Joe Schmidt offered a warm, engaging presence, the only slight chill in the skin temperature of the handshake as befits someone fresh from the cold of an Irish winter afternoon following Australia’s training session in Wanderers.
Australia’s head coach, once of Leinster and Ireland, was happy to delve into a compendium of tales and stories, some of which included players of renown from yesteryear. He’s caught up with some friends and expects to widen that circle to include his Ireland counterpart Andy Farrell over the next 24 hours from Thursday afternoon. A pint or a coffee.
Schmidt draws a smile with his first story. “I feel comfortable here. Ten years is a long time. And obviously we still have a home here, my daughter (Ella lives there). I think we’re probably one of the few loss-making landlords in Dublin but that’s just the way it is,” he laughed.
“I think it’s one of the funny things about Dublin, they talk about kids staying in the home longer, I think our kids just stayed until we left so it was a pretty good plot they had.”
Is Joe Schmidt the right man for Australia?
If there is a constant theme, it is one of modesty as Schmidt prefers to sidestep the spotlight and instead thrust others into its glare. He shrugs when it is put to him that there was no need to dust for his fingerprints in ascertaining the input he enjoyed into New Zealand’s victory over Ireland in the World Cup quarterfinal. After briefly digressing to a tale about how he became involved in Ian Foster’s All Blacks coaching team, he said of that knockout game in Paris:
“I just thought it was one of the best games of rugby I’ve seen. Certainly not for coaches because you’ve got your heart in your mouth the whole time. Jordie Barrett holding up Rónan Kelleher was pivotal but there were so many pivotal moments in that game. I just think it was a great advertisement for really high-level competitive rugby.”
He doesn’t see huge differences in the Ireland team from which he stepped away after the 2019 World Cup to today’s iteration. “Jamison Gibson-Park gives them so much speed in how quickly he arrives and lifts the ball and distributes it at the breakdown.
“I know it’s something that Conor (Murray could have done for us) but we probably used Conor’s kicking game a little bit more. Not that Jamison has a bad kicking game, it’s just that people tend to play to their strengths, and then as a coach you’re trying to maximise the strengths you have in the team.
“It’s been the same with the Wallabies. We sat down and we had a leadership group that we put together. We nutted it out amongst ourselves, how we best utilised the resources we’ve got, and get people re-energised about it.”
Australia were heavily scarred from the World Cup. Schmidt walked into a deflated and fractured playing group. The progress he’s made is, by any metric, remarkable, assisted by the vast coaching intellect of Mike Cron, Laurie Fisher, ex Munster, and former England international Geoff Parling whom Schmidt describes as a “scientist” when it comes to the lineout.
Johnny Sexton asserted in his book that Schmidt’s voice was the one he heard in his head right up until his playing days were finished. “Ah, jeez, I feel sorry for him if he had my voice still in his head,” he smiled. “I worked with Johnny for 10 years so it’s probably the longevity of the relationship and also that we would bounce back and forward with ideas.”
The New Zealander spoke about the ferocity of Sexton’s passion for the game and his team before he added: “(He had) cold-blooded, clear decision making that you need. If he’s still saying that I feel sorry for him, but I would have to say that he was fantastic to work with. He was really incredible, skilful and competitive, with a fantastic understanding of the game.”
So, what does he make of the latest Irish tyro to try on Sexton’s jersey for size, Sam Prendergast, elected to start for a second successive match in just his third cap. Schmidt recalled a conversation from two years ago with the then Ireland U-20 coach, Richie Murphy, and the latter saying: “Wow, this kid can play.”
“I still look at Ireland and think, ‘Wow, there’s all these kids coming through who were hugely successful.’ I think they won back-to-back Grand Slams in the 20s which was a hell of an effort, and they got through to those top rungs in the Junior World Cup. He’s (Prendergast) at the apex of that group of young players who are really exciting.
“Faz (Farrell) must have thought he went alright (against Fiji) because he’s put him back in against us and that’s real confidence. I’m not saying it’s ever going to be easy for him, but imagine having Jamison Gibson-Park and Bundee Aki inside (and) outside (him), Robbie Henshaw right there, Caelan Doris further in; he’s on a really good hinge of experience.”
Schmidt has made six changes from the side that lost 27-13 to Scotland, the headlines news that brilliant young centre Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii has recovered from an arm injury. Max Jorgensen takes over from Harry Potter on the left wing in the only change to the backline.
Nick Frost will form a new secondrow pairing with Jeremy Williams, who has recovered from illness, Lukhan Salakaia-Loto drops to the replacements while Will Skelton is not included in the matchday 23.
There are further alterations in the frontrow with James Slipper and the ‘Tongan Thor’ Taniela Tupou coming in at loose and tighthead prop respectively, with Angus Bell and Allan Ala’alatoa dropping to the bench. Fraser McReight replaces Carlo Tizzano at openside flanker in a fifth change to the pack.
Australia v Ireland: T Wright, A Kellaway, J Suaalii, L Ikitau, M Jorgensen; N Lolesio, J Gordon; J Slipper, B Paenga-Amosa, T Tupou; N Frost, J Williams; R Valetini, F McReight, H Wilson (capt). Replacements: B Pollard, A Bell, A Alaalatoa, L Salakaia-Loto L Gleeson, T McDermott, T Edmed, H Potter.
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