After having enjoyed almost all success with Clermont, Leinster or the Irish XV, the New Zealander returned to the country to become assistant coach of New Zealand. With, again, an almost mystical success.
Back in black. We don’t know if Joe Schmidt is a fan of this song from AC/DC’s Australian neighbors, but the fact is that the coach is indeed back home, in New Zealand. The native of Woodville is the man behind the revival of the All Blacks, who are competing for a place in the World Cup final against Argentina on Friday October 20. Plunged for many months into a coma that was in no way artificial, the men in black seemed to have mourned their ambitions. They needed an electric shock. The one who knew how to use the defibrillator is Joe Schmidt.
July 2022. Ian Foster’s Blacks have just suffered four defeats in two months, after also suffering the largest defeat in their history (40-25) against the XV of France in November 2021. The New Zealand federation rugby is about to press the button on his coach’s ejection seat. When, in a reflex of survival, she then has the idea of joining Foster with a local man, but exiled for years in Europe. A man whose reputation as a miracle worker has crossed the oceans to the Island of the Long White Cloud. Joe Schmidt, overwhelmed with success on the Old Continent but who dreams of returning home, accepts the proposal.
A scientist at the bedside
With this choice, the federation did not make one of glamor. The discreet Schmidt, whose mission is notably to take care of the back lines, succeeds the legend Grant Fox. But the charismatic former opener for the 1987 world champions, despite all his experience, proved powerless to get his team out of the black hole. Beyond the irregular results, it is above all the background of the game which is worrying. The one that made them world famous has largely faded and the New Zealanders no longer inspire this mixture of fear and admiration in the eyes of their adversaries.
Patiently, methodically, Joe Schmidt will reshape their identity. A true human software, morbidly obsessed with detail, he develops game launches that gradually put the Blacks back on track. No revolutionary concepts but unrivaled game science. “If you call him and tell him about a match you saw, he saw it too. He has an exceptional photographic memory”deciphered in the columns of Le Monde [article payant]Irish icon Brian O’Driscoll, who served under him.
The World Cup in France shows that Schmidt is right. After an initial defeat against the Blues, where the men in Black had already posted some good streaks, the latter continued to gain in efficiency and confidence. A few test gallops to refine the settings of the mechanic Schmidt against Namibia (71-13), Italy (96-17) and Uruguay (73-0) to finally reach the leader work in the quarter-finals against Ireland. The latter was however warned but, like Johnny Sexton hoping to share a beer at the end of the match, she only keeps good memories of the New Zealand coach. And for good reason since he was the coach from 2013 to 2019.
When he arrived on the Emerald Isle he was already preceded by a flattering reputation, that of refloating rickety teams. This was first the case in Clermont-Ferrand where, associated with Vern Cotter, he led the Auvergnats to their first title of French champions, after 10 finals lost in the Top 14. “He was very thorough.reports Julien Malzieu, former three-quarter wing of the ASM, in Ouest-France [article payant]. We wanted to do well because he constantly brought us new things. We had a blast. He was the first to encourage us, but he also knew how to slap us on the wrist.”
King of Clubs but black of heart
Then, for the following three years, he took charge of the Irish province of Leinster, with whom he won two European crowns in three years. Obviously, the XV of Clover cannot remain indifferent to such miracles. This is good since the selection is in complete decline at this time, having just finished penultimate in the Six Nations Tournament. The magic, however, will work immediately. Under his leadership, the Clover instantly greened up and won the following two editions in quick succession, signing two historic exploits (a first victory against New Zealand in 2016 and becoming world number 1 in the IRB rankings in 2019). without forgetting the apotheosis of the Grand Slam in 2018.
If the adventure in green ended abruptly in the quarter-final of the 2019 World Cup against… New Zealand, Joe Schmidt will have had a lasting impact on the players under his command. “ I thought he was a little too nice to be our coach. In fact, he is the most ruthless man I have ever met when it comes to preparation.”takes up Johnny Sexton in The world. Carbon copy analysis from the legendary New Zealand three-quarter wing Joe Rokocoko in Midi Olympique: “He is a rugby scientist. He is incredibly intelligent, but demands real technical perfection from his players. Some succeed, others don’t…”
At 58, the man who brought the Silver Fern back to life is on the verge of achieving his goal: to bring his people back to the roof of the world and win a fourth world title. According to New Zealand third row Dalton Papali’i, he is already in theIrish Times [article en anglais], “one of the GOATs of global coaching”. In this same article, his compatriot, winger Mark Telea, is both mocking and admiring: “If you talk to him, he probably knows more about you than you do.”