Wallabies head coach Joe Schmidt is excited about the prospect of facing his former Ireland team on Saturday but does not expect to be “love bombed” at the Aviva Stadium.

Schmidt enjoyed a successful six-year spell as Ireland coach, from 2013 to 2019, and under his leadership the men from the Emerald Isle won three Six Nations titles – in 2014, 2015 and 2018 – the latter triumph also being a Grand Slam victory.

Before his stint as IrelandTeam boss the New Zealander also enjoyed success with Leinster, winning two Champions Cups and a Challenge Cup title during a spell with the Irish province between 2010 and 2013.

Despite these accolades in the Test arena and at club level, Schmidt doesn’t expect the home crowd to make a big deal about him on Saturday.

“It will be good to go back”

“I know the Aviva quite well and it will be good to go back there, even if in a different dressing room,” he said after the match. Wallabies“Loss against Scotland at Murrayfield last week.

“I’m really excited to come back, I don’t know if I’ll be love bombed.

“I coached against them a few times with the All Blacks, and I think I was quite unpopular there.

“I have changed sides again and there will be some unpopularity.”

Schmidt is set to face his former assistant Andy Farrell, who took the Irish coaching reins when he stepped down as head coach after the 2019 World Cup in Japan, and there has been plenty of hype around of Saturday’s test since Farrell will also do it. will coach the British and Irish Lions when they take on the Wallabies in their three-Test series in Australia next year.

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Farrell was full of praise for Schmidt and highlighted the 59-year-old’s achievements during his time in charge of the Irish national team.

“He is the most successful coach in Irish rugby when you consider his time in Dublin,” he said. “This experience that I’ve gained under Joe’s leadership, seeing how he does it inside, is invaluable.”

Before taking charge of Leinster, Schmidt was assistant coach to compatriot Vern Cotter from 2007 to 2010 at Top 14 side Clermont.

“He can analyze the game but also the players”

“Joe has a good brain, he can analyze the game but also the players,” Cotter said. AFP. “Their traits, skills, weaknesses and strengths.

“He uses this both to analyze the opposition for opportunities but also for his own team to improve.”

Schmidt replaced Eddie Jones as Wallabies coach earlier this year after the two-time Rugby World Cup champions endured a disastrous campaign at last year’s global competition in France.

The Wallabies got off to a good start under Schmidt, securing back-to-back wins against Wales in Australia and also beating Georgia in a one-off home test in July.

These early successes proved a false dawn as they struggled during their Rugby Championship campaign and ultimately won just one match in six as they finished bottom of that tournament’s table.

They bounced back with successive wins over England and Wales in their opening two Tests of the Autumn Nations series, but their Grand Slam dreams were shattered when they lost to Scotland last week.

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