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Joe Schmidt's not-so-fond farewell as IRFU blame him for World Cup failure
Less than seven weeks after Ireland were humiliatingly bundled out of the World Cup on the back of a record quarter-final defeat, a whole heap of blame has just been deposited at the door of Joe Schmidt.
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Just twelve months ago the New Zealander was wildly feted around Ireland. He had just been voted World Rugby’s coach of the year on the back of a calendar year where his team had clinched the Six Nations Grand Slam, won a tour series in Australia and beaten the All Blacks in Dublin.
Now after a chronic World Cup that featured pool defeat to hosts Japan, a limp display against minnows Russia and then a shredding by New Zealand in the quarter-finals, the coach with the once untouchable reputation is now being blamed for his second poor World Cup finish just weeks after voluntarily giving up the job he held since 2013.
In what amounted to a PR buck-passing exercise that ensured IRFU high performance boss David Nucifora and incoming head coach Andy Farrell – Schmidt’s assistant since 2016 – were absolved of blame, Nucifora appeared in front of a selected group of handpicked media to deliver a damning verdict on Schmidt’s World Cup campaign.
The review, which involved Nucifora interviewing coaches and relevant management staff while an independent body spoke with players, identified four key areas for Ireland’s latest calamitous World Cup – failure to evolve the game plan, performance anxiety, poor preparation and a skills deficit.
(Continue reading below…)
These deficiencies were all placed at Schmidt’s door despite Nucifora’s own involvement with the IRFU since 2014 – he even delivered the post-mortem on the 2015 World Cup failure and some of those shortcomings were repeated at RWC 2019 – and Farrell’s position as part of the Schmidt management set-up since the 2016 tour to South Africa.
In media reports about the review that seemingly contained upwards of 50 recommendations following on from RWC 2019, Nucifora, who was handed a contract extension through to 2022 just months before the World Cup failure, said: “Should we have developed our game further? Potentially, yes, with the benefit of hindsight. We pay our coaches for those decisions. They have been good at those for a long period of time.
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Ireland promised after 2015 they would not be caught winging it at the 2019 RWC with an inexperienced out-half starting at No10 in a big match in place of Johnny Sexton, but they have not delivered on that aim https://t.co/Y2QThUAiJW
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) September 27, 2019
“We could have gone down that path, but I want to be clear there is no guarantee it would have produced a better result. Should we have armed our players with more tools? In hindsight, we should have but that is easy for me to say that sitting here now… it potentially could have really turned to custard for us. It’s a learning for us in terms of managing the future.”
Farrell, who jarringly has been handed a contract through to the 2023 World Cup despite never before taking charge of a team, is gearing up for his first Six Nations game, the February 1 encounter with Scotland in Dublin.
RugbyPass sifts through the Ireland wreckage following a torrid night in Tokyo, an elimination that was promised would not be repeated after mistakes were identified in 2015https://t.co/VzQ9eGwBIl
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) October 19, 2019
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Rather than agree that Farrell’s capabilities must be questioned after Ireland conceded eight tries in a pre-World Cup embarrassment at the hands of England and then seven tries versus New Zealand at the finals, Nucifora handed Schmidt’s successor a clean slate.
“Why would he be tainted? No, I don’t think he’s been tainted at all. Like anything, you benefit from the experience and, again, it might be harsh and it hurts but the benefit you get from losing, you actually learn more so he has got that benefit and he is now in charge of running the show.”
WATCH: RugbyPass looks back on some of our favourite moments with the fans at the 2019 World Cup in Japan
Comments on RugbyPass
Thanks BeeMc! Looks like many teams need extra time to settle from the quadrennial northern migration. I think generally the quality of the Rugby has held up. Fiji has been fantastic and fun to watch
13 Go to commentsLets compare apples with apples. Lyon sent weak team the week before, but nobody raised an eyebrow. Give the South African teams a few years to build their depth, then you will be moaning that the teams are too strong.
41 Go to commentsDid footballs agents also perform the scout role at some time? I’m surprised more high profile players haven’t taken up the occupation, great way to remain in the game and use all that experience without really requiring a lot of specific expertise?
1 Go to commentsSuper rugby is struggling but that has little to do with sabbaticals. 1. Too many teams from Aust and NZ - should be 3 and 4 respectively, add in 2 from Japan, 1 possibly 2 from Argentina. 2. Inconsistent and poor refereeing, admittedly not restricted to Super rugby. Only one team was reffed at the breakdown in Reds v H’Landers match. Scrum penalty awarded in Canes v Drua when No 8 had the ball in the open with little defence nearby - ideal opportunity to play advantage. Coming back to Reds match - same scrum situation but ref played advantage - Landers made 10 yards and were penalised at the breakdown when the ref should have returned to scrum penalty. 3. Marketing is weak and losing ground to AFL and NRL. Playing 2 days compared with 4. 4. Scheduling is unattractive to family attendance. Have any franchises heard of Sundays 2pm?
11 Go to commentsAbsolutely..all they need is a chance in yhe playoffs and I bet all the other teams will be nervous…THEY KNOW HOW TO WIN IM THE PLAYOFFS..
2 Go to commentsI really hope he comes back and helps out with some coaching.
1 Go to commentsI think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
9 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
11 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
4 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
22 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
4 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
9 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
35 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
35 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
14 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
4 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to commentsWhat a player! Not long until he’s in the England side, surely?
5 Go to commentsHe seems to have the same aura as Marcus Smith - by which I mean he’s consistently judged as if he’s several years younger than he actually is. Mngomezulu has played 24 times for the Stormers. When Pollard was his age he had played 24 times for South Africa! He has more time to develop, but he has also had time to do some developing already, and he hasn’t demonstrated nearly as much talent in that time as one would expect. If he is a generational talent, then it must be a pretty poor generation.
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