IRFU PERFORMANCE DIRECTOR David Nucifora says no stone will be left unturned in the search for a new Connacht head coach.
After a successful four-year spell in charge, Pat Lam announced earlier this month that he will depart next summer in order to take over as head coach at Bristol.
Just over a fortnight on from the news which took many Irish rugby fans by surprise, the process to ensure that the correct appointment is made is well underway.
“We’ve got a great working relationship there,” Nucifora told the IRFU’s website. “Connacht need to understand what they want as a coach out there.
“We’ve sat down very early on in the piece and laid out a profile with them; with the CEO Willie Ruane and with their [Professional] Game Board to establish the profile of the person that we think we need going forward.
“Between us we’ll work diligently and come up with the right person over the next period of time to build on the work that’s being done out there by Pat and the players.”
When asked if this appointment will be a particularly crucial one, Nucifora said: “Every coaching appointment is crucial. There’s been so much good work done out there obviously, we’re all very conscious of what we do next, where we go next.
“But that’s the reality of sport. People will always come and go and move on. It’s how well you plan around what you do next, where you go next. It’s the same for players when they move on.
“There’s always a period of time when you think, ‘We can’t let that happen, that person’s irreplaceable’, but without any disrespect to anyone, no one is irreplaceable. You work to build on the good work that people have done before you so we’ll do that out there with the coaching.”
With their representation in the Ireland squad increasing significantly in recent years and the province being crowned Guinness Pro12 champions last season, Nucifora praised Connacht for becoming “a realistic pathway” into international rugby.
“The job that they’ve done out there has been fantastic for them, it’s been fantastic for the people out in Connacht, but their contribution to Irish rugby over that period in time has been terrific because they’re now producing a large number of Irish players out there,” he said.
“A lot of players now see that realistically as a pathway to be able to play for Ireland. We’ve got four highly competitive teams where any of our players can go to and feel that they’re going to be well coached and have a great opportunity to be the best players that they can be and strive to play for Ireland.”
– First published 14.19
