Joe Schmidt to make decision on Ireland future next week

Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt will reportedly make a decision on his international future early next week.

The IRFU said at the launch of their Strategic Plan last month that they expected a decision from Schmidt after the November internationals and it appears as if the New Zealander will make his choice public at some stage over the next week. https://twitter.com/damien_omeara/status/1065605990479994880 https://twitter.com/damien_omeara/status/1065607171403075586 New Zealand Rugby chief Steve Tew has previously said that Schmidt is among the names that the NZR is considering to succeed current coach Steve Hansen with the former Leinster boss' contract with the IRFU set to expire after next year's Rugby World Cup. IRFU CEO Philip Browne said that the union hopes to keep Schmidt within Irish Rugby after the World Cup but that they are prepared for life without the New Zealander.

"He’s done a fantastic job and it’s not just about Joe, it’s about the people he has gathered around him," said Browne at the launch of the IRFU's strategic plan last month. "It is a collective and Joe is an important part of that collective and he’s done a fantastic job. "At the end of the day David [Nucifora, performance director] is having conversations with Joe but it’s Joe who will make up his mind. "The reality is nobody can be indispensable. Having said that, it would be good if Joe stays. Equally, if he goes we have to deal with it. "The best way of dealing with it is by making sure we have a set of systems and processes in place that are effectively robust. "We can’t be dependent on one individual. Anyone can get run over by a bus and you have to move on."

Meanwhile former New Zealand captain and two-time winning World Cup captain Richie McCaw said that Schmidt would be a good fit for the All Blacks job and that being a native New Zealander he might fancy a crack at taking over the reins of the number one ranked side in world rugby.

"There's no doubt that people admire what Joe has done with the Irish team," said McCaw at an AIG launch earlier this month. "There's no doubt he's a good coach and at some point it would be great to see him come back to use all that experience and knowledge that he's got and picked up over the years to offer it to New Zealand. "Whether he comes back as a Super Rugby coach first or straight back in as the All Blacks coach I guess time will tell but there's no doubt he's done a pretty good job with Ireland. "I think he's a Kiwi at heart and he'd probably love the opportunity to give it a crack."