Former All Black Kevin Schuler was part of that coaching squad, and is still slightly amazed at how Schmidt could handle a demanding fulltime job as deputy-head of Tauranga Boys' College, while still being able to produce at Wednesday training suggestions a detailed forensic examination of the previous weekend's game from studying video .
Schmidt was in charge of the Bay backline and this week Schuster told me he still has clear memories of a ritual in the Steamers' changing shed.
"Before every game (Schmidt) would go in there early. The baggage guy would have laid the jerseys out. Under every jersey for the backs there would be a hand written note with two or three specific points for that guy to work on in the game. It was always the first thing they did. You'd see them all sitting there and reading them, and you could almost see their confidence grow. He did all that prep on his own during the week to make sure that on the day they had a couple of straight forward things to concentrate on, so they could get out there and do it."
3) We're not in the last century anymore. For years now it's actually been about the whole coaching team, not just the head coach.
When Graham Henry was reappointed All Black coach ahead of Robbie Deans after the shock exit from the 2007 World Cup, the fact Henry offered a guarantee of Steve Hansen and Wayne Smith joining him in the coaches' box was a key issue. Robbie Deans told the NZRU committee headed by Mike Eagle that he had Pat Lam and Vern Cotter in mind, but he hadn't approached them.
Six years later Eagle would tell me, "The main reason by far for far for Graham getting the nod was that here was a group of guys, all international coaches, who yes, had lost at the World Cup, but still had very good credentials. And over here is Robbie and his coaching group, Question Mark and Question Mark."
Grant Fox has a terrific ability to analyse players, but Schmidt offers something different, a huge storehouse of intellectual property from coaching in the northern hemisphere since 2007, the kind of hands on experience that Henry, Hansen and Smith all had.
4) Even Brian Tamaki might agree that Schmidt is a good choice
The normal frenetic reactions to All Black losses feel more cranked up than usual this year as the nation is grumpily divided over vaccines, lockdowns, and borders.
It's not a key issue, but being the nation's rugby whipping boy, as coach Foster has become to some, is a distraction and pressure any human being could do without.
At the time every player and coach denies that media and public criticism gets under their skin. The reality is different.
A decade after he captained the All Blacks at the 2003 World Cup Reuben Thorne, castigated as a skipper by a legion of arm chair warriors, told me that "I was certainly aware of criticism of me around my style of play. I don't think you can actually get away from it completely. It is hard for a captain to have that in the background. You've just got to deal with it.
"When I look back you've got to be the one person who's the best in your position. While the selectors thought that, and chose me, it wasn't universal. So that does make it harder for a captain I think."
Schmidt's appointment has been greeted with delight by the Twitterati, and given that he's the anti-Eddie Jones as far as avoiding controversial public statements, that ray of positive media sunshine should shine for some time.
5) Schmidt hasn't been imposed on the All Black coaching group
The best coaches in the world will only work together if there's mutual respect. Foster's own actions in seeking to enlist Schmidt speak louder than any words could about the regard he has for him.
By contrast, for the 1991 World Cup the NZRU council tried to cobble together the two best coaches in the country, Alex Wyllie, a sharp edged North Canterbury farmer, and John Hart, a quick witted executive at Fletchers head office in Auckland, as co-coaches of the All Blacks.
Their wildly different personalities might have been a huge strength if they'd got along. Wyllie running the forwards and Hart the backs had a potential to be a dream team.
But their mutual dislike wasn't a sensationalist media construct. I was writing a book with Wyllie during the lead in to the Cup. Their off the record disdain for each other was extraordinary.
Brian Lochore had them as assistants at the 1987 Cup, and he wisely never allowed the two massively Alpha males on the training paddock together again after one early, futile attempt. Instead one at a time would work with Lochore, who had no axe to grind with either.
The most salient comment about the 1991 campaign came from Lochore. "They took the two of them (Hart and Wyllie) out with one shot." Schimdt, by contrast, will add to the sum of the All Black parts, not cancel them out.
