Schmidt happy to mix it up

LIKE so many Kiwis, Joe Schmidt has adapted effortlessly to life in Europe but there must be times when he and others from the southern hemisphere wonder about our peculiar ways.

Rugby is no different, in that respect. Some of these picadillos, like the IRFU’s recent decision to put the squeeze on how the provinces avail of foreign players, arrive out of the blue. Others, like a season chopped into compartmentalised blocks for clubs and countries, are better sign-posted.

During his days coaching the Auckland Blues, Schmidt knew when the players reported for pre-season training he would enjoy their attention from the very start of the Super Rugby campaign, right through to it’s bitter end.