However, the South African-born hooker returned to action well ahead of schedule, as Leinster beat Ospreys in the European Cup earlier this month.
And the 27-year-old came off the bench as the Ireland Wolfhounds beat England Saxons 14-8 at Kingsholm on Saturday, with former Leinster boss Schmidt looking on from the stands.
"I coached Richardt for a number of years and know his quality," said Schmidt. "It's fantastic that he is back available. I'm delighted for him - he's a great fella.
"That would reflect his character pretty well, it reflects how he plays the game. If he gets knocked down he gets back up again and that's exactly what he's done.
"Richardt is resilient and he's a little bit of an opportunist. We had a couple of other hookers in the squad earlier in the season but Mike Sherry unfortunately had a knee injury.
"Damien Varley was named to come into the squad and he took a bit of a knock as well so it just allowed the door to open for Richardt."
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