Latest news with #DavidNucifora
BBC News
23-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
GB sevens programme to be scrapped in July
The Great Britain men and women's full-time sevens programme will be scrapped at the end of will be no more permanent contracts, with players instead coming together to train and play on the World SVNS unions say the decision has been driven by financial pressures and a bid to improve the crossover with the 15-a-side restructuring comes just days after Irish rugby ended its men's sevens programme."The financial structure of the World Series over the past few years has become increasingly challenging and placed strain on the GB7s approach, which we must remodel," Scottish Rugby performance director David Nucifora said."With an increasingly congested sevens calendar and crossover opportunities with the 15s game reducing, we are taking time to review how best the format can work both from a player development and financial perspective," added RFU performance director Conor O' it stands, England has 27 contracted players across the men and women's game, Wales six and Scotland three, although not all are GB sevens teams have competed at three Olympics since the sport was added to the Games in 2016, with the men winning silver in Rio 2016 but failing to qualify for Paris women have yet to win a medal, finishing fourth at Rio and Tokyo."GB7s does not receive central Olympic funding, unlike many other unions it is competing with, and we believe the model the series is run under could be more financially effective for individual unions," added O'Shea."This is something we are continuing to talk to World Rugby about." The RFU has also cited the loss of the London leg of the World Series as another reason for the financial the past decade or so, the men's 7s and 15s forms of the game have been kept separate, with very few players in the UK and Ireland switching between the in the 1990s and 2000s a host of senior England 15-a-side internationals played sevens at the start of their careers, with Ugo Monye and Danny Care telling the Rugby Union Weekly podcast this week it helped them develop as players in the longer form of the there are concerns a part-time programme will mean GB will struggle to compete on the world stage."We believe the camp-based approach we are taking will provide the best development opportunities for players from the men's and women's game given current financial constraints and the congested schedule," added Welsh Rugby Union interim performance director Huw Bevan."We will continue to work with the other unions and World Rugby to explore the on-going role sevens plays within our development pathway."
Irish Times
16-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Gerry Thornley: IRFU decision on Sevens reflects the cold, hard business of sport
News that the IRFU are to cut the men's Sevens programme at the end of this season doesn't come as a surprise given their funding had already been reduced and that they had been very much a pet product of the previous Performance Director, David Nucifora. Even so, the bottom line is that it's very sad news and even a little cold and cruel given distinguished and future Sevens careers have been stopped. Alas, the biggest problem on David Humphreys' in-tray since succeeding Nucifora is the widening gap between Leinster and the other three provinces, and the new Performance Director has had his hands tied further by the Union's losses of €18 million over the course of the 2023-24 season. Cutting the men's Sevens programme is not necessarily a huge saving, although it could be around the €400,000 mark. It is estimated that the programme costs the IRFU in the region of €1.35m in total, but this is partially offset by the estimated €350,000 they received from World Rugby for playing in the world series, and Olympic funding from Sport Ireland of €300,000 as well as around €300,000 in sponsorship from Tritonlake, as title sponsors, and Blackrock as associate sponsors. In coming to this decision, the IRFU maintain that the Men's Sevens programme does not, in essence, provide a pathway through to the national 15-a-side team. It's true that it certainly doesn't in the same way that the women's Sevens programme is a vital lifeblood of the Ireland women's 15-a-side team in the absence of the four provinces which supply the men's 15-a-side team. READ MORE Similarly, the men's Sevens sides are a pathway for the likes of Argentina, Samoa and Kenya but also in the absence of four professional feeder provinces ala Ireland. Even so, while the debate will rage as to how much the Sevens programme helped or delayed the development of Hugo Keenan, Jimmy O'Brien, Nick Timoney and others, there's little doubt that, for example, Cormac Izuchukwu would not have ended up playing for Ulster and Ireland without being brought into the Sevens fold. One wonders if this decision would have been made had Ireland won a medal at the Olympics, where they lost by four points to the back-to-back gold medallists. It remains to be seen if this relative drop in the ocean will help to improve Connacht, Munster and Leinster bridge that gap with Leinster, although in truth all four provinces never had much love for an Ireland Sevens team that took away some of their players. The former Ireland Sevens captain Billy Dardis has described the move as 'short-sighted' and 'hugely deflating', while the Rugby Players of Ireland CEO Simon Keogh has highlighted the bad timing of this announcement and how challenging it will be for the players to find clubs in the 15s game. One imagines that Sport Ireland will not be enamoured or impressed by the IRFU's decision and the thought occurs that there should be, perhaps, a two-year Olympic qualifying cycle which is at least partially separate from the World Series. The Ireland Men's Sevens team are also a victim of the world series no linger having the reach it used to have when it was televised by Sky Sports, meaning in latter years it has had to be streamed online. True, England, Wales and Scotland only contribute to a combined Great Britain team and the Ireland Men's Sevens team always portrayed a good image and were a good reflection of Irish rugby. Having risen to number two in the world, it seems a real shame that they have been cast adrift. Across every facet of business and life there are loss-makers which need to be supported but, ultimately, it feels like this cold, money-based decision reflects the world we live in.
