Ireland’s Joe Schmidt reunion won’t be defined by the past

Andy Farrell and his side come up against a familiar face in Paris on Saturday. 

ABOUT SCHMIDT: New Zealand assistant coach Joe Schmidt at All Blacks training on Thursday.  Picture: INPHO/Dan Sheridan

Meeting a former coach stokes all sorts of memories and sensations. No matter how close the couple once were or what they achieved together, the conclusion of any relationship ensures subsequent meetings are bound to be laced with awkwardness. How do you navigate that?

Former lovers often become complete strangers as a coping mechanism. Even still, avoidance isn’t eternal. Joe Schmidt’s union with Ireland felt like more than just a romance, it was a fruitful marriage. That bond broke fatally in Japan at the last World Cup. From those ashes rose Ireland’s rocket back to number one in the world and Schmidt’s return to a struggling homeland. They were always likely to cross paths again. Players, in every single sport, are destined to encounter such difficulties.