When he returned to New Zealand, Schmidt guided Bay of Plenty to Ranfurly Shield success in his only season in charge. They had never won it before. After a productive spell at Auckland Blues, he worked as assistant to Vern Cotter - now Scotland coach - at Clermont Auvergne and in 2010 they won the French Top 14 title for the first time, after finishing runners-up 10 times.
From there he was appointed head coach of Leinster and the trophies stacked up; Heineken Cups in his first two seasons, followed by a Pro 12 title and Challenge Cup. That earned Ireland's call and the golden CV entries have continued. Ask why and those who know Schmidt all point to the same core traits; hard work, detail, simple instructions, strong communication and high standards.
One fellow Kiwi, Len Ethell, recalls working with Schmidt at Mullingar, in the early Nineties. 'Like most junior sides, Mullingar were playing 10-man rugby,' he said.
'Then this young, fresh-faced Kiwi turns up and shows them there is something called total rugby. It was a spark of inspiration.'
Schmidt made an immediate impact as a coach, urging his players to stay off alcohol before matches and show enhanced dedication to training. His attention to detail was evident at that early stage. 'We had a youth section with a few hundred kids out and he'd remember every single name from one week to the next,' said Ethell.
There are those at Northampton who have seen how Schmidt operates first-hand. Alex King is now part of the Saints' coaching staff and he was at Clermont at the time of the Kiwi-driven resurgence.
'He explains the game in an incredibly simple but effective way. He gets his point across very well with real clarity, in a way that players can understand. He also puts the work in off the field. One of the reasons that people took to him at Clermont was that he made himself fluent in French.
'Joe has really high values. He lets players know what he expects of them and they soon know what is acceptable and what is not. He can be tough but he is a top bloke too - a lovely guy who you can have a laugh and a beer with.
'He analyses the game in great detail, breaks it down very simply, and wants his teams to play in a style which is easy on the eye but effective too. Ireland like to play a high-tempo game, but one of their strengths under Joe is how few errors they make. They are so efficient with the ball.'
Another Saint who knows how Schmidt operates is Samoan centre George Pisi, who was at Auckland Blues as a young player. He said: 'Joe is a very technical coach and helped me a lot when I was learning the ropes. He shows great attention to detail and gives clear messages to his players - that is Joe in a nut-shell. You had to be "on point" with Joe around because he would be tough if he needed to be.'
Schmidt is widely credited as being a shrewd tactician and Pisi added: 'That's the school teacher in him! Joe spends a lot of time preparing so he knows what the team need to do to beat the opposition.'
As a former teacher, he is in good company. Six Nations counterparts Stuart Lancaster and Warren Gatland are others in that category.
Leicester's ex-All Black lock, Brad Thorn - who had a short stint at Leinster under Schmidt, said: 'We'd have some solid meetings that would go on for a good hour or so.
'He'd go into his school teacher mode, but you got the sense he was a good school teacher, because he was very good at communicating to large groups.'
Schmidt is held in such high regard that Brian O'Driscoll extended his Test career by a year, knowing that his Leinster coach could galvanise Ireland. The up-shot was a championship title as a fitting swansong for the iconic centre, who said: 'I've never seen a coach with such a smart rugby brain.'
Paul O'Connell will lead the Irish into combat against England on Sunday believing that, with the canny New Zealander at the helm, his country are emerging as genuine World Cup contenders. 'Joe is an excellent strategist and a brilliant communicator,' said the veteran lock.
The plaudits keep coming, as do the handshakes, the pictures and the autograph requests. Ireland is in thrall to its messiah from the far side of the world.
- Daily Mail