The Irish Sun
14-05-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
‘It's a mess' – Billy Dardis accuses IRFU of wanting to ‘push away and quieten down' rugby 7s after DROPPING programme
BILLY DARDIS has spoken of his dismay at the cancelling of the Men's Sevens programme - likening it to the Jamaican bobsleigh team. In his role as vice-chair of the Olympic Federation of Ireland's Athletes Commission, Dardis is trying to get to grips with a whole host of sports with which he is not familiar. 2 The IRFU has dropped the men's rugby 7s programme Credit: Harry Murphy/Sportsfile 2 Billy Dardis has slammed the decision Credit: Ben McShane/Sportsfile But it is his own sport enveloped in the biggest crisis with the IRFU dropping its male Sevens programme. Dardis captained the team on its Olympic debut, when it came 10th in Tokyo but missed out on selection for World And Dardis believes the Ireland team was doomed since the departure of David Nucifora as the IRFU's performance director. Read More on Olympics And Dardis said: 'Sevens is probably the younger brother that they want to push away and quieten down. 'What happened in the last month, it would be like if the 'So it is a bit of a mess. 'I was joking last night that we were like the Jamaican the flash in the pan, came on the scene for four or five years and then it's gone. Most read in Rugby Union 'By all accounts, on Monday the lads are getting told that there is no programme next year.' As it happens, that four-man team - immortalised in the movie Cool Runnings - qualified for four successive Olympics but that will not be on the cards for the Men's Sevens, although the Women's programme will be retained because of its more integral role in the 15-a-side game. Ronan O'Gara bizarrely ends press conference after 23 SECONDS amid La Rochelle's continued poor form Dardis' intervention prompted the IRFU to bring forward its announcement planned for Monday but he said it had not come as a surprise. He said: 'Lads are going looking for jobs right now. It's a bit of a mess. It's devastating. 'It has just been infuriating watching it because ten players retired last year after Paris and not one player was replaced. So they only had 13 or 14 players across the whole squad this year. 'They didn't bring in one so you kind of see the cracks. They weren't putting in the same amount of funding. Coaches and performance staff started to leave. 'I've come to terms with it and I think the lads as well. It's, 'OK I need to find a job for next year' and some of them have.' Dardis believes a podium finish in Paris might have saved the team but said that was not the only measure of success. 'SHORT-SIGHTED' He said: 'You look at Zac Ward kicking on now at Ulster, Andrew Smith at Munster, you could go right across the provinces. 'Hugo Keenan is now playing for the Lions, so lots of good things have come out of it. It's short-sighted by both World Rugby and Irish Rugby. 'It was driven by David Nucifora. It was just after Ireland got hammered by 'We didn't quite realise it at the time, he was the one 'With David Humphreys coming in, I thought he was going to be a big supporter of it. 'But leading into Paris, there were a few cracks. There wasn't a Sevens academy being built over a few years, so you are thinking, 'what's going to happen here?'' IRFU STATEMENT In a statement, the IRFU said the decision to cancel the programme was in part to "ensure long-term financial sustainability ". It read: "The Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) today confirmed that following a comprehensive review of its Sevens programmes after the conclusion of the 2024 Olympic cycle, it has made the decision to cease the Men's Sevens programme following the conclusion of the 2024/25 season. "This move is part of a broader strategic effort to ensure long-term financial sustainability and focus on key initiatives outlined in the Union's strategic plan. "This announcement follows the release of the IRFU's financial results last November, which showed an €18 million deficit for the 2023/24 season. "As part of its ongoing efforts to manage this deficit and secure a sustainable financial future , the IRFU has been reviewing all of its programmes to identify areas for optimisation and prioritisation. IRFU High Performance Director, David Humphreys said: 'The financial situation we face is challenging, and it's crucial that we take decisive action to secure the long-term success of Irish Rugby. 'While the decision to end the Men's Sevens programme is a difficult one, it is necessary in order to ensure that our resources are focused on the areas that will have the greatest impact on the future of the game in Ireland. "We are committed to making sure that this transition is handled with the utmost respect for all those who have contributed to the success of the Sevens programme.'
