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Joe Schmidt linked to Bath - reports

(Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

Former Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt has been linked to a move to Premiership side Bath.

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Midi Olympique are linking the much sought after coach with the West Country club, where 38-year-old Stuart Hooper currently resides as Director of Rugby.

Should Schmidt take up a role with Bath, it would see him link up with former Leinster backs coach Girvan Dempsey.

Schmidt, who left the Ireland job following the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan, had indicated that he was going to step away from the game, at least for a period of time.

Continue reading below…

WATCH: Rory Best and Joe Schmidt’s reflect on their side loss to the All Blacks in the RWC quarter finals.

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“I know I’m not going to do (coaching) in the near future,” said the 54-year-old, following the Rugby World Cup. “I made a commitment that I’m going to absolutely stick to, through to at least June or July of next year.

“It hasn’t been a job, it has been a way of life. It has been seven days a week and I think I can honestly say, in six and a half years I’ve not taken one full day off.”

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Rated major contenders a year out from the tournament, Ireland crashed out of the quarter-finals with a 46-14 thrashing by the All Blacks, continuing their record of never winning a knockout game at the global showpiece.

Schmidt, who has been succeeded by assistant coach Andy Farrell, said he had been “blown away” by offers of coaching positions but would not entertain any until the middle of next year.

In October Schmidt said he would enjoy being a spectator for a change and expected Farrell and the Irish team to continue to do a “super job”.

“I’m really looking forward to the Six Nations,” he added.

“Instead of looking through the glass, I might just have one in my hand and I’m looking forward to that.”

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– Additional reporting, AAP

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f
fl 1 hour ago
Springboks' dominance of the world rankings comes under increased threat

good comment, but ranking points being doubled during the RWC won’t actually have the effect you’re implying.


You still only lose ranking points if you’re beaten by a team that you could conceivably beat, hence why Italy lose no points when beaten by South Africa. Wales entering the RWC in 2027 in a group full of teams better than them would mean that they would lose no points, or only a very small amount of points, by being beaten, but would have the potential to drastically improve their ranking with just a single upset win.


E.g. using today’s ranking points, lets imagine Wales drew Ireland, Fiji, and Romania in their pool, losing against the first two but beating Romania, then lost to France in the R16. The worst case scenario (losing to Fiji, Ireland, and France by more than 15 points, and beating Romania by less than 15) would only lose Wales 0.66 points. The alternate scenario (coming within 15 points of Fiji and beating Romania by more than 15) would lose Wales just 0.29 points. The dream scenario of Wales securing a narrow win over Fiji would improve Wales’ score by 3.37 points, although I cba factoring in how that would impact Wales’ draw in the knockouts. Feel free to check these calculations yourself at the website called “World Rugby Rankings Calculator”, which is easily found through google but which I don’t think I can link to directly on here.


Its worth remembering that England finished 3rd at the world cup and Ireland lost in the QFs, but because England had a much easier draw than Ireland they finished the tournament ranked 5th, and Ireland 2nd. Overall the rankings do a pretty great job of fairly reflecting how well teams have played.

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