Coach Joe can do no wrong at present.
On Thursday, Ireland coach Joe Schmidt held an audience with a select group of rugby journalists. He had a bugbear that needed addressing.
There was a newsline about Paul O’Connell’s playing future, from Schmidt and IRFU high performance director David Nucifora, but the main reason the journalists were asked along was not to discuss Toulon’s design on the Munster legend.
Schmidt was distinctly unimpressed with claims from Leinster coach Matt O’Connor that he had been denied from playing his big-name stars in a league game, away to Newport Gwent Dragons.
All Irish provincial coaches must work with the IRFU’s Player Welfare System. It means the country’s leading lights are not flogged too much, with players conditioned to peak during certain set windows of each season.
O’Connor knew that when he took the job but, with his side’s season two games away from being, in the words of out-half Jimmy Gopperth, ‘very, very poor’, he would have liked to select the likes of Rob Kearney, Cian Healy and Sean O’Brien for the Dragons game.
Leinster lost to Dragons to all but scuttle their league hopes. On the same afternoon, O’Brien was helping out on the family farm in Carlow. It is not the flanker’s fault – his game time needs to be carefully managed as he is no long back from his second shoulder surgery in 11 months. Healy had five months out after tearing his hamstring off the bone.
It is the Irish system and one that has served the national team well. Under the pump, however, O’Connor could not help but have a moan or two.
The response, led by Schmidt, was heavy-handed.
The Kiwi may not like what the Australian has done to his province but publicly hanging him out to dry, after granting a rare audience to the national press, is no way to go about showing your displeasure.
Schmidt, it must be remembered, had his fair share of grievances about the same welfare system when he was Leinster coach.
He also used to staunchly defend his side, and the PRO12, whenever then-Ireland coach Declan Kidney suggested it was often a flaky proving ground. However, as soon as Schmidt took up the national reins, he was dismissive of the league.
PRO12 form of such players as Simon Zebo, Keith Earls and Tommy Bowe has often been swiped away as being ‘a league game against Zebre’, etcetera. Schmidt is of the belief his players would learn more from a week training at Carton House than they would on the pitch for the provinces.
Fair play to him on that point, though, as it is working. Wield power and influence while you still have it.
Having led Ireland to two Six Nations championships in two years, Schmidt is trading in hard currency.
Nonetheless, one can not imagine Declan Kidney, even during his 2009 pomp, from publicly admonishing one of his subordinates [that is what the provincial coaches effectively are] in such a heavy-handed manner.
Both Kidney and Schmidt come from teaching backgrounds.
Kidney ruled by committee while Schmidt with the iron fist. O’Connor felt its force this week.
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