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David Nucifora has resolved his future as IRFU performance director
The IRFU have extended the contract of performance director David Nucifora for a further three years to the end of the 2021/22 season.
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Appointed in April 2014, Australian Nucifora was charged with developing and advancing all aspects of the professional game in Ireland including the elite player development pathway, succession planning, professional coach development and overseeing all representative team performance from the provinces through to underage sides and the Ireland national teams. Other areas of focus include medical, sport science and elite referee development.
The IRFU have felt that over the past five years huge progress has been made in a number of areas such as the player development pathway which now sees alignment across the provincial academies, the introduction of the national talent squads, the establishment of a successful Sevens programme and a strategic approach to recruitment of Irish qualified talent via IQ rugby.
IRFU CEO Philip Browne said: “The IRFU’s Plan Ireland report identified the need to create a performance director role to maximise the potential of our elite player pathway and identify areas where we as an organisation can improve, innovate and strive to be a leading nation in world rugby.
“David has delivered across a huge number of areas in that regard and Irish Rugby is in a better place for the experience, leadership and passion he has brought to the role. We are delighted that he has agreed to continue this important work over the coming years.”
— Irish Rugby (@IrishRugby) May 22, 2019
Nucifora commented: “I’m delighted to sign up for another three years. Myself and my family have really enjoyed our time in Ireland to date and I am excited about the prospect of driving further advancements in Irish rugby’s performance pathway.
“Over the coming months we will see the culmination of a number of years work on a couple of very important projects.
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“Irish rugby’s high performance centre in Abbottstown will come on stream during the summer and another significant piece of infrastructure – a centralised player data management platform that ties together all of the disciplines that support Irish rugby from the start of the elite player pathway through to the National Team will be in place ahead of the new season. This will further enhance Irish rugby’s ability to build on their important player welfare management programme.
Within 12 months Ireland could lose one of the chief unsung architects of its success https://t.co/rMpWcKEoCk
— liam heagney (@heagneyl) December 10, 2018
“There are now well established processes regarding player succession planning that flows from the start of the player pathway and links all provinces and is optimising appropriate opportunities to accelerate the development of our young elite players.
“Investment in high quality staff and driving alignment provincially and nationally throughout all disciplines via quality staff education programmes has been a key area of focus.
“We have quality coaches developing our players through the performance pathway and across the senior set-ups, supported by leading practitioners in the fields of athletic performance, medicine, nutrition and performance analysis.
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“We have invested in an expanding elite coach education program for our professional coaches and will continue to invest in all of these areas whilst seeking to attract further coaching talent and support staff expertise into the system.
'It's a situation no one believed would be case when amateur committee men were sidelined all those years ago' – @heagnel assesses the @IrishRugby approach to contracting that has left another loyal servant considering a move away ??? https://t.co/A2MQ29kzp4
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) May 22, 2019
“The Sevens programme is providing a high quality alternative development pathway for both men and women and with both squads competing on the World Series next season this exciting version of the game will gain further profile and traction in Ireland. A number of male players have graduated from the sevens programme and excelled at senior level for their provinces.
“One of the next big challenges will be to ensure that the IRFU’s competition and development structures support the ambitions of young players wishing to pursue an elite pathway in the game. This will involve greater alignment of the programmes in both the performance and participation pathways.
“The Women in Rugby action plan provides a blueprint to drive sustainable growth in the women’s game and the High Performance team will be working closely with the rugby development department to help achieve the goals outlined in the plan.”
WATCH: World Rugby’s launch of landmark initiatives to revolutionise women’s rugby
Comments on RugbyPass
He never stops whinging. No wonder he is always chasing the next big dream.
1 Go to commentsI always enjoy a good scrum based article. Thanks, Nick. The Hurricanes are looking more and more the team to beat down here in Australasia. They are a very well balanced team. And though there are far fewer scrums in the game these days, destructive power in that area is a serious weapon, especially an attacking scrum within in the red zone. Aumua looked very good as a young first year player, but then seemed to fade. He sure is back now right in the picture for the AB’s. And I would judge that Taukei’aho is in a bit of a slump currently. Watching him at Suncorp a few weeks ago, I thought he was not as dominant in the game as I would have expected. I am going to raise an issue in that scrum at around the 13 min mark. I see a high level of danger there for the TH lifted off the ground. He is trapped between the opposition LH and his own powerful SR. His neck is being put under potentially dangerous pressure. The LH has, in law , no right to use his superior scrummaging skill….getting his head right in on the breastbone of the TH…..to force him up and off the ground. Had the TH popped out of the scrum, head up and free, there is no danger, that is a clear penalty to the dominant scrum. The law is quite clear on this issue: Law 37 Dangerous play and restricted practices in a scrum. C:Intentionally lifting an opponent off their feet or forcing them upwards out of the scrum. Sanction: Penalty. Few ,if any, referees seem to be aware of this law, and/or the dangers of the situation. Matthew Carly, refereeing Clermont v Munster in 2021, penalised the Munster scrum, when LH Wycherly was lifted very high, and in my view very dangerously, by TH Slimani. Lifting was coached in the late ‘60’s/70’s. Both Lions props, Ray McLouglin, and “Mighty Mouse” McLauchlan, were expert and highly successful at this technique. I have seen a photo, which I can’t find online atm, of MM with a NZ TH(not an AB) on his head, MM standing upright as the scrum disintegrates.
