or a Paul O’Connell or a John Hayes as “a good thing” and certainly not in the slipstream of a white-knuckle ride with the All Blacks.

Look. I know I’m no Donal Lenihan — even if by Saturday night I was as hoarse as he was on the telly.

Joe Schmidt would have been foolish not to factor the expected high-intensity physicality between his Ireland side and the All Blacks tomorrow into his preparations for this sell-out blockbuster.

Ahead of Saturday's showdown between the top two teams in the world, Simon Lewis takes a look at three key match-ups to look out for.

Skirt through the many articles devoted to the raft of All Black retirements after the 2015 World Cup and odds are that the photos alongside them carry the photogenic face of Dan Carter or Richie McCaw’s spiky ruggedness.

Bundee Aki’s place in a Test opposition dressing room has come under fire in the New Zealand media this week but Connacht and Ireland team-mate Kieran Marmion believes the Auckland-born centre is relishing the opportunity to go toe to toe with the All Blacks tomorrow.

Wayne Smith’s choice of reading material, when the All Blacks landed in Ireland back in 2005, was instructive.