There is one side to Ireland's rugby set-up that's softer than before...

Manager Mick Kearney: 'It's different to Joe's time when we were based at Carton House 24/7, you felt you were at work all the time. It has been a nice change-up, so the environment around has changed a little bit as well'

JOE SHOW: Former Ireland head coach - and now New Zealand assistant coach - Joe Schmidt.

Life under Andy Farrell may be more relaxed and inclusive for Ireland than it was under Joe Schmidt but these World Cup contenders would not be where they are now without their former head coach, team manager Mick Kearney argues.

Kearney knows both Schmidt and Farrell well having served under both regimes, as well as Declan Kidney in 2012-13, and is as fascinated as anyone by this Saturday night’s World Cup quarter-final at Stade de France when Ireland will face a New Zealand attack masterminded by Schmidt.

Farrell succeeded Schmidt after the 2019 World Cup quarter-final exit at the hands of the All Blacks, ending the New Zealander’s tenure with the IRFU on a low note after six highly productive years at the helm of Irish rugby.

Schmidt had delivered two Heineken Cups, a European Challenge Cup and a Pro12 title during his three seasons at Leinster between 2010 and 2013, then succeeded Declan Kidney as Ireland boss. He brought back-to-back Six Nations titles in 2014 and 2015, a historic first victory over the All Blacks in 2016, and a first home victory over then-world champions two years later as they finished 2018 as Grand Slam winners, top of the world rankings. Schmidt and Johnny Sexton were also named World Rugby’s coach and player of the year at an awards ceremony that also crowned their Ireland as world team of the year.

Schmidt and Farrell will lock coaching horns for the first time in Paris this weekend with Ireland on the crest of the wave, unbeaten in 17 Tests while the All Blacks are out to avenge their home series defeat in 2022 at the first opportunity.

Much has been made of the contrast in styles and the environments that have been created in their respective Irish camps and the man who has served them both was in an ideal position Monday to compare and contrast.

He credited the move to a state-of-the-art training base in west Dublin as a factor in a more relaxed hotel environment for the squad as well as Farrell’s “softer” man management approach but acknowledged the foundations put in place by Schmidt as being integral to Ireland’s current success.

“People have different ways of coaching, of managing people, and of managing organisations,” Kearney said. “Declan Kidney had one way of doing it, Joe Schmidt had another way and Andy has a different way.

“One of the key differences is that it’s probably a more relaxed environment under Andy than it was under Joe. That’s not to say that the environment under Joe was in any way poor.

“Andy has introduced a lot of softer skills in terms of getting the families involved, a lot of downtime for players and staff – they're not always on and maybe that has come about because of the change from Carton House to the HPC in Dublin, where you don’t feel like you’re working all day long from early morning to late in the evening.

“That has certainly helped as well, but ultimately environments are all about players and environments are created by players as much as by management.

“It’s one in all in and they’re an extremely happy bunch, that comes with winning but they’ve huge respect for each other and get on extremely well. They’re the tightest group I’ve been involved in or seen, there are great friendships among all 33.

“They’re well able to enjoy the fun, their downtime. It's not hugely different, but it is different to Joe's time when we were based at Carton House 24/7, you felt you were at work all the time. It has been a nice change-up, so the environment around has changed a little bit as well.

“And there’s been a massive involvement with the families, not only in France but from the moment Andy took over. At the moment, the families are arriving in Saturday morning of the game, had lunch and met up with the players and enjoyed a few hours with them... that again has been a huge help to the environment in terms of you can’t be on all the time.

“Having wives, kids and partners around has helped the players relax and switch off.

“We look upon the families as part of the squad as well and that takes a lot of the stress out of it for players, they’re not concerned about how their wives or partners are going to get to the hotel, get tickets, etc. It’s part of the mix that has made this a really enjoyable, great place to be.” 

Team Manager Michael Kearney: People have different ways of coaching, of managing people, and of managing organisations. 

Aside from Farrell, who Schmidt brought into the fold as defence coach in 2016, the former head coach’s captain Paul O’Connell’s recruitment as forwards coach in January 2021 has provided continuity between the two eras, Kearney believes.

Asked how much of Schmidt’s groundwork has been kept in place by the current regime, the Ireland team manager said: “I think a lot to be honest with you.

“If you remember back initially… we didn’t have Paul O’Connell at that stage. Paul came in and Paul was probably one of Joe’s biggest fans and, I think as a coach, learned a huge amount from Joe and I think he’s put into practice a lot of the habits that Joe instilled into the team and even uses some of the language that Joe used as well.

“So I think that there has been a lot of what Joe did in his period of time that we still use. But obviously with Andy as head coach and Mike Catt as attack/backs coach there has been a fair bit of tweaking as well, we play a very different game to what we played under Joe, much more I suppose ball-in-hand focused and 15-man focused.

“But certainly Paul has honestly brought a lot of what Joe brought to the team and no doubt that we benefit from that still.”