Scots should beware ‘rugby anorak’ Schmidt, says Irish legend O’Driscoll

DUBLIN, AFP: Joe Schmidt is a “rugby anorak” but it’s his mastery of detail that can see Ireland edge to within a win of only their third Six Nations Grand Slam, Irish legend Brian O’Driscoll told AFP. 

Schmidt, whose side on Saturday host a Scotland side boosted by a memorable win over champions England but with a woeful away record in the Six Nations, is not the one-dimensional coach often portrayed by some people, said O’Driscoll. 

O’Driscoll knows Schmidt well as he played for the 52-year-old New Zealander at Leinster – winning back to back European Cups – and in the last year of his Test career which climaxed with victory over France in Paris to win the 2014 Six Nations title. 

“Maybe we won back to back European Cups for him,” chuckled O’Driscoll when he spoke to AFP at the Laureus Awards in Monaco. 

“One word you associate with Joe Schmidt is detail. Like I have never known any coach to scrutinise a game like him. 

“He is an absolute rugby anorak, it is his passion as well as his profession. He is a bit of an insomniac too as he watches so much of it. 

“Great comfort of that is he already has a plan for England (their final match on Saturday week at Twickenham). Yes, he has one for Scotland but for England he will have a fair idea of which way he goes and you will see him tweak two or three things.” O’Driscoll, Ireland’s most capped player with 133 and who captained them to the 2009 Grand Slam, illustrates Schmidt’s versatility in sizing up opponents with a move against Wales in the 37-27 victory. 

Although, it didn’t come off it had been specifically planned on account of something the New Zealander had seen as a potential blindspot for the Welsh. 

“That was solely done for Wales because he (Schmidt) identified something,” said O’Driscoll, who is the all-time record try scorer with 26 in the Five/Six Nations. 

“You get that detail from him as different moves are identified for different teams. It’s not a blanket policy that Joe deploys for taking on his opponents.”