Schmidt says he got it wrong with 'southern hemisphere' comment
Joe Schmidt gave Bundee Aki his international debut in 2017, when in charge of Ireland
- Published
Australia head coach Joe Schmidt says that he was "sloppy" and meant no harm when he called the British and Irish Lions midfield duo Bundee Aki and Sione Tuipulotu the "southern hemisphere centre partnership".
In alluding to their New Zealand and Australian backgrounds, Schmidt's comments made headlines. He was accused of mind games and pot-stirring by Lions head of performance, David Nucifora.
"It wasn't meant to be a swipe or a jibe at all," Schmidt told the Sydney Morning Herald.
"In fact, it was sloppy from me because someone had just been talking to me and described it as that ["the southern hemisphere midfield partnership"], and then I used their words. I should have just stuck to my own words.
"I'm a big believer in the values of the game, so is Faz [Lions head coach Andy Farrell]. I've never seen Faz stirring the pot. His energy goes into the team, not into stirring the pot.
"There are coaches who certainly do it, and they even talk to their team through the media sometimes. But if I've got something to say to a player, I'd rather say it to them, than fire a barrel through the media.
"I know that a lift-out quote or a phrase can be a headline and inevitably, even after 20-plus years of doing this job, I'll get it wrong.
"I'm conscious of it and I'm conscious that other coaches do it, but I don't anticipate it happening in this Lions tour.
"Faz and I have had a few conversations about how we'd like the narrative of the tour to be a celebration of rugby. I think for Australian rugby, we need that."
Schmidt spoke of the "massive respect" he has for the Lions as players and as people.
"My ideal around this was, having been at the 2017 games and seeing how edgy it was, and then the Springbok tour last time, where it probably didn't do a massive amount for promoting the game in a really positive light," he added.
"It would be great for this tour to be talked about in terms of being a celebration of rugby. And I know that Faz is of the same mind, and so hopefully it can be a really positive celebration of rugby."