30 Dec 2009

New Zealander takes over Heineken Cup champ

6:14 am on 30 December 2009

Heineken Cup rugby champions Leinster have appointed New Zealand's Josef Schmidt as their new head coach from next season.

Schmidt, assistant coach at French side Clermont Auvergne, will take over from Michael Cheika, who had previously announced that he would not renew his contract after five years in charge.

Schmidt was the Auckland Blues assistant coach in 2006 and spent a year Ireland as a player in the early 1990's, playing for the minor Leinster-based club Mullingar.