The biggest disaster for Irish rugby in the pro era? If Schmidt hadn’t signed that contract
Absolutely.
His talents are finally globally recognised, all the more after Chicago last weekend, but those talents have always been there.
I got chatting today, jogging alongside Anthony Tuitavake, who is at Racing and has a few caps with the All Blacks. I asked him how well he knew Joe Schmidt, had their paths crossed? In fact, Anthony has played under him at the Auckland Blues.
Was he rated then, I wondered?
He was very good, and that’s a decade ago.
How good? Anthony’s answer was classic understated New Zealand.
Well, there’s two in the world, Wayne Smith and Joe Schmidt.
All the rest are second.
So, of course, I would have revelled working for him.
Garry Ringrose to win long-awaited first cap on Saturday https://t.co/OVxZ1qtLNz pic.twitter.com/1J2mBNTNIc
— Irish Examiner Sport (@ExaminerSport) November 10, 2016
But it’s more important the rugby public in Ireland get how much of a genius Schmidt is. Most, if not every one of Ireland’s five tries against the All Blacks came from the analysis room. He’s a genius at picking weaknesses.
You look at the stroll-in for Zebo when Johnny came back down the blindside off a drive to expose Julian Savea two-on-one. And Conor Murray’s try, the way New Zealand defend, they don’t have a set guard around the ruck, so No 9 fills in there. Aaron Smith filled in a bit, but was late to the party. Understand, teams don’t tend to attack New Zealand in there, hence they got done up. But credit Murray, even at this elevated level, he was a step ahead of everyone else on the pitch.
I believe it’s the first time a European team has scored five tries against the All Blacks in a test match. A startling statistic. But it was the manner of the victory that stands out more than the stats. This is the Joe Schmidt era of rugby — each player is there for the guy alongside, everyone is playing for the coach. Just look how efficient the Irish set-piece was, the scrum, the maul.
Watch the progression of Robbie Henshaw, the rehabilitation of Rob Kearney. It’s incredible, Henshaw was an animal. The man management abilities of Schmidt with Kearney. We need you to deliver here, Rob. When the gun was put to Kearney’s head, he produced. And how.
The fascinating backdrop here is Schmidt is building towards Japan in 2019, not towards once-off hits like New Zealand. Whatever I hear from the Irish lads involves their sense that the head coach took one crucial lesson from the last World Cup in England — that it’s impossible to win it with 20 players. So consider the starters like Henderson, O’Brien, O’Mahony coming back, the likes of Keith Earls and Paddy Jackson to come in.
There’s holes still. In three years’ time Johnny Sexton will be 34, but the most important position at the moment in Irish rugby is back up to Conor Murray. The gap there is too big, there’s no -one else playing regularly.
WATCH: Relive the glory of Ireland’s epic Soldier Field victory https://t.co/FcHlTqDOPs pic.twitter.com/TDMWERwDVR
— Irish Examiner Sport (@ExaminerSport) November 10, 2016
Conor is up there as a world class 9. But he needs someone pushing him, and his back-up needs to be learning from Murray. The Munster man struggled initially with Schmidt because the coach almost had too much rugby knowledge for him. Murray was coming from Rob Penney’s Canterbury model at provincial level, and that’s fine too. But the detail… It’s the one thing in my ear now from Paul O’Connell. Schmidt’s detail.
Hence, Murray might have subconsciously struggled with his confidence initially because it took a while to earn Joe’s trust. Eoin Reddan passed the ball, which Joe likes, Conor liked having a snipe as well.
But he’s making all the right moves now. He’s a good fella, with a good sense of humour. Maybe too good — he’s getting lippy with his elders. A text from Paris reminded him of the old fella trying to keep up with him in the gym. It’s only since you disappeared, Rog, that it’s been upwards and onwards. Shame turkeys like you are chancing goal-kicks then…
The kicking issue does raise the issue again of a back-up to Johnny Sexton. Like the nine, there’s too big a gap there between Sexton and Carbery/Jackson. Don’t forget Tyler Bleyendaal will be naturalised less than two years from now.
Anyway, Joe’s got it covered. It was a good day’s work by the Union to tie Schmidt down to an extended contract to 2019, one that seemed to slip by quite unnoticed. Maybe because some thought it was a formality. Well, had Joe walked, I believe it represented the biggest blow in the history of the professional game in Ireland.
I wasn’t in Chicago as Racing were on Top 14 duty, but there seemed a carnival atmosphere about the place, watching the television re-run. A game where the handbrake was off for both teams. New Zealand don’t do 40-point concessions, and that’s a shocking defensive day at the office for them, whatever the composition of the players on the field.
Both Dan Carter and I had our phones nearby during the Montpellier game with the updates, and he had suggested to me earlier it would be hard for the All Blacks to maintain focus once the 18-game unbeaten run had been achieved. It seemed that way for long periods. However, that cannot detract from the multiple areas Ireland got bang on.
A lot of it comes from the front five. McGrath is an animal, Best the same, Tadhg Furlong had a big game, and the two second rows, Ryan and Toner, ran themselves into the ground. That’s usually what we are admiring the boys in black for doing.
Keith Wood: ‘Ireland need to be in a position where they’re in a team of 23’ https://t.co/x29Nz4QxXe pic.twitter.com/eTVTEFmOQP
— Irish Examiner Sport (@ExaminerSport) November 10, 2016
There is the ‘one-off’ issue, Ireland being world-beaters in that regard. And perhaps it wouldn’t be so appropriate to mention it only that it exists and the nations are meeting again on Saturday week. But something I mentioned here recently, and the issue isn’t lost on the Irish changing room — this group of All Blacks isn’t fully au fait with the grinding pressure of trailing in a test match.
Again, we look forward to seeing how Beauden Barrett reacts next time out. There’s no McCaw, no Carter, Nonu, Sonny Billy Williams, Keven Mealamu, Conrad Smith. A massive amount of experience missing, and that was key when New Zealand gave themselves the chance in Chicago, four points down, 12 minutes left to play.
This all feeds beautifully into the Munster renaissance this evening, with a packed house at Thomond welcomes the Maoris. Brilliant timing.
When was the last time Thomond was filled back-to-back? Rua Tipoki and Jason Holland have travelled from New Zealand.
Wouldn’t mind the hop home, but Racing has its own Irish reunion this weekend — we head to Simon Mannix’s Pau and the likes of James Coughlan, Paddy Butler, Sean Dougal.
Quite a bit to chat about.
This group of All Blacks isn’t fully au fait with the grinding pressure of trailing in a test match
