It's probably a measure of the man.

An email, tinged with humility, fired off to a mate in Tauranga, just hours after the writer had orchestrated an historic, a famous win over the All Blacks, the first in 29 attempts, the first in 111 years.

Ireland rejoiced, New Zealand was hangdog.

'It was great to be on the periphery of some pretty good performances from the Irishmen in the middle,” read the email.

On the periphery? The sender was the coach, he waved the baton.

Joe Schmidt, New Zealander-turned-Irishman, former Tauranga Boys' College deputy principal-turned-rugby wonder worker and reputation wrecker.

Joe Schmidt as coach of the first XV.

The email was to ‘Bob' – Robert Mangan, principal of Tauranga Boys' College. Robert and Joe used to sit down on Friday night for an ale and rugby on TV.

Schmidt's email was understated and humble – not one mention of the man's own contribution to perhaps Irish rugby's greatest moment, the downfall of the All Blacks.

'Yes, the email does tell us something about the man,” says Robert. 'Joe has a strong underlying self-confidence but he is unassuming in terms of where he is at.”

Further into the email and Joe still hasn't acknowledged that he has achieved what Wallabies coach Michael Cheika and Springboks coach Allister Coetzee would pay a rugby ransom to achieve and what English coach Eddie Jones only believes he can achieve. No chest beating and jingoism from Joe Schmidt. Quite the reverse.

'We were a bit lucky with a few players the All Blacks had missing and then they had a few more injuries during the game,” says Joe. But then a chink in the stoicism – he was delighted to have got the result all the same.

'I watched the game,” says Robert. He, like the rest of the country, was waiting for the All Blacks to storm home – like they did against the Irish in 2013. Aaron Cruden scored an overtime conversion to win it 24-22.

'But I would like to think there was pleasure for Joe because I think a lot of fair-minded New Zealanders feel if anyone was going to beat the All Blacks, we would rather it the Irish than Australia or England.

So what makes Joe, the sportsman and English teacher, a great coach? What sets him apart?

'He is really articulate, very analytical, very hardworking and driven.”

Analytical because he would pick a game apart. And when Joe coached the Tauranga Boys' College first XV he had probably a 12-page document of moves the players were expected to learn. 'I did think he was optimistic expecting 15 boys to absorb and execute all 12 pages on the field,” says Robert.

And Joe was a stickler for standards. 'He was tireless in ensuring good standards, not afraid to be direct, to challenge the boys. He expected them to comply with his own high expectations.”

So staff would say as a deputy principal in charge of student management he was a good man to have. And Ireland would say as steward of their national rugby team he's also a good man to have.

Robert can recall the conversation where Joe's serious rugby pathway started.

'He was on study leave to complete his Masters in Education and he phoned to say he had an offer with the Steamers and what did I think? The chat then was: ‘You actually only get one shot at the rugby and if it doesn't work out you can always get back into education'.”

Joe is contracted with Ireland until after the 2019 Rugby World Cup and then New Zealand rugby has designs on him. So scholarly things will have to wait.

There is also Joe's work ethic. 'Driven? Oh yeah!” says Robert. 'When we visited him in Dublin his Leinster club team had just lifted the Amlin Challenge Cup and the celebrations went on until 2am. At 6am he was up meeting with Irish rugby officials planning their international campaign.”

So no-one, least of all his old mate and teaching buddy Robert, is surprised by Joe's success. 'No, not surprised at all. But ultimately for anybody to coach a team to beat the All Blacks when they have never done it before, I think is an exceptional achievement.”

And Robert can sympathise with All Black coach Steven Hansen on a personal level because Joe has stolen a trick off both men.

'In 2001 Joe was appointed deputy principal. I also applied for that position but Joe was successful. People jokingly ask how Joe can be my friend when he took my job. Well, it was never my job, it was a job at the school that we both went for.”

And it's a measure of Robert when he acknowledges Joe was good for TBC.

Joe and the Irish rugby team had a long flight home from Chicago to Dublin. 'We had plenty of work to do.” Analysing and plotting again, no doubt, because there's the small matter of another rugby match come Sunday.