No mixed Irish loyalties for ex-Clermont coach Schmidt

Joe Schmidt may wax lyrical about Wesley Fofana and other former Clermont charges, but the Ireland coach insists there will be no split loyalities when his team take on France on Sunday.

Schmidt was assistant coach under Scotland coach Vern Cotter at Clermont between 2007-10, before taking over from Australia coach Michael Cheika at Leinster.

The New Zealander won two European Cup titles, the European Challenge Cup and a Celtic League title with the Irish province, after helping Clermont to a Top 14 title in 2010 ending an 11-year nightmare of finishing runners-up.

Schmidt, who was granted Irish citizenship in September, admitted Ireland's match against France to decide World Cup Pool D is "special".

"But that's mostly because of the players playing in the Irish jersey now," the 50-year-old said.

"I have unbelievable respect for them, as I have for the Clermont players particularly the ones who I knew well, Morgan Parra and Wesley Fofana, those guys who I would have had a bit of time coaching.

"But there are no mixed loyalties, as much as I like those people and think they're super rugby players, it's all about the Irish 23 in the hope we can get the result as disappointed as those people might be, that's the nature of professional sport."

Schmidt said the French would pose a formidable challenge at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium.

"They've got ball carriers like Louis Picamoles, Mathieu Basteraud and Bernard Le Roux coming off the bench. Even the likes of Pascal Pape and Yoann Maestri," he said.

"We just know there is going to be a wave coming at us and that doesn't include the guys with the footwork like Wesley Fofana."

Schmidt added: "I have known Wesley for seven or eight years, ever since he was coming through the system at Clermont.

"He is an unbelievably good athlete and a very skilful one too. Coping with him and others is going to be a handful."

Schmidt has turned around a demoralised Ireland unit in his two years in charge.

The Irish have won two successive Six Nations titles and registered notable wins over southern hemisphere giants Australia and South Africa.

But that counted for nothing at the World Cup, Schmidt said, adding that he had shared a word with France coach Philippe Saint-Andre at a pre-tournament coaches' meeting.

"Philippe did tell me they were better than they'd ever been and more ready than they'd ever been. They're been the fittest he's had them," Schmidt said.

Thoughts have turned to victory, the former schoolteacher insisted. The loser has to play New Zealand one week later. The winner of the pool gets a more attractive proposition in Argentina.

"We have to come up with an accurate gameplan," he said.

"One of the things with France is that if you give them opportunities or you're loose with the ball, your discipline's not nailed on, you give them access and once they get momentum they're very difficult to stop."

Source: AFP