3 Go to commentsHey. Stay home and play for Mooloo.
1 Go to commentsTighthead was always going to be our weakness this year with Ryan going home to Ireland and the Cashed Up Blues taking a third All Black prop from us - nobody else in SR does that. Numia is the exciting one. He used to be a lightweight but he's really improved. Do you have stats on the All Black hookers’ lineouts for the game? I seem to remember a few misses.
3 Go to commentsFergus Burke isn't tier 1 player quality…but guess what, he'll be playing amongst them for Saracens…. all going well and Steve Borthwick is still the head coach, England...Scott Robertson’s hint of amending NZRU’s offshore AB eligibility clause, would mean that players like Josh Moorby who show potential might get a call…
4 Go to commentsThe movement of quality players back to SA is remarkable.
2 Go to commentsInteresting article, Nic. Am enjoying seeing the Rebels doing well, partly just to spite those who are working to wipe them off the face of the Australian rugby planet. But it is also good to see a team with somany good players beginning fire. LSL has benefitted so much from his move up to Northampton for the one year. I wonder why he did not stay on for another year. Does he now looks north and see his teammates of last year now doing so well, and have some regrets.
49 Go to comments“Over 80% of the World Cup squad are over 30” No it isn’t lol
2 Go to commentsTyrel Lomax the best AB prop since Carl Hayman. Absolutely destroyed the Boks in RWC Final and is monstering allcomers in Super this season. Should be a monster battle vs touring Poms, always deliver a power pack.
3 Go to commentsEye gouging seems like such a strong term for what can only be described as a poke in the eye. When I think of eye gouging I think of someone trying to intentionally pop someone’s eyeball out. it’s like calling a high-tackle attempted decapitation.
3 Go to commentsGreat article. No insights to add, just wanted to say that. :)
1 Go to commentsLeinster are going to win the world cup.
13 Go to commentsSuper Rugby desperately needs to lose at least 2, but up to 4 teams. Rebels quietly going bankrupt would have made that a bit easier. Teams like the Rebels and Force serve only to weaken Australian Rugby and Super Rugby more widely. In 13 years in the comp the Rebels are yet to win more games than they lose in a season, have never finished in the top half of the competition, and have come dead last a number of times. The Western Force, barring a brief stint of mediocrity under John Mitchell from 2007-2009 have been even worse. Sadly it’s hard to see a future for Moana Pasifika in Super Rugby. Likewise I think the writing is on the wall for the Highlanders, it’s hard to see how NZ rugby can continue to support 5 SR teams, and population distribution suggests one team in the south island would make the most sense.
49 Go to commentsNice that Connor Evans is happy to stay on here, that JD Schikerling is returning and Steven Kitshoff. Dobbo is careful to bring back just anybody but having a new financial lease of life, it has made the Stormers a more attractive club. On top of being good quality, having the financial backing helps a lot
1 Go to commentsEngland-qualified too, I believe.
1 Go to commentsThis might turn out to be emblematic of a real issue in Irish rugby. Ireland have one of the best -if not the best - senior sides in the world, and one of the best under 20s sides as well, but don’t seem to be giving graduating under20s players many opportunities to break through into URC starting lineups. There is a risk that a lot of the junior talent they are developing will either be wasted, or lost to other nations.
1 Go to commentsYou ask good questions, Nick. The group who have put together the proposal to play out of Tarneit and participate in the growing of the ground’s capacity are not a bunch of white knights who have been dragged in post-crisis; they were around whilst the Rebels accummulated $23m in debt. Why do we come up with ideas that might make the franchise affordable after it’s broke and not when it might have prevented the trainwreck this offseason was? As for Gordon/Kellaway v Lolesio/Wright, they are both good options. I think the former are better rugby players but the goal kicking of Noah may be decisive when Schmiddy makes his choices. I know Harry Jones has the hots for Edmed but I think it’s one of his few poor choices and he and Jorgensen aren’t close to the other pairs. By coincidence, the wife and I went into town over the weekend to watch Brian Cox and Patricia Clarkson in Long Day’s Journey into Night. Beautifully acted but it was 3.5 hours in the chair and very hard work. Like the Rebels, there were only small bursts of joy to go with a lot of bad news and a depressing story line. In the end, I was hoping it would end and I could give my sore butt a break. Again, familiar.
49 Go to commentsGood decision, very good player but not international quality. But so was Jamison Gibson Park …..
4 Go to commentsLoose forwards always look good going forward and winning. It’s the same loose forwards for the Crusaders and the Canes this year as last year. Too much of the shiny new things getting noticed here while older consistent ones getting bagged. It’s early days. Calm the farm.
8 Go to commentsThanks Nick, and on the money. We tend to be apathetic until something REALLY BAD happens, then we aren't! At least this applies to the Reb players and coach, if not the spectators. They seem to be getting very quick ball at times. Have they altered something, or is it just all of the skills coming together at the right time? It seems almost the opposite of the Reds, who started the season with quick ball, but haven't been showing that in the last 3 losing games. Is it attitude (McDermott hasn't looked “right” to me for 3 weeks), or something else?
49 Go to comments