Coach speechless as Ireland wrap up Six Nations title

Ireland’s Kiwi coach, Joe Schmidt, was so keyed up before the Six Nations title-clinching win over Scotland that he lost his voice.

Schmidt was still hoarse at the post-match press conference following Ireland’s 28-8 win in Dublin yesterday.

‘‘I was calling a change in the warm-up and suddenly I had no voice left!’’ Schmidt said.

‘‘It was of a great relief to the players.’’

Schmidt celebrated his third Six Nations triumph as Ireland’s head coach after England lost 22-16 to France in Paris.

The 52-year-old from Woodville now has a golden chance to win the Grand Slam if Ireland beat England at Twickenham next weekend for a fifth consecutive win in 2018.

Schmidt, who guided Ireland to an historic first win over the All Blacks in Chicago in 2016, was trying to keep his players’ feet on the ground.

‘‘The motivation is in the squad. Rory Best [Ireland’s captain] has already spoken to the squad in the dressing room to keep them focused,’’ he said in the Irish Independent.

‘‘What I would say about this week is that you’re always fatigued at this stage of the championship, there are always accumulated niggles that do make the last week a testing one anyway. ‘‘We are just trying to to get everyone fit and then keen to train on Monday and Tuesday, and then by Thursday evening go to Twickenham and see what we can do there.’’

Ireland have won the Grand Slam only twice - in 1948 and 2009 (in the Brian O’Driscoll-Paul O’Connell era).

The Irish have never lost a Six Nations game in Dublin during Schmidt’s tenure and England are also undefeated at Twickenham under Jones, although they will be reeling after two consecutive losses to Scotland and France.

‘‘History doesn’t protect you from the future,’’ Schmidt said. ‘‘We hadn’t lost in five years before today against Scotland.’’

Schmidt played down the importance of a Grand Slam triumph to him personally, saying it would give him ‘‘incredible satisfaction to achieve that because I work with these young men who do an incredibly difficult job and work very hard’’.

"Suddenly I had no voice left. It was of a great relief to the players." Joe Schmidt, Ireland coach