France should pay 'whatever it takes' to hire Joe Schmidt as Les Bleus coachGETTY IMAGES France should 'pay whatever it takes' to get Joe Schmidt as their head coach, a former British and Irish Lions wing claims. The French Rugby Federation should break the bank to get Joe Schmidt to take over their teetering Six Nations team, claims former England wing Ugo Monye. Schmidt - World Rugby's coach of the year - is stepping down as head coach of Ireland after the 2019 Rugby World Cup. "I would be paying whatever it is to get Joe Schmidt to France." Before his successful stint in Ireland, Schmidt spent four years in France, from 2007-10, as Cotter's assistant-coach at Clermont.

Source: Stuff February 12, 2019 20:03 UTC