Coach-in-waiting Schmidt braced for unique challenge
Joe Schmidt, assistant coach at Clermont-Auvergne, will take over the reigns this summer after his appointment to succeed Michael Cheika.
It is a prospect that has the Kiwi is already relishing, having signed a three-year deal with the Irish province, though before that switchover happens, however, there is the small matter of a Heineken Cup quarter-final to get out of the way.
Schmidt, 44, has already been to Dublin with his wife to look for places to live and schools for their children but has been under strict instructions, since it emerged he would be helping knock-out Leinster from the cup, not to come within sniffing distance of the RDS.
Schmidt said: “Hopefully once this quarter-final is out of the way I will have the freedom of Dublin to have a look around the city and the club. I’ve been banned from coming anywhere near the place by Checks (Cheika) until this game is over and I can understand why because this is a massive game for both sides. But it has made things a little difficult in terms of recruitment and getting organised for next season.
“I’ve spoken briefly to Jonno Gibbes and some of the physical training staff about planning for pre-season but things will be a lot easier once the game is out of the way.
“It will be nice to have a proper look around the place and start getting some concrete plans set.
“It’s such an exciting prospect for me. We have five of France’s Grand Slam winners here at Clermont but it will be fantastic to go to another big club like Leinster and work with quality players such as Brian O’Driscoll, Gordon D’Arcy and Jamie Heaslip.
“Having previously worked in the Super 14 at the Blues with a back line that included Mils Muliaina, Luke McAlister and Joe Rokocoko, I know what a great feeling it is to work with the best.
“Going to Dublin will be a great new challenge but right now, for me it’s all about Clermont and I just can’t wait for kick-off. There has been a long break between the pool stage and the quarter-finals. Opportunities to reach the last four of the Heineken Cup don’t come along very often.”
Clermont-Auvergne edged past Leicester Tigers and the Ospreys to top pool three and finish just one place behind defending champions Leinster in the quarter-final rankings.
However there could not be a bigger difference between the two clubs in terms of European pedigree. While champions Leinster will play in their seventh quarter-final, it is eight years since the French club made their only previous appearance at this stage of the competition, when they lost 22-21 to Castres.
They have twice lifted the Challenge Cup, in 1999 and 2007, but this quarter-final against Leinster is their chance to finally emerge from the shadow of the likes of Toulouse, Stade Francais and Biarritz to be taken as a genuine force in both French and European rugby.
Schmidt said: “There’s a lot of pressure both from within the club and the supporters to break into that top group of clubs in France and Europe. When people speak about French rugby, in the past they mentioned the same three or four names, but now they are starting to talk about Clermont.
“In the past, the club has firmly focussed on the domestic championship and just made sure we won our home games in Europe for the sake of the supporters. But we have chased the Heineken Cup harder than ever this season and I think it is showing. Our games against Leicester were epics and we had to work hard to get out of the pool, but hopefully now we’re getting our reward.”
The Clermont supporters have also bought into the European vibe and as many as 3,000 are expected to make the trip to Dublin, hoping to roar their team to a first semi-final.
Schmidt added: “We had a tough pool and we couldn’t have asked for a tougher quarter-final, away to the defending champions. But we’d like to think that we have the players and ability to compete with the best. At the end of the day, it’s all about the 80 minutes on the field.”
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