Young looking and in a hurry

By WYNNE GRAY


When Josef Schmidt coached the Palmerston North Boys High 1st XV, half his side could get in the local pubs, and he was often asked his age.

And last year, when one of the Bay of Plenty wings was injured in a pre-match warmup, coach Vern Cotter wondered whether his assistant wanted to deputise.

Schmidt is only a young man, 39, but his blond locks and lean figure suggest he is younger. As well as having a youthful appearance, Schmidt has always been someone in a hurry.

In his playing days he could really shift, and played on the wing for Manawatu in the late 80s and early 90s with team-mates such as Kevin Schuler, Bruce Hemara, Mana Otai and Lee Stensness, before leaving for a stint in Ireland.

Schmidt's pace has not slackened and this week he was chosen as assistant Blues coach to work with Peter Sloane and David Nucifora next season.

Along the way, Schmidt has been deputy principal at Napier Boys High and Tauranga Boys College - leaving the latter this season to set up the Bay of Plenty rugby academy and guide the Steamers' backline.

There have been stints coaching the New Zealand Secondary Schools, the Chiefs development squad and working at New Zealand Colts trials.

Schmidt went through secondary school at Tararua College in Pahiatua, which has also nurtured rugby professionals Brendan Timmins and Reece Robinson. He spent four years at Teachers College before employment in Palmerston North, Napier and Tauranga.

"I still enjoy it now and think I will go back to it at some stage," he said.

"I talked to the principal [at Tauranga] a couple of days ago and we were still talking about me coming back one day. If things don't work out it may be sooner rather than later.

"I am enough of a realist to know the theory that there are two types of coaches - those who have been fired and those waiting to be fired."

He is reluctant to leave the Bay and the momentum they have gathered, but knows he must shift to Auckland to avoid any possible conflict of interest.

Away from his teaching forays, Schmidt pulled on the green and white Manawatu provincial jersey, scoring a try against France in their 1989 tour.

"I remember in my first NPC game against Counties, I think I was only 68kg, a skinny little guy in the days when skinny little guys could still play rugby. I am still pretty scrawny at about 80kg."

Schmidt turned to coaching, nurturing younger talent before graduating last year to work with the Steamers' backline. The team breathed new life into the NPC as they took the Ranfurly Shield and continued to excite with their style.

"There is a fair bit of character in what we do," Schmidt accepted, "but we also do it with a pretty good structure. Even last year, getting fifth in the NPC was outside expectation because were were outsiders. Two years previous we were involved in promotion-relegation, so I have had it a bit lucky."

Schmidt accepted a suggestion that the Steamers were a little like the original Brumbies - a collection of discards, throwouts or unlikely players.

He concurred as he ran through a backline where Kevin Senio could not get a start with Auckland, Glen Jackson, Grant McQuoid and Rua Tipoki could not make the starting XV for Waikato, Adrian Cashmore returned from Japan, Apoua Stewart could not make Wellington and Anthony Tahana missed out at North Harbour.

"We have a fair few guys who are really talented and have combined to realise some of that ability. A lot of them are home or nearby home blokes, and that helps. So does winning."

But next year Schmidt will leave those familiar surroundings and shift to Auckland to help coach the Blues.

He acknowledged the tales which filter through provincial New Zealand about the big ogre city, the merciless public and media expectation.

"That makes me a bit nervous. One of the good things though is I have coached a lot of them at age-group before. Guys like Joe Rokocoko, Tony Koonwaiyou, Sam Tuitupou, Ben Atiga, Dave Gibson.

"I don't think any coach has the magic formula because there are all sorts of different personnel, conditions and personalities and you have to adapt any formula you might have."

Schmidt thought the toughest part would be choosing a squad from the Auckland, North Harbour and Northland sides.

He had done a reconnaisance trip to Whangarei to watch Harbour play Northland. It served a triple purpose as he met Sloane and Nucifora, ran his eye over the players and sussed out how the Steamers might beat Northland this weekend.