Joe Schmidt's addition as All Blacks assistant coach has received plenty of plaudits, but what does he bring to the All Blacks attack? Liam Napier analyses Schmidt's style.
Low risk
During his largely successful decade with Leinster and Ireland, Schmidt's attack was increasingly characterised by low-risk ball retention. That sells
him somewhat short, as Schmidt also demands a laser focus on the simple catch-pass skills performed to perfection.
All Blacks centurion Aaron Smith offered this insight: "Joe sees the game differently. He sees things that only Joe sees. He reminds me a lot of Wayne Smith in terms of his intensity and level of detail," Smith said. "If you don't know your homework he calls you out pretty quick. He brings that without having to say too much either."
Schmidt's teams traditionally make minimal offloads, minimal mistakes. The blueprint centres on patiently building pressure through often incremental gains, protecting the ball and frustrating the opposition into defensive mistakes or penalties. In many ways this conservative, structured style is the antithesis to New Zealand rugby's embedded flair.
