Everyone, it seems, wants a piece of Joe Schmidt and Ireland’s new cricket coach John Bracewell has added himself to that list.
“I can’t wait to meet the bloke,” exclaims the former New Zealand all-rounder with a hearty laugh.
“Number one he’s a Kiwi, and number two he actually taught at the same school I went to at Tauranga Boys’ College. I think he was the deputy headmaster there, so we have some common ground and I also understand he likes his cricket. And I love my rugby.”
It seems odd to imagine considering his success as a coach that Schmidt was initially reluctant to leave his post at Tauranga to take up an offer as assistant coach with the Bay of Plenty provincial side.
“I never intended to be a coach, not at all,” he said when taking over from Michael Cheika at Leinster in 2010
On the other hand, Bracewell, who turned 57 last month, seemed destined to end up as a coach, coming from a family rich in sporting tradition.
“I come from a family of six boys, three girls. My father never used to appraise my school report, but he certainly appraised my rugby game on a Saturday. And all of us funny enough have gone into some sort of coaching and put something back in to it. I think we all have a bit of schoolteacher in us, but we were too busy playing.”
Younger brother
He leads the family roll of honour, having played 41 Test matches and 53 One-Day Internationals for his country, while younger brother Brendon made his Test debut at 18 on the same side as John, a 10-wicket defeat to Australia in Brisbane in 1980.
Two of Bracewell’s other brothers, Douglas and Michael, also played first-class cricket, while the next generation are represented by Brendon’s son Doug, in England preparing for the upcoming Test series, and Mark’s son Michael, a former New Zealand under-19 player.
Backyard games at family get-togethers are pretty competitive you’d imagine.
Bracewell arrived in Ireland on Monday from his present home in Bristol, where he still lives with his wife, after his second term as Gloucestershire director of cricket came to an end in January.
He will move in to Phil Simmons’s old apartment in Malahide on Saturday, with his wife following in December, and is looking forward to Friday’s Royal London One-Day International against England, although only in an observational capacity for now.
Bracewell admits that having William Porterfield as Ireland captain is a bonus after they worked together at Gloucestershire, but he is aware that a new coach coming in following Simmons’s eight years at the helm will bring its anxieties among the squad.
“It’s not an essential cog, but it’s handy, it’s handy that I know him, it’s handy that I admire him, so I think he will feel more comfortable quicker.
“It’s always a little bit of an anxious time for players when a new coach comes in – how sharp’s his broom sort of thing. And that’s why I feel observing over the next few days is a good thing, let the management group run it, they’ve been running it anyway and just sit back and take a broader view.”
Bracewell’s experience as a Test player and coach with New Zealand was key to him getting the job, and he has been tasked with preparing Ireland for the potential step up to Test cricket in 2019, a process that gets underway on June 2nd with a four-day game against the United Arab Emirates in Malahide, the first game in which the new coach will take charge of the team.
It’s a challenge he’s looking forward to he admits and one he intends to approach in a hands-on fashion.
“I’ve played the sit in a leather chair behind a big desk sort of thing and thought while it looks good, it might seem comfortable, I actually don’t feel good, it doesn’t feel natural to me. I’d rather have a hammer than a pencil.”
Even still, a pencil may come in handy on Friday.
Work to be done.
