While Bath have denied approaching Joe Schmidt to become their new head coach, former Irish international Jamie Heaslip feels a move to the Premiership would suit the Kiwi.
Schmidt, who stepped down as Ireland coach after their World Cup exit last October, is currently reacharging his batteries after six years in charge of the national side. That said, the 54-year-old has reportedly received a number of offers to return to the game.
Heaslip, who also worked with Schmidt at Leinster, believes it's only a matter of time before his former coach is working again. Speaking at a media event at the Aviva Stadium, Heaslip said: "He said a while ago that he was taking a break from coaching, and I was like, 'Not a hope, you're 100% going to be coaching again.'
"He loves rugby too much."
And a move to the Premiership, where there is less interference from the RFU on the amount of time players play for their clubs, would also in the view of Heaslip be an added incentive for the New Zealander.
"Well in the national job it's effectively all controlled from the top down here in Ireland so he had kind of sway on that anyway. In England, it's beneficial to be a club coach as opposed to the national [team] coach because they have no say.
"I don't know where he'll land obviously.
"But we'll see, loads of rumours fly around all the time. It will be interesting to see what will happen."
Heaslip then went on to reference Stuart Lancaster's career after he stepped way from the England job after a disappointing World Cup in 2015.
"Stuart after the 2015 World Cup, it doesn't go according to plan, I think he got really harshly dealt by and with, and criticised, but he was the top man so he has to fall on the sword, right?
"He goes away, I think he went down to New Zealand for a little bit, spent a bit of time with different teams looking at things. Obviously re-assessed how he went in the top job in England, where the game is going, looked at other set-ups and what they were doing, then comes back in the Leinster mode with all these learnings and oh my God, it’s exciting.
"Having been in there [at Leinster], and then talking to guys who are still there, it’s really interesting to see how much he has evolved in the way [his teams are] playing and his coaching style as well.
"Someone like Joe will probably do something very, very similar to that. I would not want to be playing against a team coached by Joe Schmidt, particularly a side with the resources of someone like Bath."
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Jamie Heaslip was speaking at the launch of the Aviva Sensory Hub, Aviva's latest initiative to make Aviva Stadium a more inclusive space. For more information follow Aviva on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook using #SafeToDream or visit www.aviva.ie/sensoryhub
