STARTING OFFICIALLY ON the 1st of June, the IRFU will have its first ever Performance Director in Australian native David Nucifora.
The appointment is rooted in the governing body’s review of the 2011 Rugby World Cup, when the IRFU Committee agreed to develop its ‘Plan Ireland’. This plan was seen as the necessary starting point for improved results at the 2015 and 2019 World Cups.
One of the key issues identified was the fact that voluntary committees were making decisions that so heavily affected the working lives of the professional coaches and players in Ireland. That space between old school appreciation for the game and modern day expertise needed to be bridged.
Nucifora’s newly-created position means the IRFU will have “qualified and experienced professionals being managed by a qualified and experienced professional,” according to chief executive Philip Browne.
Approval to begin searching for a candidate to fill the Performance Director position came as long ago as January of 2013, but Browne is pleased that a patient appointment process has yielded the finest possible candidate for a crucial job in Irish rugby.
Having left a similar role with the Australian Rugby Union in 2012, Nucifora yesterday admitted that “my first intention wasn’t to move overseas.” However, the 52-year-old was attracted to the IRFU’s proposition by the simple fact that the Performance Director’s role had already been clearly defined.
I think the first thing that really appealed to me was the structure that had been set up here. The structure of the role, the work that had been done within that ‘Plan Ireland’ paper gave me confidence that a lot of the things that initially needed to be put in place to make a role like this work had actually been nutted out, discussed and debated.
“For me, it was really important that that had been done.”
One of the key parts of Nucifora’s work will be to streamline the thinking – and actions – of the entire professional game in Ireland towards the “primacy of the national team,” while ensuring that provincial success is not sacrificed.
Joe Schmidt will continue to worry about the specifics of on-pitch performances, and Nucifora has “a huge amount of respect and confidence” in his ability to do so, having worked with him for three years at the Auckland Blues.
Away from match day and the training pitch, Nucifora will aim to ensure that there is “greater alignment across a number of areas” in Irish professional rugby, including management of players’ game time, player welfare, succession planning, strength and conditioning, medical care, analysis and nutrition.
In the professional game, there are so many things that make up performance,” says the Brisbane native. “There are so many components to it. I do believe that if we have a system where there are too many people going off on tangents, you lack efficiency.
“If you lack efficiency, then the people that normally suffer from that will be the players. If we can get a system that’s very well aligned across all the different components that make up performance, then ultimately the people who will benefit from that will be the players.
“That’s what I’ll be working on with the provinces and the staff within the national set-up; to see if we can get greater alignment across all areas.”
As Nucifora himself pointed out yesterday, his role is “wide-ranging,” but a key objective is that each of the factors that contribute towards the performances of Irish team on the pitch are “world-class”.
How will the Performance Director cope when a plan that might benefit Schmidt’s Ireland meets with disagreement from one or more of the provincial coaches? Nucifora hopes to avoid that situation as often as possible through detailed planning and communication.
The fact that the provinces had a major say in deciding on the content of ‘Plan Ireland’ and the creation of his very role is a comfort to the former Wallaby hooker.
“I’m sure that over time there will be differences of opinion; that’s just the nature of how sport works. But what I am confident of is that a lot of people have had a say into this ‘Plan Ireland’ paper.
“That really is the blueprint to fall back on and those people within Irish rugby have said this role was needed to be bring the game closer together. I’m sure there’ll come times where there will be things we don’t agree on.
But I do believe that if we work with them across a number of different areas to bring what they need and what the national team needs, we will get better outcomes than what we’re getting now.”
New Zealand rugby has been praised for its joined-up thinking between franchises and national teams, with the continued supremacy of their senior men’s team the constant aim.
A key part of the NZRU’s success has been the sharing of ideas, be they organisational, technical, tactical, mental or in the strength and conditioning department. Nucifora foresees something similar happening in Ireland.
“There’s an element of that that you’d want. When you talk about alignment, I don’t think you want to stifle anyone in what they bring to the game. There are talented coaches out there [at the provinces] and I think that having variety is an important part of development.
“You don’t want to create the same beast everywhere and you want players to learn different things from different coaches and then apply it. I do think it’s important that players are exposed to different things.
“I’d like to see the national coaches kept busy during the year, involved in the academy system that’s already set up, and at the disposal of the provincial teams if they would like to use them.
“But certainly bringing together the coaching staff from around the country on a regular basis to be able to talk rugby, and share views and ideas so that we don’t have a closed shop in one particular province. There shouldn’t be any secrets in rugby, I think it’s a very simple game.
“I think if we can create an environment where people are comfortable to share and speak about the game, the players will ultimately benefit from that.”
Read the Plan Ireland “White Paper by clicking this link –>
Great news. You will always be a legend to us no matter what happens.
This is the news we’ve been waiting on – and I like it that it’s just one more year. Talented young squad (more than 92) – best full forward line and v strong through the middle – definite chance to redeem themselves with the messiah at then helm!
