Courageous Joe ‘recovering well’

Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt is recuperating from an emergency appendectomy that tempered the enjoyment of his side’s victory over Australia on Saturday.

Schmidt spent Saturday struggling with stomach pains but still managed to guide his side to a dramatic 26-23 victory over the Wallabies at the Aviva Stadium. The New Zealander even conducted post-match television interviews before admitting defeat to the pain, causing him to miss his scheduled post-match press conference.

Ireland team doctors diagnosed suspected appendicitis and sent him off to Dublin’s St Vincent’s Hospital where Schmidt had his appendix removed that night.