BERNARD JACKMAN: Perfectionist and practitioner: Joe ends one era but starts another

Joe Schmidt regularly preaches the Aristotle quote to the Leinster players he lives his life by: “We are what we repeatedly do.”

It’s not as easy to influence the daily habits of players at international level as domestic given you only have them for a short time but what Joe will strive for, what all elite teams try to achieve is to make sure excellence becomes a habit and not an act. He looks to create an environment of excellence.

He became the obvious candidate for the job once the IRFU decided not to renew Declan Kidney’s contract. But it wasn’t clear at first that he would apply as he was under contract to Leinster, his uneasy relationship with the IRFU and speculation about a return to New Zealand to be closer to family. He credits the support he received from the Professional Game Board at Leinster that gave him the confidence to enter discussions with the IRFU as he is a loyal man and had never broken a contract before.