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Ex-Ireland back: How to be 'a successful player' under Joe Schmidt
By Liam Heagney
Former Ireland midfielder Gordon D’Arcy has revealed the one thing a Wallabies player will need to be successful under Joe Schmidt.
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The ex-Irish head coach, who assisted the All Blacks to their recent second-place finish at the Rugby World Cup, has now taken on the daunting challenge of rejuvenating struggling Australia, an onerous task that will culminate with the Wallabies hosting the British and Irish Lions in 2025.
The decision by the Kiwi Schmidt to make the switch to Australia surprised D’Arcy but he believes the timing is right for the New Zealander to make his mark on the game across the Tasman.
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Writing in his weekly Irish Times column, the retired centre suggested: “As Ireland’s and Leinster’s most successful coach, I believe Schmidt now has the potential to revolutionise rugby in Australia.
“It’s largely what he did in Ireland, and while there is a danger some people look at the last nine months of his tenure and use that as the yardstick to judge him, I saw first hand how his approach evolved over the years, from the early days in Leinster where the immortal phrase ‘attention to detail’ originated.”
D’Arcy went on to outline how a Wallaby player can be successful in a Schmidt-organised team. “There is one thing that is required as a player to be successful under Joe – you constantly need to challenge him on and off the field,” he reckoned.
“As a player that means being confident enough in your ability to take a chance when the opportunity presents itself and not just stick to the playbook. The way defences shift in real-time very rarely reflects the training field, and having that ability to switch up is crucial to finding match-changing moments…
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“Australian rugby has talent, but to be successful at the top end it is about more than creative set-plays or smart planning. It is about coaching the player and the person behind the player. For me, too many coaches have veered towards the safety of statistics. Coaching, just like playing, is about the feel of a game and a playing group.
“I don’t believe that Joe is a coach that lives and dies by numbers. He will bring his unique style to Australian rugby. There will be structure and strong attention to detail, and as long as the players retain their joie de vivre and keep pushing the boundaries this could be a very fruitful relationship.
“Rugby Australia is on its knees. There are quality players there and maybe, just maybe, the timing is again right for a coach like Joe. The Lions tour in 2025 just got a whole lot more interesting.”
- Click here to read the entire Gordon D’Arcy column in The Irish Times
