Irish in good place ‘despite’ last 8 exit

TOKYO, Oct 20, (AP): The pause in play is an ideal time for fresh rapid-fire instructions from the coaches’ box.

Joe Schmidt had nothing to say.

Coming up to halftime in the Rugby World Cup quarter-final, Schmidt the taskmaster, the meticulous planner, the man who can easily rattle off a 500-word answer to a five-word question, had a thousand-yard stare going on from high up in Tokyo Stadium on Saturday night.

He was shocked and speechless at the sight of four years of planning being shredded by defending champions New Zealand 46-14.

Schmidt sent out his most experienced Ireland lineup. A dozen of the starters beat the All Blacks less than a year ago. The preparation week was one of the best, and had the players buzzing. “I wouldn’t change anything,” lock James Ryan said.

But they hadn’t counted on change by the All Blacks, who invariably raise the bar in response to infrequent defeat.

Failing a second time to lead Ireland to a first Rugby World Cup semifinal will haunt Schmidt, who steps down as coach following six transformative years.

But the New Zealander’s legacy from a decade in Ireland is a far greater parting gift. His impact has been cultural, not just technical.

Hired after guiding Leinster province to consecutive European club crowns, Schmidt’s biggest achievement was to turn the Irish back into believers and winners. No longer do they go into tournaments thinking they might win. They believe they will, and they have.

Fullback Rob Kearney spoke for the team when he said, “Deep down in the back of your mind there’s always this little voice that’s chatting away to you if you haven’t achieved something. We’d been saying for the best part of 10 years that as an Ireland team we could beat the All Blacks, but until you actually achieve it, you never 100% believe it.”

On Schmidt’s watch, Ireland climbed that Everest in 2016, ending 111 years of failure. Just to prove it was no fluke, they beat the All Blacks again in 2018. Other milestones included a first win over the Springboks in South Africa, and a first series win in Australia since 1979. At home, Ireland won three Six Nations, including a third ever Grand Slam, in their best run since the early 1980s. They rose to No. 1 in the rankings for the first time.

But those were the achievements on TV. Schmidt was tireless behind the scenes. He took his job title literally by accepting invites to clubs and schools all over the island. Always dignified, he gave inspiring talks and left positive impressions on people, even those who didn’t follow rugby.

He would turn up without fanfare at age-grade and club games.