IF THERE WERE any tears at the Leinster team meeting, when Joe Schmidt announced he would be leaving to take up the Ireland post, the players hid them well in front of the media.
In fairness to the players, with Schmidt making a minimal address shift from Dublin 4 [Belfield] to Dublin 4 [Lansdowne Road], the move seems like staying in the same class as your teacher gets promoted to principal. The season finishes up in four weeks, Leinster hope, after the Pro12 Grand Final.
Many of the players will see Schmidt again as he job shadows interim Ireland coach Les Kiss in North America this summer.
Leinster flanker Kevin McLaughlin would be an ideal player to go on the June tour to America and Canada. The 28-year-old, who faced the media yesterday with a fat lip and a busted nose, sustained against Biarritz, has five caps for Ireland but would be invaluable alongside young back rows such as Iain Henderson and Jordi Murphy. As he is a trusted Schmidt lieutenant, is McLaughlin hoping for an international lifeline.
“I certainly hope so,” he told TheScore.ie. ”Joe, when it comes to selection, tends to be brutally honest with the guys. He’s going to pick the best guys.
The fact that he is close to so many Leinster guys, I don’t know whether that is a good thing or a bad thing. I do know that he has selected me for a couple of big games recently and that does wonders for your confidence.”
Joe Schmidt and Ireland’s lucky No.13 jersey. (©INPHO/Morgan Treacy)
McLaughlin reveals there was mixed emotions in the Leinster squad when Schmidt, a man who ‘brought clarity’ to his coaching role, revealed he would be leaving at the season’s end. “Obviously there is a tinge of disappointment that he’s leaving,” he admitted, “but a tinge of happiness for Joe. He’s been an immense coach for Leinster and I’m sure he’ll be immense for Ireland.
“It’s a slight negative for us but, hopefully, whoever the guy is that replaces him will do equally as good a job. Hard boots to fill but [that] he’ll do as close to as good a job that Joe did.” McLaughlin added:
There wasn’t a massive amount of shock. I mean, you guys have done your digging over the lads few weeks. I was getting most of my info from the media, to be honest. Most of the senior players knew at this stage and we wish him all the best.”
There is already speculation that Leinster have lined up Leicester Tigers coach Matt O’Connor as Schmidt’s replacement, something that McLaughlin admits the media may know more of than himself. He added, “You’re always a bit anxious about any change, especially as the club has been so successful over the last few years. You don’t want to change a winning combination but people move on and you have to do likewise.
“When Cheiks [former coach Michael Cheika] left a few years ago people were asking how we were going to adapt but we pushed on. Hopefully we’ll push on again.”
Pushing on in the final few weeks of the season, for McLaughlin and Leinster, means winning cups in the Pro12, Challenge Cup and British & Irish Cup competitions.
McLaughlin declared, “Joe has told us he’s committed to that, we know he’s committed to it.”
