Cautious Joe Schmidt takes time-out as provinces reclaim stars

It is a trait he instilled in his players over the last three years as national team boss and yet as influential as he is in Irish rugby he cannot wrap the players up and keep them in Ireland camp until the RBS 6 Nations.
Like an anxious parent packing a child off to the Gaeltacht to improve their Irish, it will have been with a heavy heart the head coach waved his squad off back to their provinces on Sunday lunchtime. After a month in their company and the great strides they made in that time, placing them in the care of others and hoping they return unbroken in late January for the Championship is one of the tougher elements of the job.