It is believed that the IRFU has confirmed an approached for Joe Schmidt with a view to him becoming the next Ireland head coach.
The Leinster coach has been the firm favourite to replace Declan Kidney, but an IRFU official claims that a final decision has not been made yet despite the approach.
Schmidt has a deal with Leinster which runs until 2014 and said that he has never broken a contract. But he also indicated that he may be interested in the Ireland role.
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He is expected to meet Leinster's committee this week to discuss the possibility of joining the Ireland setup.