Donegal for Sam 2014
Excellent manager. Good news for donegal fans. I think they could come back and win big next year.
After that 2011 semi final against Dublin that finished 8-6 he should have been banned from ever managing a football team again.
But he wasn’t, and he went on to win an All-Ireland, with the team racking up 17 points
Donegal were an average football team until Jim was appointed manager, before his arrival there were rumours of disunion among the players and lack of discipline. James McGuinness instilled a sense of confidence and respect for the management team and the players have bought into his style of play and therefore deserves the extra year and I presume he has the backing of all the players.
Jim mcguinness was the brain behind one of the most successful turnarounds ever achieved in sport from a county that has one of the highest emigration levels in the country
Here here! Legendary status – he confirmed the existing talent and brought us to the promised land – with style and controlled displays which I’ve yet to see. Only Mayo so far this season have matched the control they exhibited. They didn’t get RTE team of the year 2012 for no reason. Murphy to lift Sam 2014!
Legendary status? Maybe in Donegal. But in Ireland as a whole, he’s a long way to go before he could be mentioned in the same breath as Micko, Heffo or even Mickey Harte.
What he accomplished in 2 years was mesmerising. He’s handled the media brilliantly and brought belief to the team. Young All-Ireland winning talent should keep them in with a chance for next few years. He’s been a gentleman and against all the nay-sayers from “11 he’s proved everyone wrong.
The football they played last year was so exciting but if he does stay on I reckon he’ll change their gameplan yet again – too hard on players the current style.
I genuinely would be shocked if they made the semi finals next year. No young talent coming through whatsoever
No squad depth either
Many in the squad have been playing Under 21 in the last couple of years, some even played this year, how young do you want the players to be when they break into the senior squad, twelve year olds.
As for strength in depth, practically every team with a chance of winning the Sam goes through the championship season with a core squad of about eighteen players if they are lucky and that includes Dublin, Tyrone, Kerry and Mayo this year, they might have squads of forty, four hundred or four thousand, but it is that core that the manager is depending on.
Every one else there is trying to impress for the following year or just making up the numbers.
Strength in depth matters for sports where the teams play dozens of games over a season that lasts three quarters of the year.
For a season that is as short as the GAA championships, what managers need is to have the core squad consistently available and performing at the top of their game.
When the injuries build up and when fatigue sets in, every manager is in the lap of the gods, none have a clue what depth they have, there aren’t the games for the players to show their mettle.
If McGuinness leaves it will be a loss for the GAA. Celtic F.C. don’t sign coaches up for the craic. Donegal had a tough time with injuries this year, they’ll be hard bet the next one
Looking at how celtic is doing so far this season, i dont blame him.
To be fair its not like he is managing the team and lookin after transfers etc.
From what I hear he is working mostly with the under age teams.
How dose one All Ireland make him a legend he is not Heffo or Micko or even Micky. He is no legend just lucky for one year now all Donegal fans can go back and stay in the hills
Ah David but we are not talking about Kerry or Dublin here where anything other than an All Ireland would be considered a failure. You are talking about a county that won 2 All Ireland titles.
If some body told me 4 years ago that Donegal would win the All Ireland in 2012 I would have told them they were mad. This man(whether you agree with his teams football philosophy or not) installed belief and passion into a group of lads who were a below average inter county team and in two years they were All Ireland champions is amazing.
Thats a very impressive achievement.
If they win it again that would be impressive but don’t get all the hype from Donegal fans and the press as I said he is no legend
Best tribute to him is that people hate him so much. He scared the establishment with the frightening pace and skill displayed in the counter-attacking game. It makes football v interesting in a tactical sense – now coaches have an even greater role.
Only 1 Jim winning matches and silverware the next few years and that’s Jim Gavin. Up the Dubs
FFS, you know Pro Dublin GAA comments are red thumbed to f*ck on here
Ye know yerself, it’s us against the 31. Just how we like it!! Áth Cliath abú.
Hill 16 is Dublin only.
Jim will fix it
So I taught jimmy had 5 year plan for donegal ,yet on a 4 year deal ffs only in Ireland
What about boozing players never mind injuries ?
Spot on Richie. The red thumbs obviously don’t realise what they were up to and how players turned on other players due to excessive drinking
Word is they went on a three month bender.
Always said donegal are very average team bar 4-5 very good players I.e. Murphy etc,a great coach well organized team! i for one would be massively shocked if they reached semis next year
He is a damn good football manager but he has won only 1 All Ireland and the following year gets hammered by the team they beat in that All Ireland so untill he gets the chance to do what Mick O’Dwyer and Brian Cody have done in management we should stand back and have a think about making such a big thing of whether he stays or goes!
Jimmy could do with 15 new players as they should no hart at all this year ..
Contacts? So much for the amateur sport.
not sure what all the fuss is about he should leave and get a new man in ,time for a change