Joe Schmidt: 'We’re not happy to be where we are but we’re excited about the challenge we face'

Ireland have won two Six Nations championships and beaten all three of the southern hemisphere giants on Joe Schmidt’s watch but the Kiwi clearly feels that the next month will serve as the best barometer yet as to where his team stands.

Touted as a hot tip for the title prior to the tournament, the defeat to Scotland has left Ireland playing catch-up. It is tantamount to knockout rugby from here on in with next weekend’s visit of France to Dublin serving as the quarter-final.

“The more experiences you get in that domain the greater your ability to cope in those situations,” said Schmidt. “We know we are under the hammer. How the players respond when they are under the hammer, we will find out a little bit I guess. We’re not happy to be where we are but we’re excited about the challenge we face.”