Irish Times
22-04-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Gerry Thornley: Leinster's success masking alarming fault lines which have emerged in Irish rugby
On the surface, all seems hunky dory. The Ireland men's team are ranked third in the world, the ever-improving women's side are ranked fifth and Leinster are one more home semi-final win away from becoming the first side ever to reach four successive Champions Cup finals. Scratch underneath, though, and the gap between Leinster and the other three provinces has never been bigger, nor more alarming. For sure, there is nothing particularly new in Leinster being the last Irish team standing in Europe. They have been the only Irish team in the semi-final stages of the Champions Cup for six seasons in a row now, while Ulster haven't been in a final for 13 years and Munster for 17 seasons. READ MORE However, it's not just that the other three provinces are so far away from dining at European rugby's top table, it's that there is no sign of this changing any time soon. Furthermore, take the URC , a competition which the Irish teams used to routinely dominate. Two seasons ago, Leinster, Ulster, Munster and Connacht all reached the playoffs. The latter three, on average, had a 61 per cent winning ratio that season. This season, as things stand, Munster, Ulster and Connacht have all lost more matches than they have won. Between them, the trio's winning ratio has dropped to 42 per cent. Munster sit seventh, Ulster 10th and Connacht 12th, and there is a real possibility that Leinster might be the only Irish team in the playoffs and hence the only Irish team in next season's Champions Cup, with the other three consigned to the Challenge Cup. It shouldn't come to that. The others are still in the mix, but then again it might come to that. This cannot be solely attributable to the arrival of the South African teams. After all, they were there two seasons ago. Throw in the provinces' respective Champions Cup and Challenge Cup games this season and whereas Leinster's winning ratio is 95 per cent, for the three others combined this figure is 45 per cent. IRFU performance director David Nucifora and Andy Farrell. Photograph: Dan Sheridan/Inpho This is truly alarming. But then again this is the inevitable byproduct of the increasing centralisation of the Irish system and its focus on international teams, be they 15s or Sevens, during the tenure of David Nucifora as the IRFU performance director. And it could take many years to rectify the problem. The IRFU invest equally in the pathways of all four provinces but they are not receiving much in return from Munster, Ulster and Connacht, although the Union's focus on Provincial Talent Squads and National Talent Squads seems only to have shrunk the base designed to develop international quality players. Next season there will be 14 centrally contracted players, of whom four came from the pathways in New Zealand (Bundee Aki, James Lowe and Jamison Gibson-Park) and Australia (Mack Hansen). Connacht can rightly lay claim to Robbie Henshaw, but the other nine, including Munster's only centrally contracted player, Tadhg Beirne, came through the Leinster pathway. Not one player came through Munster or Ulster, and the latter do not have one centrally contracted player next season. Last week's announcement by the IRFU that the provinces are to be responsible for 40 per cent of national player contracts where previously the figure had been set at 30 per cent is a step in the right direction. It is estimated that this will free up around €500-€600,000 for the IRFU to redistribute toward improving the pathways in Connacht, Munster and Ulster. One sincerely hopes that these monies are used to upgrade the yawning gulf in facilities and coaching which exists between the elite rugby-playing schools in Leinster compared to the other three provinces. As well as having this and other socio-economic advantages, true to type Leinster were also quicker out of the blocks in breaking into their own schools. Blackrock College captain Sami Bishti lifts the cup as the school celebrate another Leinster Schools Senior Cup triumph this year. It's hard to see how the Cork, Limerick, Galway and Belfast schools will ever match the facilities and coaching budgets of St Michael's, Blackrock et al. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho As with the other provinces, schools rugby had been something of an impenetrable sacred cow, but teachers – under heightened pressure academically – don't have the time for coaching which they once had. So, maybe the other three provinces should stop trying to emulate the Leinster system and focus their energies and player development on their clubs. For it's hard to see how the Cork, Limerick, Galway and Belfast schools will ever match the facilities and coaching budgets of St Michael's, Blackrock et al. The IRFU have done many things right, eventually, in the professional era but in investing more heavily on Ireland international teams they have taken their eye off the provinces. And although Team Ireland should be strong for another few years yet, the chickens are already coming home to roost. Remember the 90s? Team Ireland could hardly buy a win. That was partly because the same was true of all four provinces in the early days of professionalism and the European Cup. Then came Ulster's 1999 European Cup triumph and, in particular, Munster's emergence in the noughties to reach four finals, winning two of them in 2006 and 2008. This was followed by Leinster's arrival among European rugby's true elite, which provided the players with the confidence to establish Ireland as one of the best sides in the world. Viewed in that light, Leinster's excellence should be celebrated. Where Irish rugby would be without them really doesn't bear thinking about. That's why the stellar signings of the last 12 months, and the IRFU sanctioning the arrival of Rieko Ioane, are positives. Leinster winning the Champions Cup would be brilliant for Irish rugby. Rather than close the gap by diluting Leinster in any way, the Union need to strengthen the other three. The restructuring of the Union's funding model last week is presumably with this ideal in mind and followed 'a planned review of its funding model'. Hence it had been in the pipeline for a year or so, and it will take many years for it to bear fruit. The likelihood is that much of the investment in Under-20s and Sevens programmes will also be redirected towards the other three provinces. But it is already clear that while this is a step in the right direction, it is most likely a drop in the ocean and not nearly enough to address the underlining and alarming fault lines which have emerged in Irish rugby.
Reuters
28-01-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Lions strengthen backroom staff for Australia tour
Jan 28 (Reuters) - Former Australia international David Nucifora will join the British and Irish Lions as general manager of performance ahead of this year's tour of Australia, the team said on Tuesday. Ireland's head of athletic performance Aled Walters will assume the same role on head coach Andy Farrell's backroom staff after this year's Six Nations Championship. "David's unrivalled experience will help us shape and deliver such a challenging and exciting rugby programme, whilst also bringing essential insight into Australian rugby and the country as a whole," Farrell said in a statement. "Aled is a World Cup winner who has worked with players across England and Ireland and has also coached in Australia and Super Rugby with the Brumbies." The Lions are set to play nine tour matches in Australia starting in June, including three tests against the Wallabies.
