Joe Schmidt Comments On The Possibility Of Coaching The Lions
Latest posts by Will Matthews (see all)
- Autumn Nations Series – All the action from Ireland vs Fiji & more - November 23, 2024
- Munster announce another member of their coaching ticket has departed - November 22, 2024
- Andy Farrell names his Ireland team to take on Fiji this weekend - November 21, 2024
Ireland head coach Schmidt revealed his current contract does not allow him to take the year-long sabbatical the Lions require in the build-up to the 2017 tour. Schmidt and Wales boss Warren Gatland are the front-runners to lead the Lions tour next summer.
“To be honest the terms of my current contract don’t allow me to do the Lions, so it’s actually a moot point,” said Schmidt of his chances of leading the Lions.
“It doesn’t distract me because it isn’t actually something I can unless the terms of my contract change.
“I finish at that time and there’s some outside influences on that that will probably dictate anything beyond that.
“So I’m not planning for beyond where my contract finishes, and to be honest, if you’re a coach sometimes you don’t even get to the finish of it because that’s the harsh reality, it’s a very success-driven environment.”
