Nucifora: No rush to nail down Schmidt

Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt will not be rushed into new contract talks ahead of the November Tests, insists IRFU Performance Director David Nucifora.

Schmidt is halfway through a three-year deal signed in April 2013 following the departure of predecessor Declan Kidney. Yet, the New Zealander, who guided Ireland to the RBS 6 Nations title at the first attempt last season, having won three European trophies in three campaigns as Leinster boss, is one of world rugby’s hottest coaching properties. Interest in his services is sure to soar higher after the 2015 World Cup, which concludes just 54 weeks from now.

With England setting a precedent recently by tying down their head coach Stuart Lancaster to a six-year contract, the IRFU may be persuaded to follow suit, but new performance manager Nucifora, Schmidt’s immediate boss and a former coaching colleague of the Kiwi’s at Auckland Blues, said it would not be happening in haste.