Thank you Joe.

Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt finally made a decision on his future this morning, announcing he will leave his role following the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan.

Schmidt will not look to take another rugby role on as he is stepping away from coaching entirely to spend more time with his family, having spent the last 11 years in Europe with Clermont, Leinster and now Ireland.

Andy Farrell has been announced as the man to succeed him, and the Englishman certainly has one hell of a job on his hands when you look at Schmidt’s incredible record. The New Zealander has an impressive 74% win record since taking over, winning 46 of his 62 games in charge. Ireland’s overall record in the professional er before he took over the top job was a paltry 54%.

Even more impressive is his record against southern hemisphere opposition since taking over. Schmidt has won nine of his fifteen games against the traditional three ‘mega powers’ in rugby (South Africa, Australia and New Zealand) – three more than Ireland managed in their 39 previous professional era clashes with the trio.

A damn impressive record that has brought three Six Nations titles, including a Grand Slam and two wins over the All Blacks with it. Can he go one step further in Japan next year? We certainly wouldn’t bet against it given Ireland’s form over the last 12 months.