Joe Schmidt has been named as New Zealand’s attack coach ahead of the Autumn Nations Series in November.
New Zealander Schmidt was Ireland’s head coach for six years between 2013 and 2019, helping the Northern Hemisphere side to their first two wins over the All Blacks.
He was previously brought in to help the All Blacks train ahead of the opening Test in the summer series against his former side after Ian Foster and two of his assistant coaches tested positive for Covid-19.
Now, he’ll fill the role of New Zealand’s attack coach permanently, and head coach Foster admitted that he is delighted to work alongside the 56-year-old.
He said: “Joe Schmidt has been on my radar, probably for a couple of years.
“We flagged at the start of this year that his role was to join us after the Irish series as an independent selector to replace Grant Fox and in addition, he was going to do some opposition analysis work and work alongside myself in the strategy area.”
Foster saw his side get back to winning ways this weekend with a 35-23 triumph over world champions South Africa in Johannesburg.
The All Blacks had previously been on a run of just one win in six games with defeats against Ireland, France and South Africa.
After stepping down as Ireland’s head coach, Schmidt became World Rugby’s director of rugby and high performance before resigning a year later to spend more time with his family in New Zealand.
Upon returning to his homeland, the three-time Guinness Six Nations winner joined the coaching staff in a part-time supportive role at Super Rugby side the Blues.
And Foster believes that his time working alongside Leon MacDonald in Auckland inspired his decision to join the All Blacks setup.
Foster added: “We started that after the Irish series and delighted with how that’s going. I have a great relationship with Joe.
“He loved his time with Leon and the Blues and he got a taste for it … I’m delighted. He’s there for the right reasons. He compliments the group a lot.”
