IT WAS THE news everyone expected, but didn’t want to hear.
The IRFU this morning confirmed that Joe Schmidt will leave his position as Ireland head coach after the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
In charge of Ireland since 2013, the 53-year-old Kiwi led the side to a Grand Slam, two other Six Nations titles, their first two-ever wins over the All Blacks, a series victory Down Under, back-to-back November Test clean sweeps, and a first-ever win against the Springboks on South African soil.
Last night, he was crowned 2018 World Rugby Coach of the Year.
There’s no doubt he’s taken Irish rugby to incredible highs and will leave a long-lasting legacy behind him, but he’ll hope to finish on the highest of highs in 2019.
For now though, some kind words as this morning’s news broke:
Tommy Bowe
Mike Ross
Brent Pope
Bressie
#JoeSchmidt started off in Mullingar rugby club many years ago as player/coach and now will leave Ireland in few years having changed Irish sport and rugby forever. pic.twitter.com/49G4hHHMRL
— Niall Breslin (@nbrez) November 26, 2018
Leo Varadkar
Joe Schmidt has given us five fantastic years of rugby glory. Let's savour every moment of his last 11 months in charge of Ireland. Best of luck to the Schmidt family in the future and good luck to Andy Farrellhttps://t.co/c298vADlUR via @rte
— Leo Varadkar (@campaignforleo) November 26, 2018
Gavin Duffy
Bernard Jackman
Joe Schmidt like Warren Gatland will finish post RWC. Both men have already built strong foundations for their successors but are also strong contenders for 6 Nations and RWC silverware before they finish. #worldclass https://t.co/t5OqzBSNGF
— Bernard Jackman (@bernardjackman) November 26, 2018
Three Red Kings
He'll leave as the best Irish head coach I've ever seen. The changes he's brought in to Irish rugby in the last 8 years will last long after he's gone.
— Three Red Kings (@threeredkings) November 26, 2018
Look at his CV. Heineken Cups, Six Nations, Slams, wins in the SH, 2 wins over NZ.
Joe Schmidt is a great of Irish rugby. https://t.co/HK7R4sq0Xp
Ryle Nugent
Rare indeed that a head coach gets to go on his/her own terms. If anyone deserves to do that it’s Joe Schmidt. #nothinglastsforever
— Ryle Nugent (@ryle_nugent) November 26, 2018
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He’s talking through his hoop. We were bad and getting worse during Mick’s last stint aswell. The standard of player has dropped drastically over the last ten years.
@Tom O’ Donnell: agreed, a bit of a plank sewing it into Kenny.
Maybe if we had a decent player on the left side of the pitch, we would qualified for more tournaments.
Plus, it wasn’t like McCarthy had gotten us to a play off, the play off was guaranteed before he was appointed.
McClean only coming out with this now tells you everything you need to know about him as player and as a person
@Adrian: While i do agree with you that the only reason McClean is bringing this up is that he has an axe to grind with Kenny and it is indeed bad form. We were also guaranteed that playoff spot, however what he said is he thinks that if we still had McCarthy there we would have had a better chance in qualifying. I think he is absolutely right regardless of his motives. If McCarthy was there we would have probably dug out a result in Slovakia, they were there for the taking, a poor side at the time.
@John Clifford: we lost that on penalties so being ‘hard to beat’ had nothing to do with that night.
We weren’t hard to beat tonight
@Tony Metcalfe: Slovakia were awful that night and we just didn’t take the game too them. Tactically Kenny got it wrong as he did though out his tenure. A manager with more bottle would have taken the game to them. I know him saying “hard to beat” doesn’t make sense, however it just stands that a more experienced manager would have got the job done that night, away from the fact that FAI should have let him see out the qualification campaign. It was bad form on all counts.
@Tony Metcalfe: we weren’t hard to beat tonight but that was down to formation (no three in the midfield), no high press, playing wing backs when we don’t have any decent ones, no intensity etc etc….basically when you have such limited players, you need a manager that is exceptionally good tactically. O’Shea is not that man , he needs to learn his trade elsewhere (lower level) before looking at a gig like this.
@John Clifford: I think you’ve memory holed that game a little. We had better chances than Slovakia, Conor Hourihane absolutely ballsed up a huge chance in front of goal. We did take it to them, but finishing let us down.
It’s hard to see us qualifying for anything for the foreseeable unfortunately.
@Ray Ridge: the Galway of international soccer maybe Ray?!
@Joe Kennedy: Both way off the top sides im afraid.
@Ray Ridge: pessimism correct on the soccer. But definitely lay off the rugby. Small country population wise and it’s our 4th sports. Always there there abouts winning six nations and can put it up to all blacks and springboks off this world. Call a spade a spade
@Gary Galligan: it’s not pessimism, it’s realism. When we win a knock-out game in the big one, then maybe.
@Gary Galligan: . We’re the only one of the nine major test playing nations never to have won a knockout game at the World Cup. There have been ten Rugby World Cup tournaments. Granted we were exceptional in the last World Cup but our record in what is by far the biggest tournament in world rugby is truly abysmal.
@Gary Galligan: How do you make out it’s our fourth sport considering there are more playing Soccer in the country than both GAA codes and Rugby, put it another way Soccer is the most popular sport participation wise in the country.
@Leonard Barry: . He means rugby is our fourth sport in terms of participation.
@Richard Ford: won last 2 six nations
@Ray Ridge: The Jimmy Sloyan of The 42. Insightful
@Gary Galligan: . Yup and delighted to see it but the Rugby World Cup is the really big one.
I don’t think that there will be many people trying to steal James McClean’s intellectual property!!!.
We don’t have the players, never mind manager. Ffs.
Wonder how many other players felt same way playing under Kenny?
@Shane: This stuff always amazes me. Is there no senior group amongst the players to be able to voice concerns like his to the management..
Kennys Reign was a disaster He should have been sacked after Luxemburg Beat us instead of being allowed to bring us down the rankings to sixty four In
The world. Everything has gone wrong. J o shea has been treated very poorly the 4 friendly arranged by the FAI have been too difficult.It’s like they want us to fail.