Joe Schmidt takes on new role with World Rugby

Former Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt has taken on a new role with World Rugby, as the governing body’s director of rugby and high performance.

The role allows New Zealander Schmidt to continue to be based in Dublin – where World Rugby’s headquarters are. His responsibilities will include looking at player welfare, training and education.

Schmidt will take up the new role in November.

Through World Rugby’s official channels, Schmidt said of his appointment: “I’m passionate about the game and keen that people continue to enjoy being involved in it, from the young to the young at heart.

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“The professional game is the showpiece for our sport, and involving key stakeholders in our discussions about how the game is played and how players are managed will be beneficial.

“It has been a challenging year thus far and likely to remain difficult for some time, but it has been great to see the resumption of numerous competitions, with plenty of entertaining and exciting matches.”

In April, Schmidt was part of an expert working group that World Rugby assembled to focus on the breakdown. Also on the panel was referee Wayne Barnes, All Blacks boss Ian Foster, collision specialist Richie Gray and others. That group and World Rugby issued a ‘law application guideline’ for referees, encouraging officials to apply the existing breakdown laws stringently.

Schmidt’s last match in charge of the Irish national team was the 46-14 Rugby World Cup quarter-final loss to the All Blacks in Tokyo, Japan, in October 2019.

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