Joe Schmidt is back in Irish rugby for the first time in seven years, appointed by Ulster as coach development advisor in a newly created consultancy role weeks after handing the Wallabies over to Les Kiss.
The 60-year-old New Zealander will not be coaching a team. The job, as Ulster describe it, is aimed at "strengthening and developing the coaching pathway across the province" — mentoring the coaches rather than the players, across academy, age-grade, schools and club rugby as well as the professional squad. It runs on several visits to Belfast over the next 12 months plus remote work.
Schmidt framed it modestly.
"Ulster has a proud rugby tradition and further developing the coaching pathway in the region is something that we believe can add value," he said. "We've had initial discussions about where to get started, and I've already had the opportunity to work with some of the school coaches, alongside Dan Soper."
That last detail matters more than the announcement language: he has already started.
The CV he brings is the reason this is a story at all. Schmidt won two Heineken Cups with Leinster, then took Ireland to three Six Nations titles between 2013 and 2019 including the 2018 Grand Slam, and was named World Rugby coach of the year. After a break from coaching he returned as an assistant with New Zealand, helping the All Blacks to the 2023 World Cup final, before two years as Wallabies head coach — a tenure that ended this month with a 57-10 win over Italy and a handover to Kiss, himself a former Ulster boss.
Ulster general manager Rory Best, who played 124 times for Ireland under Schmidt, set out the thinking behind creating the role.
"Last season we introduced a dedicated focus on player development within our performance pathway. It is equally important that we prioritise the long-term development of our coaches," Best said.
"Strengthening our coaching pathway is a key part of our long-term strategy. Joe's involvement will help us support coaches at every stage of their journey, from emerging coaches in schools and clubs through to those operating across our pathway programmes."
Best added that the appointment should produce "a more connected and consistent coaching environment across the province" — a phrase that reads as an admission the province has not had one.
Head coach Richie Murphy, who worked alongside Schmidt at both Leinster and Ireland, welcomed the arrival.
"I've worked with Joe on a number of occasions throughout my coaching career and know first-hand the value he brings to an organisation," Murphy said. "His experience will be hugely beneficial in the development of coaches throughout the entire pathway. The impact of that support will be felt right across the province for years to come."
There is an obvious question the announcement does not touch. Schmidt is a coach of Test and Champions Cup pedigree taking a part-time advisory brief at a province that reached the Challenge Cup final last season — Europe's second tier — rather than a head coaching job anywhere. Whether this is a genuine retirement from the front line or a soft landing before the next big offer, neither he nor Ulster is saying.
For Ulster, it is a low-cost appointment with an outsized name attached. The URC season opens on 25 September.
