Sport

Schmidt is no average Joe

LATE last September, Joe Schmidt received a phone call from an old friend in Mullingar. Having lived in the Westmeath town for a year back in 1991, Schmidt already had an attachment to the place and its people. So when he was told all about Tommy Farrelly, a stalwart of the town's rugby club, he was quickly hooked.

The man who has inspired a generation of rugby players is always searching for his own inspiration. And Farrelly provided it. Diagnosed with cancer last year, Tommy dealt with the trauma as only he knew - with energy and determination.

Concerned for his health, a couple of friends called to see if there was anything they could do to help. And when they were told how Tommy wanted to meet Schmidt, they said 'no problem'. Yet there was a catch. Unselfish to the last, Tommy placed some terms and conditions on the visit. He didn't want to be the sole recipient of the New Zealander's generosity. He wanted the local national schools to profit as well.

And they did. Schmidt travelled back to Mullingar with the Six Nations trophy and went, with Tommy, to four schools in the area. Now if the story ended there, a picture of Schmidt's good nature would already have formed.

But this wasn't the end-point. Two months later, the day before Ireland played South Africa at the Aviva, Tommy's phone buzzed. Schmidt had sent him a text with an offer of free match tickets for the Springbok game.

He repeated the offer the following week for the Georgian game and then the week after, when the Aussies were in town. What impresses is not just Schmidt's thoughtfulness towards a man who, to all intents and purposes, was a stranger just two months previously - but his concern for someone else's health on the day of such a vital test match against Australia, the same day Schmidt had to be carted off to hospital for surgery on his appendix.

So when we loudly wonder what the secret of this man's success is, and we hear Ireland's players speak in broad terms about his attention to detail and readiness to be ruthless, we are missing a beat. The very best managers in the history of sport have always had a warm heart as well as a cool head. Jock Stein had that personal touch; so too Matt Busby and Bill Shankly. Rugby's finest coaches - Bob Dwyer, Ian McGeechan, Rod Macqueen, Kitch Christie, and Graham Henry - also possessed that ability to connect with people. And it made the difference.

No one doubts the impact Schmidt has made since he stepped into the job previously held by Declan Kidney. A team which was losing to Italy and Scotland were suddenly seconds away from beating New Zealand. Then, after dealing with the harsh lessons of that defeat, they got smart and got good. A Six Nations title was followed by wins over three of the Southern Hemisphere's giants, Argentina, South Africa, and Australia. Two wins out of two at the start of this Six Nations season have set up a Grand Slam showdown with England.

Johnny Sexton kicking a penalty against France. Photo: INPHO.

So it is little wonder Jeremy Guscott declared last week that Schmidt was the world's best coach. The wonder is what makes him the number one.

Jonny Sexton provides this answer. "Joe always seems to be in good form, that’s one thing about him,'' said Sexton. "He does everything enthusiastically with a smile on his face. Everyone has stresses in their lives, but he always seems to be in good form and players feed off that. It creates a very positive atmosphere. At the same time, he’s ruthless. He’ll slate you with a smile on his face."

Other players talk about the Kiwi's attention to detail. So it came as no surprise to hear that other coaches - from rival sports - wanted to learn from him. Anthony Daly picked up the phone and arranged a meeting.

"I was six years into the job with the Dublin hurlers,'' explained Daly. "We had almost won the All-Ireland the previous year and won our first Leinster in 52 years and I'm thinking I'm getting to grips with this thing.

"Joe says 'give me a look at your flip-chart there, Anthony, as you brought it in with you'.

"He said to me 'where's your points?' and I says 'here you are Joe, here are my 10 points'."

Schmidt scanned the list and asked Daly why he'd numbered them one to 10.

"To be sure I'd get them all in."

Schmidt cut to the chase. "How do you expect the players to remember them if you have to write them down?"

And he also pointed out to Daly that, by giving his team talk in the team hotel, the players would have forgotten what he said as the throw-in was over three hours later.

Daly took Schmidt's advice on board, making just three key points in his team talks - and giving the talk closer to the start of games.

Last year, Schmidt’s best team-talk was reserved for the last Six Nations game. "You don't get too many special days in sport, guys. Make this a special one." Ireland did. They beat France and a Six Nations title was theirs. "The big thing Joe gives us is clarity," said Paul O'Connell afterwards.

Yet there is something else he provides, something intangible. "Joe is different in that he’s very much into values," says Sexton — "how you carry yourself, how you train, everything that you do, how you want to be seen. He stresses the value of humility."

Tommy Farrelly found this out for himself last autumn. This weekend, England will discover it too. It may not be an extraordinary team they are meeting. But it is an extraordinary man who leads them.

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