Having brought success wherever he’s coached, you could forgive Ireland chief Joe Schmidt if he were a little egotistical. However, the 50-year-old is anything but, despite his myriad of successes.
During his three-year tenure at Leinster, he guided them to six finals and four trophies and has also delivered two Six Nations Championships in as many years as Ireland head coach.
Now, Schmidt is aiming to navigate Ireland to a Rugby World Cup triumph for the first time in their history.
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Nursing a cup of black coffee at the Radisson Hotel in Guildford, close to Ireland’s group stage training base at the University of Surrey, Schmidt seems unfazed by having the weight of Irish expectation on his shoulders.
A man who enjoys the simple things in life, he’s a self-described minimalist.
He is also a perfectionist – a trait of which Ireland are reaping the rewards.
“There are coaches that will try X or try Y and then forget the basics,” Schmidt explains to Sport360.
“Sometimes it’s good to go back to them and play the simple game and perfect that before going fancy.
“I’m not a flashy type of coach, I never have been and don’t envisage I will.
“As long as we’ve got our basic game on-point, then I’m happy.”
Before becoming a full-time rugby coach, Schmidt trained as a school teacher during the 1980s and became headteacher of a school in Woodville, New Zealand in the early 1990s.
It was not until 2003 that he took up coaching permanently. And while working at a school and coaching a team with an eye on World Cup glory may seem worlds apart, Schmidt draws comparisons between the two professions.
“I enjoyed my time as a teacher,” he says.
“Apart from being a professional rugby player, all I ever wanted to do was teach.
“I get great satisfaction of seeing someone succeed or seeing someone learn.
“I suppose that’s why I became a coach. There are similarities there, I enjoy seeing my players win like I used to enjoy seeing a pupil pass a test, say. It’s all the same.”
Schmidt was appointed head coach of New Zealand schools rugby in the early 2000s alongside his role as headteacher in Woodville.
After years of success at school level, he was given the chance to work as a full-time coach with Bay of Plenty, before moving on to Blues one year later.
But it was a move to become assistant coach at Clermont Auvergne in France that Schmidt pinpoints as being a key moment in his career.
“Moving to Clermont was big for me,” Schmidt recalls.
“I’d learnt a lot from my other roles, but seeing the game first-hand in a different country, the culture, the way in which rugby was thought of, that really affected me in a good way and lead me to, well, my first real taste of management in Leinster.”
This World Cup remains Schmidt’s biggest challenge yet. Ireland have never reached the semi-finals of a World Cup, but with a squad that has an abundance of experience, Schmidt has belief in his side.
“It’s going to come down to who’s at their best on the day in a certain particular game,” he says.
“I know we are capable of going all the way, we’ve shown that and we’re capable of beating anyone on our day.
“If I didn’t think we were good enough, I wouldn’t be a very good coach would I?”
Schmidt led Ireland to their highest ever world ranking of second place at the beginning of the year, as well as bringing a number of young players through to freshen up an ageing squad – the latter being a priority from the very beginning.
“Emerging talent is essential for any team, you always have to have players waiting in the background to take over the helm,” he adds.
"I enjoy seeing my players win like I used to enjoy seeing a pupil pass a test, say. It’s all the same" – Schmidt
“To give youngsters a chance and to give them experience from a young age was always a big part of my plan, it always has been and was at Leinster, too.
“As a coach you can’t solely think about now, you have to think about the future too, whether you’ll be there at that point or not.
“That’s what being a coach is. It’s not all about picking players, there’s more to it and that’s what I try to do.
“If I give a young player an opportunity and in five or six years’ time and say I’m no longer coach here, but the player I gave a chance is a key player in the team, I’ll take some pride in that.
“I’ll take something positive from that. As I said, coaching isn’t just about today, it’s about planting foundations.”
If Ireland are to go all the way, they’ll more than likely have to overcome Australia and the reigning world champions.
An encounter with his native New Zealand in the final is a mouthwatering prospect and one that Schmidt would relish.
“New Zealand are the current holders, they’re one of the best teams around, but regardless of where I’m from, where my family is from etc… I want my team to win, and that’s Ireland,” he insists.
“I’ll never let personal preferences sway my management style or my work – I’m dedicated to Ireland and I’ll do everything I can to overcome whoever is put in front of us.
“As for Australia, they, again, are one of the teams to beat.
“But if we are going to go the distance, you have to beat the best teams.
“As I’ve said, I know what we are capable of and on our day I know we can beat anyone who we’re faced against.
“But it’s one game at a time for now, it’s about topping the group and we’ll talk about the rest later.”
