Schmidt Is Philips Sports Manager Of The Year

Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt received the 2014 Philips Sports Manager of the Year award at a ceremony in Dublin’s Shelbourne Hotel this afternoon.

Joe Schmidt was honoured for his achievement of coaching Ireland to Six Nations success, with his first full year in charge culminating in a November clean sweep and a 2014 record of nine wins from ten Test matches.

He beat off stiff competition from a number of high calibre coaches and managers who were also nominated for the prestigious Philips Ireland award, including Ryder Cup-winning captain Paul McGinley, Pete Taylor, father and coach of boxing star Katie Taylor, and hugely successful horse racing trainer Aidan O’Brien.

Schmidt told RTÉ Sport afterwards: “It’s a little bit humbling, to be honest. I’d know Paul McGinley, I know Aidan, I know Jim (Gavin), Philip Doyle, Matt O’Connor…there’s a number of them I know pretty well, and the ones I don’t certainly have impressive dossiers.

“You feel humbled by the competition and you feel humbled by the people who have made it possible.

“Without the backroom staff who we have – the guys like Eanna (Falvey) running the medical, Jason Cowman doing the strength and conditioning, and the other coaching staff, the likes of Les Kiss, Simon Easterby, Greg Feek and Richie Murphy – you’re a little bit scared to leave people out, because there are so many really good people working behind the scenes.

“The leadership in the collective is impressive, to the degree that sometimes I feel a little bit obsolete! As I was after the Australia game!”, he quipped, referring to the aftermath of the final GUINNESS Series game when he had to go to hospital to have his appendix removed.

Recently retired Ireland Women’s head coach Philip Doyle was also present at the ceremony. He famously guided the girls in green to their first ever win over New Zealand in August, on the way to a memorable fourth place finish at the Women’s Rugby World Cup.

‘Goose’ is pictured below receiving his August Philips Sports Manager of the Month award from Minister of State for Tourism and Sport, Michael Ring, TD, and Cel O’Reilly, Managing Director of Philips Electronics Ireland.