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Joe Schmidt: World Rugby’s Coach of 2014
Published: December 26, 2014
The All Blacks then came north and conquered all before them to round off a year that saw only a draw with Australia and defeat in South Africa blot an otherwise impressive record.
Steve Hansen has even been able to develop greater strength in depth thanks to injuries and a rotation policy that has left him blessed with world class cover in almost every position—many of those positions with more than one deputy who would stroll into any other team.
So it would be easy to slap the big man on the back and hand him the coach of the year gong, as the game’s governing body did.
But the achievements of another New Zealander in 2014 eclipse those of Hansen. As Stuff.co.nz’s Mark Reason opined:
The IRB has done some peculiar things in its time, but lauding Steve Hansen as coach of the year was perhaps among the oddest. Sure, the All Blacks have had a good year—not as good as 2013, yet still pretty decent. But when you compare how much progress the All Blacks have made over the previous 12 months with the staggering advances of Ireland, then acknowledging Joe Schmidt's work should have been a no-brainer.
Here is why Ireland’s Joe Schmidt is my coach of the year:
Six Nations champions
In his first tilt at the Six Nations, Schmidt, like his predecessor Declan Kidney, walked off with the prize. Despite missing the grand slam with a narrow loss at Twickenham, you could argue Schmidt’s victorious campaign was achieved by the tougher route, with trips to London and Paris to negotiate. Schmidt also had to turn a team around who had lost to Australia and, agonisingly, to New Zealand the previous autumn.
Saying farewell to BO’D
The coach in...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Rugby Union
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