VIDEO: Joe Schmidt: “I’m as gutted as any of those players”

A devastated Joe Schmidt assessed the wreckage of Ireland’s World Cup campaign and promised to move mountains to get his side primed and ready for next year’s Six Nations title defence and a daunting three-Test series in South Africa.

Ireland failed at the quarter-final stage for the sixth time in a crushing 43-20 defeat to their tournament betes noire Argentina at the Millennium Stadium yesterday, their still unattained dream of reaching the last four on hold once more until Japan 2019.

Whether head coach Schmidt will still be at the helm then remains to be seen, his recently-signed contract running only to the end of the 2016-17 season but the former Leinster boss vowed last night to patch his team back together and prepare for a Six Nations three-in-a-row bid next spring.