Rory Best backs Joe Schmidt for Lions coaching role

Editor

Ulster and Ireland hooker Rory Best believes his country’s coach, Joe Schmidt, could lead the British and Irish Lions to success in 2021.

Schmidt announced last month that he plans to step down from his position after the 2019 World Cup to focus on his family, but has not ruled out returning to coaching some day.

And Best, who is Ulster and Ireland’s captain, is backing the New Zealand-born coach to guide the Lions to a Test series triumph over the Springboks in South Africa, should the coach decide to take up the challenge.

“The Lions is one of the few things he hasn’t done; he hasn’t been given the opportunity to be successful there,” Best told Press Association Sport.

“But I have no doubt that he would be successful given that opportunity.

“There’s no doubt with the way he performs, the way he goes about his business that he could take the Lions and be successful with them.”

Schmidt impressed since taking charge of Ireland in 2013 and guided them to three Six Nations titles, one Grand Slam and two triumphs over the All Blacks.

His critics have said his highly detailed coaching methods mean there will not be enough time for him to impose his unique way of doing things on a Lions squad.

The 2021 Lions tour to South Africa will be the shortest one yet and they are set to play just eight matches during a five-week period.

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But Best is adamant that Schmidt is the right man to lead the Lions to glory in South Africa.

“It’s a short period of time to bring the Lions together and some people have suggested Joe needs time,” said Best, who toured with Lions to Australia and New Zealand in 2013 and 2017 respectively.

“But I don’t think that’s the case. I think Joe could very, very comfortably walk into a Lions role and get a team prepared to win a Test series in South Africa.

“Right from the word go he’s expecting things from you.

“Very quickly the penny would drop, and everyone would enjoy being there.

“What he does very well is he uses the people that know him.

“The first day he came into Ireland, he said ‘we’re going to run these three plays’, and then walked out of the room.

“So of course most of the people in the room did not have one idea of what he was talking about. But he knew the Leinster players did.

“So you got together, you asked someone from Leinster to tell you what your role was.

“In one session we learned three plays without him telling us anything.”