‘Ruthless streak’ pleases Schmidt

Joe Schmidt believes a philosophy embracing hard work has put Ireland in with a shout of winning the Six Nations Championship.

Schmidt lauded his squad for the ruthless streak displayed when putting Italy to the sword on Saturday and setting the scene for a perfect end to Brian O’Driscoll’s illustrious international career at Paris next week.

“I believe in the team we’ve got, if you’re a coach and don’t believe in the team then you’re probably in the wrong place,” he said.