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Elevator moment convinced Rokocoko about 'rugby scientist' Schmidt
By Liam Heagney
Legendary All Blacks winger Joe Rokocoko has recalled the seminal elevator moment that convinced him that Joe Schmidt - Ian Foster’s new New Zealand team selector - was the real deal as a coach. Long before Smokin’ Joe blazed a trail on the Test level scene, winning 68 caps in a try-heavy international career between 2003 and 2010, he initially worked as a player under Schmidt at U18s age-grade level.
Schmidt himself has come a long way since then, helping Clermont and Leinster to win club trophies before going on to win three Six Nations titles with Ireland, including the 2018 Grand Slam. He is now officially part of the All Blacks set-up, taking over as a selector from Grant Fox and helping formulate overall strategy and attack play as well as providing analysis on opposition teams for Foster.
It is a change that Rokocoko has welcomed, the ex-prolific All Blacks scorer explaining his rapport with Schmidt from way back. “I know Joe very well,” he told the latest edition of Midi Olympique, the French rugby newspaper.
“He was my coach with the New Zealand U18s and then with the Auckland Blues. He is a remarkable technician, very attached to the basic gestures of the rugby player. When I was young, he spent hours detailing the angles of the strikes, the degrees of orientation of these... Joe Schmidt, he is a rugby scientist.”
Asked to elaborate, Rokocoko added: “One day when I took the elevator with him when I was playing for the Blues, he used the floor numbers to detail to me the movements he wanted to work on, which areas to attack during the weekend and how to achieve it… He is incredibly smart but he demands real technical perfection from his players. Some make it, some don't.”
Rokocoko watched the recent series defeat for the All Blacks against Ireland while on holiday in Fiji. Asked why they were beaten 1-2, he suggested: “The spiral is negative, the All Blacks remain on four defeats in the last five games…
“The body language of the players does not deceive, they are sorely lacking in confidence. Moreover, the attack game is not varied enough and faced with these increasingly better-organised defences, these movements, which worked until now, no longer work.
“The comparison with the Irish launches was also very unfavourable to New Zealand, so maybe the change of coaches will change all that… I don't know.”
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Latest Comments
Does anyone know a way to loook at how many mins each player has played whilst on tour?
Go to commentsIt certainly needs to be cherished. Despite Nick (and you) highlighting their usefulness for teams like Australia (and obviously those in France they find form with) I (mention it general in those articles) say that I fear the game is just not setup in Aus and NZ to appreciate nor maximise their strengths. The French game should continue to be the destination of the biggest and most gifted athletes but it might improve elsewhere too.
I just have an idea it needs a whole team focus to make work. I also have an idea what the opposite applies with players in general. I feel like French backs and halves can be very small and quick, were as here everyone is made to fit in a model physique. Louis was some 10 and 20 kg smaller that his opposition and we just do not have that time of player in our game anymore. I'm dying out for a fast wing to appear on the All Blacks radar.
But I, and my thoughts on body size in particular, could be part of the same indoctrination that goes on with player physiques by the establishment in my parts (country).
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