Ordinary Joe, Joe Schmidt
Ordinary Joe, Joe Schmidt
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Ordinary Joe

Author: Joe Schmidt

Narrator: Paul Haley

Unabridged: 10 hr 30 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 11/28/2019


Synopsis

Brought to you by Penguin.

In the autumn of 2010, a little-known New Zealander called Joe Schmidt took over as head coach at Leinster. He had never been in charge of a professional team. After Leinster lost three of their first four games, a prominent Irish rugby pundit speculated that Schmidt had 'lost the dressing room'.

Nine years on, Joe Schmidt has stepped down as Ireland coach having achieved success on a scale never before seen in Irish rugby. Two Heineken Cups in three seasons with Leinster. Three Six Nations championships in six seasons with Ireland, including the Grand Slam in 2018. And a host of firsts: the first Irish victory in South Africa; the first Irish defeat of the All Blacks, and then a second; and Ireland's first number 1 world ranking.

Along the way, Schmidt became a byword for precision and focus in coaching, remarkable attention to detail and the highest of standards. But who is Joe Schmidt? In Ordinary Joe, Schmidt tells the story of his life and influences: the experiences and management ideas that made him the coach, and the man, that he is today. And his diaries of the 2018 Grand Slam and the 2019 Rugby World Cup provide a brilliantly intimate insight into the stresses and joys of coaching a national team in victory and defeat.

From the small towns in New Zealand's North Island where he played barefoot rugby and jostled around the dinner table with seven siblings, to the training grounds and video rooms where he consistently kept his teams a step ahead of the opposition, Ordinary Joe reveals an ordinary man who has helped his teams to achieve extraordinary things.

Reviews

Goodreads review by David on November 23, 2019

Part 2 “ball in play” 6 stars and worth the purchase of the book alone. Part 1 about his early life 5 stars. Parts 3/4 about six nations and World Cup both 3 stars. I can’t give 4.5 to book overall hence 4 but Joe Schmidt as a man also 6 stars x......more

Goodreads review by Rutger on February 10, 2020

Interesting book about one of the best rugby coaches out there, who made big steps with the Irish rugby team......more

Goodreads review by Scott on April 14, 2024

Decent read. Brilliant coach for Leinster and Ireland, brought a lot of success which I think people forget as a result of finishing on a poor note in Tokyo 2019......more

Goodreads review by Bernadette on December 06, 2019

Thoroughly enjoyed this excellent autobiography. A beautifully written account of the life of an ordinary man destined to do extraordinary things. A lovely account of Joe Schmidts childhood, teaching career, family, and career as one of the worlds greatest rugby coaches. The book also provides wonde......more

Goodreads review by Niall on May 26, 2025

Audible Version. Ultimately disappointing to be honest, though I’ll admit the main issue is the portion covering the 2019 World Cup not being as warts and all as it could have been which was always going to be the case.......more


Quotes

Rugby obsessives and amateur coaches will revel in the insight that Schmidt offers into his training methods, tactics and preparation ... Full of insight, emotion and considered analysis Irish Daily Mail

An insight into the fascinating personality of the man who has been the single most influential figure in Irish rugby over the last decade Irish Times

He is clearly more than an ordinary coach, the winning of two Heinekens, beating New Zealand twice, the 2018 Grand Slam and reaching no.1 in the World Rankings are positive brushstrokes, marking Irish rugby for ever ... A rocky read about exceptional deeds, told in extraordinary fashion Irish Daily Star

Undoubtedly the greatest coach in Irish rugby history Daily Telegraph