Joe Schmidt set to return to Irish Rugby
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The return.
Joe Schmidt is reportedly set for a short-term return to Irish rugby after being lined up for a consultancy role with Ulster ahead of the new United Rugby Championship season.
According to The Australian, the former Ireland and Wallabies head coach has been invited to spend around a month in Belfast, where he will assist Richie Murphy and his coaching team during pre-season preparations.
Schmidt only recently stepped down as Australia boss following the July Test window, bringing an end to a two-year spell with the Wallabies. Since then, speculation has surrounded his next move, with links to the vacant Waratahs head coaching role gathering momentum.
However, those reports now appear wide of the mark, with The Australian claiming Schmidt is instead preparing for a temporary return to Ireland, where he previously transformed both Leinster and the national side into major forces on the world stage.
The move would reunite Schmidt with Ulster head coach Richie Murphy, who worked closely alongside him at Leinster. The province are looking to bounce back after an inconsistent campaign that saw them finish outside the URC play-off places before suffering a heavy defeat to Montpellier in the EPCR Challenge Cup final.
While Schmidt’s time with the Wallabies has come to an end, his ties to Australian rugby are not expected to disappear completely. The report adds that he will also assist Stephen Larkham with Australia A during their October tour of the United States, suggesting he will continue to play an advisory role Down Under despite returning to Ireland for a spell.
If the reports prove accurate, Ulster will have one of the game’s most respected coaching minds in camp for the final weeks of pre-season, giving Murphy and his squad the opportunity to draw on the experience of a coach who won multiple Six Nations titles with Ireland and enjoyed enormous success during his time at Leinster.
