"Maybe it will interest him" – Brian O 'Driscoll thinks that only one job could get Joe Schmidt out of his retirement

Brian O 'Driscoll thinks that Joe Schmidt could end his rugby retirement to coach the Lions in 2021, the legendary center claiming that the Irish boss would be "very high on the list" of the candidates.

Schmidt announced this week that he would leave his post as Irish boss after the 2019 World Cup in Japan, surprisingly adding that he would completely give up training because of the commitments of the family.

However, despite Schmidt's public statement, one still thinks that the decorated head coach – who has already won three Six Nations titles and two European Cups during his decade in Ireland – could be attracted in rugby with good work.

The Lions Tour to South Africa in 2021 would allow Schmidt to recharge his batteries for a year before returning to the world of coaching, although the next tour will have even less preparation time than that of 2017 in New Zealand, where the players still felt the effects. time difference before the first warm-up match.

however, Ambbadador HSBC Global Rugby Sevens O 'Driscoll thinks that Schmidt could devote the 2020/21 season to the project, which would allow him to pay meticulous attention to detail with a view to planning a first win in South Africa since 1997.

"I would be surprised that he did not feel like attending a Lions tour in two years," he told Independent.ie.

"Joe is a good choice for any environment, so if you give him a team of Barbarians, he'll probably make them play good things in three days.This new shortened tour does not help the Lions. but if anyone can do it and someone can put the time to separate a Springbok team, it would be very, very high on the list.

"I think he really enjoyed the international scene where it was not everyday, I thought he was really going to miss it. I think he enjoyed it. Come back to this step, and all the preparation for a Lions tour, and then five weeks on the ground, may be something that will interest him, I imagine that would be the case. "

Schmidt's decision to leave Ireland was not a surprise, with many baduming the Kiwi would come home to take back the All Blacks after the World Cup. However, O 'Driscoll thinks that Schmidt's overall approach might have contributed to his announcement that he decided to withdraw from the training.

"There is a lot of pressure with the workout and maybe when we always see the outside calm and calm, it does not feel as much inside," O & O said. # 39; Driscoll.

"I am sure that he also has a multitude of opportunities in the business world, where he has worked hard for a long time, when you are the focal point and you expect to be able to deliver. he did with all the sides that he was involved in, that takes his toll too.

"I really do not know if he's expecting to be the coach of the All Blacks, I think he may need a bit of a reset for his." And to take the time not to watch 60 hours of film a week on all the other elements of the team. "

Brian O'Driscoll is HSBC's global rugby sevens ambbadador. He works alongside HSBC to support the explosive growth of rugby 7 by helping this exciting and unpredictable sport flourish around the world. Follow all the action on @HSBC_Sport on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

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