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Schmidt snubs England job

London - Joe Schmidt says he is "absolutely committed" to remaining Ireland coach despite reports suggesting he could be the next England boss.

"We are going forward as best we can and I'm certainly not going anywhere," the New Zealander told RTE television's Late Late Show.

"I'm absolutely committed to the group of young men that I work with."

Schmidt added: "I can't wait to get started post-Christmas, looking towards the Six Nations."

New Zealand-born Schmidt, 50, started out his coaching career as an assistant coach at both the Blues in New Zealand and Clermont-Auvergne in France.

He then took the reins at Leinster in Ireland before taking over as Ireland coach in April 2013 from Declan Kidney.

Under his leadership, Ireland won both the 2014 and 2015 Six Nations titles.

Schmidt became an Irish citizen last month.

At this year's World Cup, Ireland topped their pool after wins over Canada (50-7), Romania (44-10), Italy (16-9) and France (24-9).

However, a string of injuries to key players like Jonny Sexton and Paul O'Connell among others left Ireland short of experience and they were eliminated from the tournament in the quarter-finals by Argentina.

However, that didn't stop the rumour mill, with France daily Midi Olympique reporting that England are ready to pay Ireland £1.5m (R31m) for Schmidt's services.

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